YOLO Spotlight - Chris Dreith of Home Improvements Group!

Home Improvements Group has occupied the bottom corner of the Woodland Hotel for many years. Specializing in bathrooms and kitchens, the team handles everything from conceptualizing your ideas to handing your keys back when the project is done. They are particular about their subcontractors, ensuring they are completely professional and maintain the highest quality construction work.

The Group has been headed by Chris Dreith since 1994, but Chris is gradually stepping back and handing the reins over to Lacey Passantino. (Hearing Chris talk about her love of what she does, though, it is hard to believe she will step away completely.) Chris knew Lacey and has always loved her taste. She is pleased to have mentored her and excited that the change in leadership is also coming with a change in venue as the physical space of the Group is moving to 702 Main Street soon.

FUN FACT #1

Chris went to art school and gravitated to several different colleges over the years, ending up in Portland at an architecture school. Her brother-in-law lived in Davis and liked it so much she came down to northern California, eventually obtaining a higher degree in architecture at Berkeley. Born in Nebraska, then growing up in Colorado, she went to work for a ski shop, ended up designing more shops for the owners, eventually buying some of the shops. Chris then realized she preferred the building designing over the retail aspect of business ownership.

FUN FACT #2

In high school, Chris dabbled in cartooning. Maybe this is what led to her love of writing mystery stories. She began publishing some of her work last year. (Seems everyone discovered new talents during pandemic shutdown!) She enjoys building the characters and likens it to how she must focus on clients and figure out what they need and want. Chris is a proud member of Sisters in Crime, an organization of authors, publishers, readers, and booksellers that supports women who write mysteries. She recently helped organize a major mystery conference that was made more challenging because it had to turn into a virtual event.

FUN FACT #3

Chris is a dog lover, a travel lover, and has a wicked sense of humor. There are a couple of signs in the shop that proves the humor. One of the signs has an image of a beautiful horse, but as you get to the back end, the horse becomes a crude stick figure. While Chris couldn’t remember the actual wording on the sign, the gist of it was “when your client starts wanting cut corners in the middle of the project”. She loves attending community events in Woodland and sampling the local “products” at local wineries and breweries.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE BATH AND KITCHEN REMODEL BUSINESS?

1.       The new showroom being built at 702 Main Street in downtown Woodland will have a working kitchen so they will be able to demonstrate appliances and incorporate cooking skills. Outdoor kitchens have been big the past year as people found themselves spending more time at than usual. Though they specialize in bathrooms and kitchens, the Group can also help you remodel the rest of your home if you ask real nice.

2.       Chris’s first job in Woodland was organizing the Farmer’s Market. In doing this, she met many people she calls “downtowners”, people who invest in or otherwise commit to helping Woodland’s downtown. Two of those downtowners was Gary Wirth, an architect, and Market board member Carl Fischer, designer. Both encouraged and mentored Chris. Chris eventually worked for Carl for eight years, and when he closed his business, she opened Home Improvements Group.

3.       While Chris modestly talked about her involvement with national bath and kitchen remodeling groups, we heard a rumor that she has been very active with them and is highly respected in the field. She is a certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer and has also judged some of their local and national contests. She is a charter member of the SEN Design Group, the first national buying/marketing group in the kitchen and bath industry, where she acts as an Advisory Council Member and a mentor for many kitchen and bath dealers throughout the country. Chris enjoys how the members of these groups network and support each other.

Chris wants to be known as someone who is changing people’s lives for the better. She strives to help you decide what home would suit you best and allow you to feel your best in the place you spend most of your life. Being in a pandemic has proven her right, as people realize that their home is their safe space and should reflect the colors and style that allows them to be themselves.

If you would like to learn more, you can find it here: https://www.homeimprovementsgroup.com/. After meeting Chris, we immediately began thinking about what we could do in our own home and realized with glee that the possibilities are endless. And fun!

Interested in a Session?