Red Oak Renovations

Reliable Bob paints shelves in his office. Red Oak Renovations specializes in custom tiling, cabinetry, and painting.

Reliable Bob married Susan in 1981 and they bought a 35-year old house in Wilmington, Del.

"We immediately tore out the kitchen and installed a new one, and renovated a family room,” Bob said. "This started a pattern." In 1985, the couple bought an 85-year-old Victorian house and transformed the attic into a master suite.

"That house allowed me to fulfill a dream of renovating my own home -- after my day job. We had four little children, which motivated us to finish the third floor to create our own private hide-away, with a much appreciated second bathroom."

They realized that renovating existing space is always more economical than building or buying new.

Bob's corporate job brought the family to Westford, Mass. in 1990. He continued his after-work avocation and built a new bathroom and powder room, remodeled the basement and planned and executed a kitchen renovation in the Cape Cod style house, built in 1977.

Bob custom-painted the powder room. "I used the tiling and walls as the palate to express myself. It was a respite from corporate life," Bob said. "Visitors usually had something to say about the famous powder room,  because it was so colorful and creative."

Two of Reliable Bob's adult children work for Red Oak Renovations. Both talented in their own right, Kristen specializes in custom tile design and installation. Ian is a master carpenter and like his father, a jack-of-all trades.