As anyone who’s ever owned an older house knows, renovation can be a challenge. Modern technology doesn’t always gel with antique construction and some contractors are unwilling to even make the attempt. That’s what happened when Tyler and Hallie Blackwell decided to add a bathroom to a 1890 property they owned, and were renovating, in Olympia’s historic Bigelow district.
“Most contractors said it would be extremely difficult to do,” says Tyler. “Because the house is so old, the crawlspace is not exactly accessible.” Strangely enough, the answer to their problem initially came, not from a contractor but from their plumber: Olympic Plumbing Technology. “Ron and Kim actually recommended the contractor we ended up working with,” Tyler says. “Together they managed to work out a creative plan with the contractor and make it happen.”
The Blackwells first met Olympic Plumbing owners Kim Bosler and Ron Boeckmann in a different capacity. “We live off South Bay Dr. near Skateland on a dead end road and they were our closest neighbors,” says Blackwell. “They have kids and we have a two-year old, so we got to know each other.”
Renovation is not a full time job for the Blackwells. Tyler is a medical physicist and Hallie teaches math at South Puget Sound Community College, but as a sideline, they enjoy purchasing and restoring houses and managing rental properties. That’s where Olympic Plumbing comes in handy.
“On one of our homes we were trying to restore an old concrete sink that had water supply lines sticking right out of the wall,” says Tyler. “We didn’t know what to do. In the end, we got an old-fashioned faucet and had them install it.”
Coming up with creative solutions to challenges is not new to Bosler and Boeckmann who met while pursuing careers as commercial divers. Phil Newsom, Director of the Association of Diving Contractors International, estimates that only three out of every fifteen people who graduate from commercial diving school are able to withstand the rigor of the profession, which involves adapting to uncertainty and a high degree of physical and psychological discomfort. Boeckmann’s work with an engineering firm involved frequent travel while Bosler focused on cleaning out reservoirs.
They left the profession and launched OPT in 2007 – just in time for the recession. Despite the economy, the business has thrived. In the past decade, the couple has moved from the home office to a commercial shop and added four employees and an office administrator.
Tyler credits the latter with streamlining the process for clients. “Molly, who works in their (OPT) office, is incredibly helpful and very sweet and easy to work with,” he says. “On our most recent job, I said, ‘Molly, here’s what I want done. Can you coordinate a time with the general contractor and make this happen?’ She’s always really responsive.”
The process itself it also user friendly, he says. “Everything from the initial call to setting up appointments and paying invoices is easy. That’s what you want in a contractor. We’re really happy.”
For information on Olympic Plumbing Technology visit their website or call 360-352-5164.
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