If you’re new to home renovations, you may not realize how many decisions you will have to make. How many, you ask? Over 100! With that many decisions and hundreds of options to choose from, decision fatigue will set in.
You may think you know what you like and the style you want your home to be in, but a seamless renovation is more than that. You must make all the decisions for so many details that you didn’t even imagine existed. There are new people on the job site and new products delivered and installed every day.
Your contractor may ask you, for example, what type of garbage disposal you want (you didn’t even know there were “choices” when it came to garbage disposals). Panic will start to set in. Decision fatigue can lead to anxiety and indecision, which can delay your project.
Building your dream home should be fun and exciting, not a second job (that you haven’t trained for). We want you to have the best experience and best results possible. So today, I’m sharing 3 essential steps to take BEFORE your project begins. Let’s do this!
Step #1: Create Your Dream Home’s Design Concept
Should you hire an interior designer first or a contractor first? I get asked this question A LOT!
Answer: Hire an interior designer first! Sure, your building contractor knows how to pour the foundation, nail together framing, and all the behind-the-scenes details. But designers deal with the aesthetic and lifestyle aspects of home design.
I have a tried-and-true process for helping you define the creative direction of your new home, so that looks cohesive and beautifully personal. My process starts with getting to know you and your family through interviews, questionnaires, and inspiration files.
Armed with this information, we’re able to plan your space and finish selections.
All these options go into a presentation that includes floor plans, furniture plans, 3D renderings, actual samples, digital style guides, and showroom visits (we call them field trips).
Generally, we present you with two to three options personalized to your needs. (Doesn’t that sound better than wandering the kitchen and bath showroom aimlessly looking at hundreds of choices?)
When you make all these decisions before construction begins, you avoid mistakes that will cost you more time and money. We call this unfortunate phenomenon “remodeling the remodel,” and we don’t want that to happen to you.
You will have confidence in your selections (with our guidance) BEFORE a hammer hits one nail into place.
Step #2: Build Your Budget
Your first big step (see above) is to have a solid floor plan where each space is carefully optimized for the greatest use and functionality while remaining aesthetically pleasing.
Next, before you talk to contractors, you need to be crystal clear on how much you want to invest in your project. There are a few ways to look at budging for a project.
1. The largest amount you are comfortable with spending.
2. A realistic amount tied to the value of your home.
3. An amount required to achieve your big goals.
Unfortunately, sometimes homeowners have an unrealistic idea of how much things cost. We help you with this process by starting with your “big wish list.” Then we dive deep into helping you determine where you should spend your budget. We always keep resale value, function, and quality as top priorities.
With your remaining budget, we can focus on the less intense facets of the project.
Many of my potential clients dislike builder-grade materials and finishes because they look cheap and have usually seen better days. The problem is that they may opt for the most inexpensive retail options during their renovation instead of investing in higher-quality materials.
They are repeating the cycle and will end up with the same poor quality they are trying to fix. And unfortunately, the result will end up still making you an unhappy homeowner.
Once you have the best use of your home’s square footage(Step 1) and planned a realistic and achievable budget (Step 2), then (and only then) is it time to get quotes from contractors.
With all this information, your contractor can give you an accurate and cost-effective quote. This is because he knows exactly what he is building and what materials and finishes will be used (and he will love you for making his job easier!).
Step #3: Home Renovation is Project Management
The fastest way to halt a project is for the builder to be on-site and not have materials to do the job. But, of course, you don’t want that to happen.
If you haven’t selected all the materials necessary and placed the orders, you will inevitably have delays.
Even if you’ve been proactive, made your selections, and placed orders, you may find out a product or material has been discontinued or has long lead times. Especially in these pandemic times. Having to re-select on the fly can have a domino effect on all other selections.
We have deep relationships with our vendors and manage all the expediting for you and your contractor with our Meticulous Method. We prepare the purchase orders, place the orders, acknowledge the confirmations, create a detailed schedule of all estimated deliveries, track the shipments, and receive it into our warehouse.
Once received, we inspect the product for manufacturer defeats, freight damage and make sure it is ready at a moment’s notice for installation. Allowing professionals to handle the expediting process elevates a lot of stress in an already stressful situation.
Design, budget, and management are three critical steps to ensure your new build or home renovation goes as smoothly as possible. Having a design team with a system and process in place guarantees your project runs on time and doesn’t go over budget.
Are you looking for a team that can handle your project from concept to completion? We’ve got your back! Reach out, and let’s get acquainted.
Until next time,
