Are You Planning a Renovation or New Build?
Before your excitement causes you to rush into one of the biggest investments of your life, please pause to plan. It will save you money, and sleepless nights.
Set yourself up for success:
Create the vision for your dream home. It begins with the end in mind, then making the selections to get you there. Selecting finishes without the vision established will ultimately be a gamble. Gather inspiration photos for the exterior and every room in the house. (The more you have the better!)
Begin following local designers, contractors, and builders on social media, (preferably Instagram). You will be able to sense their personality, quality of work and their style. It will also give you a glimpse behind the scenes, which a website doesn’t do.
Make a list of must haves, nice to haves and functional needs for each room.
Make a list of the pain points experienced in your current home, so they aren’t repeated.
If making these decisions with a partner or spouse, all of the above need to be discussed early on. The inspiration photos are ideally done separately, then shown to one another for feedback. Find out what you each like and dislike. Compromises to blend styles are often the outcome. It can be tricky, but common ground can be found. Even if you have been together for years, people are always changing. Therefore, this may reflect how you each see your dream home coming to life. Talk it through and use visuals.
Budget for decorating. The excitement of a newly renovated or built home can very quickly be diminished with decorating choices. It is common for people to be so focused on the hard finishes (shell of the home) that furniture, art and accessories are an afterthought. Typically, this occurs when the budget for the project has been used up. Putting your old furniture back in without intentionally designing the rooms to bring your vision to completion, really is unfortunate. We always encourage our clients to wait until it can be done fully. What you put into the new space has a tremendous impact. Imagine seeing a dream lottery home empty? It’s what goes into it that brings it all together.
Create a dream team for your dream home. We receive so many inquiries with homeowners in a panic because they have a fast-approaching deadline for making selections and they are feeling overwhelmed. Please don’t let this be you. This is not a weekend DIY project, it’s a large investment that takes intentionality every step along the way.
Research designers, decorators, builders, and contractors in your area to learn more about their process, fee structure, and level of service. Designers may charge an hourly fee for help as needed, or offer a fixed fee for full-service design, where they handle the project entirely all the way through to decorating. All designers, just like contractors, have a different way of working and bringing projects together, therefore finding the one that aligns with you is integral to enjoying the journey along the way.
Designers and Contractors/ Builders must be in alignment with their working hours, communication style and process. Otherwise, this could lead to miscommunication, misinterpretations, costly mistakes, or delays. Therefore, find out if they have a close working relationship already established.
It really is a great experience when everyone can enjoy working on the project together and excited to bring it to life for you. Please plan ahead and find the right people for you.