Looking to Build or Remodel? Top Questions We Get Asked

Building or Remodeling your dream home is a huge undertaking that is more than a little daunting. Whether you are a newbie or have been down this road before, here are some of the top questions we get asked by clients.

1. Should I hire a builder first? First thing's first: build a team to ensure a successful project. People often ask me who to hire first. It doesn't matter whether you hire a builder, architect or designer first- whichever you hire first, the other two should be secured shortly after that. Architects are particularly valuable in new builds. For remodels, however, frequently a designer and contractor are sufficient. Truth be told, if you are savvy enough to engage all three, the architect and designer do the majority of the heavy lifting early in the project- long before the contractor demos or breaks ground. This doesn't mean finding your contractor after plans are finished: contractors can provide valuable input regarding how to deal with certain aspects of the design and can play a role in keeping a realistic budget. We strongly suggest having everyone on board early on so that there can be periodic, strategic meetings to ensure all bases are covered; from realistic plans to keeping within budget.

2. Aren't architects and designers essentially the same?

Nope. Not only is training different, an architects attention is focused on the exterior of the building first, then the interior. Designers have the reverse perspective. An architect will place windows where it makes the most sense both functionally and aesthetically on the exterior whereas a designer might see that perfectly placed exterior window is going to cut through exactly where the sofa should be placed in a living room. When we were building our own personal home, we had a phenomenal architect who didn't have one functional shared space closet anywhere on the first floor nor a linen closet upstairs. Our designer was quick to see this and thankfully we were able to remedy it in the design phase rather than when the house was already framed out.

3. Don't designers essentially pick out furnishings and decor?

It depends on the type of Designer. There are many amazing designers whose main focus is furnishings. Interior Designers that are in the design/build space do much more than select appropriate furnishings and finishing touches. Their expertise is keeping the whole vision in mind through the entire process which includes not only furnishings, but when one selection is switched out, understanding how that is going to affect the rest of the project as a whole- then making appropriate adjustments. The project is divided out into phases and early on, during 'design development' we deep dive into how the home will be used and utilize that knowledge to maximize every square inch. In this phase we begin selecting every. single. item. from countertops and flooring to plumbing all the way down to tile layout, grout color, cabinet inserts and even light bulbs. This all gets put into a (in our case) digital spreadsheet format that is essentially a handbook for the contractor and tradespeople. The book contains spec sheets for installing, contact info, and all pertinent information to the project.

4. Who keeps us on budget?

Both your contractor and designer should play a role in tracking the budget. At every team meeting in the design development process, the entire project should be touched on in relation to budget to see where we are and make sure we are still hitting our targets to stay in range. In general, the contractor tracks more of anything construction related, the designer anything furnishings or post-construction related though the designer must consider budget while selecting construction finishings.

5. What are your design phases?

We have 4 phases to a full service design/build project: discovery- this is all the information gathering; design development (pre construction)-creating the layouts, drawings and extensive specification; project management/procurement/construction- contractor begins the heavy lifting and designer orders and tracks furnishings (if included in project) and is available for key walk throughs; and finally, installation- all the furnishings with accessories are installed to complete the project.

6. Timeline for my project?

Frequently, by the time we are contacted the client has been thinking about their project for months, if not years. Usually there is a culminating event that ends up causing them to reach out such as hosting a family reunion, a large milestone birthday / anniversary, or big change of life event (housing aging parents). While the push of a hard deadline is a great motivator, it is far preferable to go into the process with realistic timeline. Having said all that; in general- a whole home build from design to construction can range from 1-2 years from start to finish depending on many factors. Remodels generally have a quicker timeline. It is a goood general rule of thumb to plan on the design phase matching the construction phase. So if construction is due to take 4 months, plan for the design phase to take the equivalent amount of time. It is also good to remember that remodels can come with surprises of their own which can extend the project, but an experienced contractor can help ascertain and anticipate potential risks.

Have any burning remodel and build questions for us? Let us know in the comments or drop into our inquire page to set up a call!

Lisa