If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you may have seen some sneak peeks of our basement remodel with Manning Contracting and Home Design. When I say that I’m obsessed with their team, I truly mean it. I actually miss them now that they are done with our project. The whole team is extremely responsive, helpful, respectful and amazingly kind to my family.
Nic and Suzy are the power couple behind the company (and she’s a Hyde Park Mom to four beautiful children). Nic handles the project from start to finish and Suzy helps with layout and design – the Chip and Joanna of Cincinnati, if you will. Suzy and I picked all the finishes together and she helped me make it beautiful! I told her I wanted it to feel like an extension of upstairs rather than feeling like a boring basement – I’d say she definitely delivered! We were also both pregnant during this process, so I’d say bonus points to both of us for not making this process overly emotional/stressful, HA!
What do they Do?
Manning is a full design build construction company that specializes in Commercial and Residential Construction. They do majority of their residential work in Hyde Park and Indian Hill. Anything from finishing a basement, to large scale additions are a go! The best part is that they have an in-house design team that helps you work through the tough design decisions – light fixtures, flooring, built-ins, paint colors etc. They were also amazing keeping us up to date on our budget and working around it when we wanted to change features in the basement.
Why did I choose Manning?
I met Nic when we were house hunting and our realtor brought him along to some showings because we were open to the idea of buying a full remodel. Not only did my husband and I connect with Nic off the bat (Miami Redhawk connection), but he was extremely passionate about his work and his fun, engaging personality really sealed the deal. Once we started bringing him in for our basement, we were already having so much fun just talking about the process! I think you need to vibe well with your contractor, and after researching other companies, I couldn’t imagine working with anyone else! Another bonus is their full service approach and their whole team has a corporate background which I think made a huge difference.
What was the pricing for a basement?
This was the most asked question about our basement. I won’t tell you exactly what we paid, but a basement could be done for $30K all the way to $100K+ The most expensive part of our process was built-ins, so we cut down on some of the original ideas we had to make sure it could work within our budget we set. They are wonderful at respecting your budget and will work to make sure you’re happy!
Did you use a designer?
Nope! Suzy, the other half of Manning’s business, handles the design process. This includes all of those major decisions like lighting, paint, hardware, built-in design, flooring. As far as furniture and other design features (art, pillows, side tables), we will handle all of that on our own, but Suzy can certainly help with ideas and will send links. She can also help with the layout of rooms too.
What was the timeline for your project?
The whole thing took less than a year from the time we had them out to look at the space to completed project. We had about a 3 month wait until they could start our job. I remember it all too well because I had just brought William home and they began working 2 weeks after (I think I love the chaos). The work was not too hard for them, so the whole process took about 4 months – not a big deal at all! Everyone who came into the house was so wonderful from the Manning team and the people who they contracted to come and work. They would take all of my Christmas packages and put them down in the storage unit in my basement and would take in my garbage cans on trash day. Truly did not mind them in my crazy life!
Favorite Part about Working with Manning?
Honestly, the people. Brad who is the project manager was amazing. He ALWAYS picked up the phone, worked really fast to get the job done on time and came up with solutions to any issues we faced. Daniel was another amazing contractor that can basically do anything and was here almost everyday working hard to get the job done. Also one of the happiest people I’ve ever met! The quality and attention to detail was a lovely bonus working with Manning.
Get in touch!
Give them a call or email and have them out to your home. I promise you, you will not be disappointed having Nic, Suzy and the whole Manning team in your life!
