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Five years ago, as Richard Connelly and Gretchen Swanson contemplated changing their careers, they decided it was time to get dirty...or at the very least, start working outside in the dirt.

Connelly, who left behind a journalism and computer background, and Swanson, whose previous professional life was running a successful health care business, have built a solid base of appreciative clients with their business RichCo Outdoor Construction.

Although the company, with Connelly at the helm, specializes in design, fabrication and installation of outside wood structures for the home, Swanson is also licensed as a painter. Together they are a team armed with creative enthusiasm, professionalism and a detail-driven compulsion to architecturally-correct, quality workmanship.

RichCo provides homeowners in the Long Beach and Signal Hill area with durable and attractive fences, gates, decks and pergola structures that are custom built to match and complement the existing architecture of the client's house.

According to Swanson, many of the homes in the area built after WWII were left architecturally incomplete because of the need to build quickly. Many of Swanson and Connelly's refurbishment projects have been done on houses that required some level of corrective construction as well as reconstruction.

"Sometimes it's as simple as adding a few more posts in the front of a porch so the house looks correct," she said. The approach is often subtle, but nonetheless effective. "People say, 'Gee, it looks great, but I don't know why,'" she said.

RichCo client Jeff Anderson hired the pair because of how helpful they were in presenting ideas and options for him to consider. Anderson and his partner are refurbishing their home - a 1922 Spanish house in the historic Rose Park neighborhood of Long Beach.

"Richard brought some good ideas to the table...and Gretchen came up with this great consultative work, which I thought was totally different from other painters I talked to."
Swanson believes a thorough discussion of an overall plan before commencing any work is key so that both they and the clients are better positioned to deal with potential changes to a plan along the way. She and Connelly provide the homeowners with the tools to make smarter choices.

"We wanted someone who understood older homes and quality craftsmanship," Anderson said. "One of the best things about working with them is their attention to detail."

Swanson's clients receive a notebook with the design strategy, color palette, a watercolor rendering and demo boards. What distinguishes their work, however, is the attention to finishing-for example, she hand paints the home's exterior trim and accessories to achieve a distinctive look.

Today the couple is happy with their choice to have switched careers, and they've established a faithful following of satisfied homeowners to validate their decision. "We're out there everyday. We're hands on," Swanson said. And five years into it, they're still not afraid to get more than a little dirty.

For more information about RichCo Outdoor Construction, visit www.RichCoLongBeach.com or call (562) 434-9288..