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By Reid
Champagne
"Deborah was a police officer for 20 years before joining me to form our company in 1999," says DeLagostti. In addition to Hirt's built-in watchdog for honesty, DeLagostti brings a high-end perspective to the home construction and remodeling business. She has degrees in both architecture and engineering, and has worked with her father as a high-rise resort developer in Buenos Aires, Argentina to name but one of many different and exotic South American locales. "My father and I built extensions and additions as well as personally customizing some of the nicer resort lobbies throughout South America," DeLagostti notes, adding she learned a great deal from an 83-year-old Italian master carpenter with whom she worked side by side with. Locally, no job is too small or large. On this day, the girls are making a fully customized home entertainment center for a client. To date, the largest project they've been involved in is a 2,500 square foot residential addition. "We take on projects most men won't touch," says DeLagostti. And Two Girls is not shy about pricing, either. While most custom homebuilders are in the $125 per square foot range for a new home, Two Girls are typically charging around $450 per square foot. Two Girls Remodeling believes their business approach is unique in a number of important ways. "Our price quotes are not estimates that may change and become higher later after the work has begun," says DeLagostti. "Our estimates are our quotes, and whatever we quote is what the final bill will be."
"We're up front with our clients," says DeLagostti. "If they want us to work exclusively on their renovation, we will then charge them a premium accordingly. If they're not time-constrained and we can work other jobs simultaneously, we will quote a lower price." Testimonials pour into DeLagostti and Hirt from satisfied customers. One client in Dover praised the privacy lattice the girls had designed for her deck, adding, “I wish I’d done this sooner, now that its done.” Another rental owner in Bethany Beach complimented the girls work on two new sets of closet doors that “she would not have to worry anymore about” the old doors falling off their tracks and getting complaints from her rentals” But why would two grown adult females want to call themselves Two Girls Remodeling, working in an industry dominated by males, rather than sat, Two Women Remodeling? "We did give that some thought, and we thought it would be better to be considered maybe a bit too young to get the job done, rather than a bit too old," DeLagostti explains. "Besides, we think its cute." DeLagostti does admit it was difficult at first to get work because they were both women, but she says that one the word got out that we could work as well as men, and that we were willing to put everything in writing, Two Girls is now typically working six-day, ten-hour per day weeks. Two Girls Remodeling specialize in a broad range of construction and remodeling services, from complete room additions, sunrooms, hardwood flooring, to complete kitchens, conservatories, decks and bathrooms. DeLagostti cautions new clients that they may initially experience sticker shock when she quotes a job. But she says most of her past clients come to understand and appreciate the up front honesty, which she says is the trademark for Two Girls Remodeling. "They really do appreciate knowing up front what they're going to spend well in advance, so they can properly plan ahead. For more information, visit www.2GirlsRemodelng.com
Two Girls Remodeling, 302-427-9673,
P.O. Box 7491, Wilmington DE 19803 |
