When you welcome Hudson Remodeling into your home for a renovation, you’re making a big commitment. A lot of trust and faith in our Hudson team is involved. Recognizing that, we would like to give you a chance to meet our crew members so that when we do begin working together, it’ll feel comfortable.
With that in mind, we’ve been rolling out crew bios so you can get to know each person who may work in your home.
The next person in the spotlight is designer and project manager Susan Silva.
Name: Susan Silva
Role: Designer and project manager
First year at Hudson: 2015, but I’ve been doing designs for Hudson Remodeling since 2003. Charlie Hudson was actually one of the first contractors who hired my company, Silva Design, to do some design work. I still do some of that on the side, too, in addition to managing remodeling projects.
Favorite power tool: The Chief Architect 3D CAD program. I’ve been using it ever since I started in design. I like that it provides an easy-to-understand visual map of the projects — both for our clients and me.
Your favorite thing to redesign: I love to design small kitchens. When every inch counts, you have to be very efficient in your design. It’s much more of a challenge to make it work, and I like that.
One thing most people don’t know about you: I love to travel and visit places with different cultures and/or environments. It’s sometimes challenging to be in unfamiliar surroundings, but it makes me feel alive! My last trip was to Indonesia and I got a chance to revisit some places I had been to 30 years ago when I was just out of college. On the domestic side I love to hike, ski, and kayak in our local mountains and waterways. There is so much to explore in our own backyard.
If time and money were no object, what would you remodel at your own home? Gee, I have been making so many changes over the last 10 years. I think the interior is finally done, and I wouldn’t want to change anything else.
One thing you think every homeowner should know before starting a remodel project: Remodeling homes can be a process of discovery. Sometimes unexpected conditions arise that can impact the original design. Having an experienced team to help you sort out the options is important. Also, it’s going to take longer than what you see on TV. You can’t use TV shows as a guide to how long a remodeling project will take or how much it might cost.
First thing you remember designing: My own kitchen cabinets. In some ways, they were the impetus for me to go down this path of home design. I have a degree in industrial technology, and I always thought I would be a manufacturing engineer. And I was, actually, before I stopped to have kids. But then we were going through our own remodel process at home, and I was looking at all the catalogues for kitchen cabinets and didn’t really like anything I saw. I wanted the cabinets to be straight, with no curvy lines or inset panels, but not totally plain, either. So I decided to design my own. I really enjoyed that whole process. When I decided that I wanted to go back to work, my husband remembered that project and suggested I go into some sort of design work.
First car: 1974 VW Super Beetle.
Favorite candy: Baby Ruth. I love the combination of peanuts and chocolate.