A CotY 2022 Winner Spotlight: Remodeling Designs Inc.

Remodeling Designs is Dayton born and made.  

Started in 1990 by Erich Eggers, his daughter and son-in-law Christine and Mark Balsan now help him co-own the company.  

They are all University of Dayton graduates and aim to give back to the Dayton community by providing an excellent remodeling experience for all their clients.  

Remodeling Designs specializes in projects where people need help with their design, material selection, and building.  

“We tell people that it provides a really good experience because you always know who’s coming into your home,” Christine said. “They always have someone they can ask questions to.”  

Remodeling Designs has submitted projects to the Contractor of the Year awards since 2007 and last year they won in two categories: Residential Bath over $100,000 and Residential Kitchen $30,000-$60,000.  

Christine says they would definitely consider themselves veteran CotY winners but continue to submit year after year because of the name recognition and marketing aspect.  

“Being able to market those projects and our company as NARI CotY winners – we talk about it with our clients all the time.”  

Not only is it great to show clients but winning a CotY also encourages the carpenters who oversaw and completed the work.  

“They know that good workmanship was done. They know that clients were happy, and they did good,” Christine said.”  

Christine’s tips to first timers when submitting CotY Awards:  

• Photograph everything: “Getting a professional photographer who is experienced in photographing spaces is essential.” 
• Stage your spaces: “For instance, staging a kitchen – We buy fresh food, and we will cut up salad with colorful peppers and tomatoes and we’ll put a platter of vegetables together with different colors. We’ll put what looks like a boiling pot for spaghetti, or we’ll set up a coffee station. We don’t leave the countertops bare. We make it look like people are living there. 
• Before and after pictures are essential: “Planning ahead is essential because it does take time, but I think it’s worth the time.” 
• Include your clients in the process: “We will usually take clients out to dinner or cook dinner for them as a thank you for allowing us to enter their project – and as a congratulations to them too, because at the end of the day it was a team effort. They have the vision; we just help pull it all together.”