The sentimental ties of TJP Inc.’s new office

In the past few years, I had been interested in finding an office location for TJP Inc. The most important reason was to get rid of the office currently in our home. It’s easy to bring work home, but it’s even easier when your office is down the hallway from your bedroom. Having a separate office would allow us to relax more easily at home and be productive when working. Besides separating home from work for me, I also felt that it would be a valuable asset for the business itself. Lastly, I wanted one location where the employees and I could store our material and equipment more efficiently rather than paying rent for three units. After three or four years, I still hadn’t found the right spot. When this building came on the market, I I felt obligated to consider it due to its history.

Initially the building was a shoe repair shop/store. In the 90’s my mother Elizabeth “Bunny” Pearson bought the building and operated her bakery there. She later sold it to customers that used it as a residential property. The sentimental value the building had as it was previously the location of my mother’s bakery along with it business value as it was zoned commercial convinced me to buy the property.

When we first bought the building, it was in horrible condition. The walls and floor had been soaked with cat urine. The smell led TJP employees, our subcontractors, and myself included to nickname the location “The Cat Palace.” To get rid of the smell, we gutted the “Palace” to the rafters and wall studs and removed some concrete in one of the bedrooms where the smell was strongest. We removed and replaced the furnace, water heater, gas line, and electrical and dug the crawl space deeper. Throughout the home we had to level the floors using nearly 20 bags of self-leveling concrete.

When we bought the building, the garage roof sloped down where it connected to the roof of the home. We tore down the old garage, built new walls, and poured a new concrete floor. We then connected the roof into the roof of the home so that the garage roof and the roof of the home are the same level and more symmetric. We also reinforced the ceiling joists of the existing home to secure the structure and installed a new roof on the home.

For storage, we constructed a new pole barn. Inside we built shelves and other storage areas to help us organize our materials and equipment. Our new storage space with the additional space is much more conducive and has helped considerably.

As the services of TJP Inc. include whole home renovations, open-concept kitchen remodels, and bed and bathroom remodels; we wanted our new office to showcase this work. The newly renovated building accomplishes this.  The new kitchen has up to date features including:

  • kitchen cabinetry

  • soft close drawers and doors

  • dishware, pots and pans

  • LED tape light and LED under the counter lights

  • spice rack

The new kitchen not only displays our quality of work but also the quality of work of some of our vendors/subcontractors such as WoodShapes Unlimited which designed and built the beautiful custom painted maple cabinetry. The rest of the home has laminate flooring throughout and carpet flooring in one of the bedrooms. We also significantly upgraded both bathrooms. Now, the master bath has a custom shower with tile and a glass door.

After all the work was completed, there wasn’t a single part of the home that wasn’t touched. We probably wouldn’t have done this extensive of a renovation if it wasn’t for the history and memories of the building. We’re proud of the renovation and new construction. We’re also excited about the office as it will serve as a more appropriate work and storage space and an ideal spot to meet prospective clients, subcontractors, and current and future employees.

Now we can no longer call it “The Cat Palace”. It’s Thomas J. Pearson Inc.