One Thing Leads to Another

© TheContractress.com

As a child, Kia Ricchi painted landscapes near her parent's home outside Lake Tahoe. When she was ready for college, she headed straight to art school, despite the fact that her father warned her – like many fathers of artists before him – that she may never get a job as an artist. But after college, Ricchi landed a job rather quickly, signing on as a Disney artist.

There, she worked on a number of projects at Walt Disney World such Epcot’s as Living Seas. And she was exposed to something much grander― the creation of The Tree of Life, the epic outdoor sculpture that is the centerpiece of Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Being involved with such monumental projects made Ricchi to want to create her own significant works of art. And so she did.

Ricchi started creating large outdoor sculptures that provide public seating. One of her favorite things, coral reefs, is a reoccurring theme. "I'm fascinated with under water life," she says, "and coral fascinates me the most – it's colorful, textured and varied; it's much more interesting than the fish themselves."

Ricchi, an avid scuba diver, created her monumental reefs in carved concrete. They're now on display at public parks and private residences, and that's just the way she wanted it. "I like artwork that's accessible to people. Work that's both beautiful and functional." A longtime lover of nature, Ricchi has also created seating that looks as natural as fallen trees.

After that, Ricchi had a taste, not for more art, but for construction. She got her contractor's license and built two spec houses. After that, Ricchi was ready for even more challenges, and started working on commercial jobs such as tenant build-outs and state projects.

Eventually, she was given the name The Contractress. Now it was time for her life to take another direction.

And then she wrote a book (because what's a name without a book?) Only hers isn't a long and winding tale about how she got from there to here – Ricchi is far too practical for that. It's a book for people who aren't contractors and contractresses, and it's meant to demystify the contracting process.

In Avoiding the CON in Construction, Kia showers her readers with insider knowledge about the construction process, and guides readers through the process - from concept to completion.  “Before having work done on your house, it’s essential to know the ins and outs of construction contracting because contracting is approximately 50% of the job and the actual construction is the other half,” says Ricchi.

In her book, Ricchi teaches homeowners how to research a contractor’s qualifications and character using state websites and public records. Ricchi also explains the permitting and inspection process, and how it protects the homeowner. Pitfalls such as liens, jobsite injuries, and cost overruns are explained as well as the methods to avoid them. them.

It's a good and helpful read, but we wondered, how does one go from painting landscapes to building houses? “Just by following the path,” Ricchi says.

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