Serving greater Charlotte, NC and greater Denver/Arvada, CO regions
What is Good Design?
Good design often times goes unnoticed like your favorite kitchen knife, the comfort of your office chair, or where you like to read your newspaper. Notice which items you pick up and use most often. Are you drawn to these items because of their look, feel, or function? A good design doesn’t work if it doesn’t function for you. I think this is the most important aspect to consider when designing so if you are thinking of renovating your house…think first about where you drop your keys and mail, where you kick off your shoes, where you like to read your newspaper, how far do you have to walk to take out the garbage….make it work for your lifestyle and it will be a good design!
Why Should You Work With A Residential Designer?
There are thousands of details in any custom building project that have to be figured out. One way is to pay the builder and carpenters on site to figure each issue out as it arises, and they will. It is less expensive, however, to figure out the details of a custom building before-hand. Ask any experienced builder, and he or she will confirm this. If the details of a project are figured out in advance and documented, a builder bidding the project can accurately estimate the cost. If the details are not figured out, you will pay more because experienced bidders are going to protect themselves by adding to their estimate to compensate for the unknowns.
If the thousand and one details and decisions are figured out in advance, the project gets built faster.
If a builder doesn’t have all the information, it may not be possible to accurately estimate the final cost or amount of time to build the project. Your risk is that the project goes over budget and costs you more than you planned to spend, leaving you and the builder unhappy.
With excellent drawings and specifications, the builders bidding the project are bidding “apples-to-apples” which permits you to intelligently choose the best value from the competing bids.
Houses with great design are loved. Because they are loved, they are maintained. Because they’re maintained, they last far longer. I believe that great design is likely the greenest thing you can put into your home.
Top Design Mistakes…
~ Don’t Be a Slave to Trends!
The more up-to-the-minute your project is today, the more out-of-date it will seem in five or 10 years. Instead, go with classic choices that match the house’s original style.
~ Don’t Skimp on the Design
The payoff you’ll get on a redo will diminish if the project isn’t well thought out.
If you’re building an addition or moving interior walls, it’s worth spending dollars to hire an architect or designer to draw a plan. Many contractors and showroom salespeople/designers can provide plans, but they don’t have a professional designer’s or architect’s specialized training.
~ Over-investing in Kitchens
Yes, great kitchens sell houses….But there’s a limit to what you can recoup for granite countertops and commercial-grade appliances. Because the kitchen generally represents 5% to 15% of a home’s value, limit your kitchen renovation budget to that range — and do the work only if your kitchen is in really bad shape.
~Don’t Count on a Big Pay-Back from ‘Going Green’
Greater energy efficiency alone rarely justifies a pricey project. Take windows. Window companies may tell you that replacing old ones ($300 to $1,200 each) will knock 50% off your energy bills. But windows really account for only about 15% of a house’s heat loss, so you’d save just $50 to $175 a year. Only replace windows if it improves function, makes cleaning easier, or reduces drafts….and make sure they match the style of the house.
~Don’t Avoid a Permit
The bottom line is…if you do perform work without a permit and something serious happens, your homeowner’s insurance will not cover it. It may be tougher to get a future sale on your home too because realtor’s are getting savvy by checking for permits when working with home buyers that have renovated recently. Permits are there to protect you against health, life, and safety issues and not just a way for the local government to make money off of you.
~ Don’t Set an Unrealistic Budget
I think that people often underestimate what it’s going to cost to do a big renovation, and part of that is because they don’t realize the biggest cost in a renovation usually is, the labor. You never know what’s going to happen once you start the demolition process. As soon as you open up a wall, you never know what you’re going to find behind that wall, so you need to pad your budget by 10-15% and be prepared for delays in renovation work. No job every goes along perfectly.
~ Don’t Hire the Wrong Contractor
You need to make sure that the contractor is right for you, because he’s going to be in your home, and you want to make sure it’s the right fit. When you interview contractors and you check references, the thing you want to find out is, how fast do they return phone calls? A contractor who returns phone calls fast has nothing to hide, and it’s going to reduce your anxiety level. He should also communicate well with your designer.
~ Not Keeping your Designer Involved!!!!
Your designer is your advocate and is knowledgeable about renovation and construction. If the budget needs to be cut, consult your designer so you don’t lose the money already invested in your design. Sometime a simple material change or solution from your designer will save the day! Your designer is your expert so rely on them when needed!
