Domenic Tarantino in New Jersey, 1987
Joyce Tarantino grew up in a family of tradespeople who brought their craft from Italy to New Jersey more than a century ago. Her great uncles were masons, skilled in brick and stonework. In the next generation, the family continued in the building trades, her father and uncles as expert operating engineers, another as a roofing contractor. Carrying on family tradition, three generations of the Tarantino family have all built or renovated their own homes. Today, Joyce’s brother and nephew carry on that legacy in the building trades as electrical contractors.
Joyce began her connection to the homebuilding trade in her 20s, selling homes on residential new construction projects in Morris Country, New Jersey. When not selling in the model homes, she was always out in the field with the builders, to learn from the ground up how to construct a house, from foundation to finish, always focusing on the details. Joyce spent over two decades working for regional and national builders on all types of projects, from condominiums to luxury homes in a golf course community – across New Jersey, NC, Connecticut, Washington, DC and Virginia.
After years in the new homes business, she saw a niche in the marketplace for clients wanting to renovate or build. With an eye for design, construction expertise and the ability to search out great building materials, Joyce founded Design Solutions in 2008. A few years later, she started purchasing her own properties to completely renovate and brought many historic townhouses and homes in Washington DC back to life.
Joyce had a wonderful opportunity to renovate an apartment in Rome, Italy for a New Jersey client in 2020 and gained some international experience! Through visits to Italian trade shows, ceramic factories, kitchenand lighting showrooms, she now can stay aware of the emerging trends in kitchens, baths and lighting which will make their way across the Atlantic!
Design Solutions offers exactly that – solutions in design to make your home work perfectly. When a prospective client is faced with a building or renovation project with dozens of choices, it can feel overwhelming. We can help make sense of it all and provide the organization to keep the job on time and on budget. Construction is always a series of bumps and glitches, so learning how to navigate through and head off potential problems at the outset makes the whole process smoother. From working with the architect, to understanding the building and permit schedule, to making all choices well in advance and ordering materials on time to keep your job moving forward. We can be there for walk-throughs at crucial points, and advise on when it makes sense to make any necessary changes as your project moves from a construction drawing to “as built”. From demolition to punch list, we’re there to make renovation life easier.
