BY NICK DIAMANTIDES
Staff Writer
While many builders are temporarily halting or scaling back new construction projects, one local remodeling company is experiencing phenomenal growth.
In the three years of its existence, Wynco Design Company has already built a solid reputation for itself.
“We were able to increase our business tenfold last year from the year before,” said company president and CEO Eric Wynkoop, explaining that many of his new clients call him after seeing examples of this company’s work in other people’s homes.
“We always remodel with the idea of building more value into the home,” Wynkoop said. “And we always try to guide the clients to make decisions within their tastes that will eventually get them the most money back on their investment.”
He noted that even though the real estate market has declined significantly in the last year, savvy homeowners are investing in upgrades.
“Historically, in Los Angeles County, you get back 110 percent on kitchen remodels and 100 percent back on bathroom remodels,” he said, adding that the renovations also make it more likely that your home will sell. “Remodeled homes get a higher selling price or they appraise for more when you want to refinance.”
Wynkoop feels that so many people investing in remodels proves that people have faith in the economy,and in the local real estate market.
“It’s kind of rough right now, but those of us who have been around for a while, know that it will rebound,” he said. “Meanwhile, it’s definitely worth investing in the older homes in the Long Beach-Signal Hill area; their unique architecture and tree- lined streets give them an ongoing value.”
Wynkoop, who recently acquired his contractor’s license, was trained as an architect but spent 25 years in retail management before he began investing in houses.
“I started buying homes, remodeling them and selling them for a profit,” he said. “After a few years of that, I decided to start a business that did that for other people.”
To prepare himself for that venture, he took interior design classes for two years.
He now has the capability of designing and building custom homes from the ground up.
With the expertise he has acquired over the years and a computer-assisted design program, Wynkoop said he can design houses that match the unique tastes of his clients.
“The only thing we can’t do is engineering,” he said. “Other than that, we can take a project from design to plan to permit to build.”
Recently, the national organization Build It Green certified Wynkoop as a green builder.
“To get that certification I had to attend a two-day seminar in Downey that taught us the latest techniques for designing and building environmentally friendly buildings,” he said. “It’s about being better for the environment, cutting down on energy costs and, in the long term, looking out for the future of our kids’ planet.”
He explained that, during the intense course, he learned about a natural cotton insulation that works as well as fiberglass and how to avoid using other materials containing volatile organic compounds.
“Materials made with these compounds can release small amounts of toxic fumes into your home for years,” he noted. “The fumes do a lot of damage to your physical and sometimes mental health.”
Recently a local couple, John and Marilyn Forsha, hired Wynco to remodel their kitchen. It now includes a custom entertainment center with a plasma TV and a laundry center with a black glass door identical to the door on the refrigerator.
It also contains an oversized island with a stained concrete countertop, a sink and four chairs. The Forshas use it for preparing and eating food as well as washing dishes.
“We just love it,” Marilyn Forsha said. “It’s wonderful, but we didn’t do it to sell our house. We plan on living here for a long time.”
“Any investment people make in their homes increases the enjoyment in their personal life immediately,” Wynkoop said. “Ultimately, it will also increase the value of their home.”
For more information about Wynco Design, phone (562) 981-8700.
