Starting a home construction PROJECT or renovation is kind of like visiting a foreign country…
It all sounds great at first. You book your flight and maybe a luxury hotel for the trip.
You saw some photos or read a few snippets of things you’d like to see and you decide that you’re savvy enough to find your way as you go. Until things go wrong. You get to the hotel you booked for the trip and find out it is not convenient to anything you’d like to do and the museum you were dying to see is closed that week.
Suddenly you feel lost and out of place with only half of your trip actually planned. You don’t speak the language and when you ask for help the people you can actually understand all have different opinions on the best thing to do, the best place to go and the best way to get there.
AND IF YOU’VE EVER TRIED TO DO ONE ON YOUR OWN BEFORE, you might KNOW EXACTLY WHY A HOME CONSTRUCTION project OR RENOVATION CAN BE LIKE VISITING A FOREIGN COUNTRY.
I’ve heard this story a lot from those who have had the experience…that the whole process is almost like taking a trip to a completely unfamiliar place and it can be awesome or it can be awful. With the latter, they thought they had it all under control and ended up lost and some even ended up stranded! (Not having a kitchen for 3 months is stranded in my opinion….)
The opportunity to build your dream home has the potential to be life changing in the end but it can also easily become a bad trip getting there if you don’t do a little research upfront.
HOW DO YOU EVEN START A HOME DESIGN PROJECT? WHAT DO YOU DO?
First, you must acknowledge that you (probably) don’t know how to speak the language or comprehend the ways of the culture or know the best places to go. But you envision a dream experience; you want excitement, you want luxury and you want ease. And in the end, you obviously want your space to be amazing.
Ideally when planning a big vacation, you hire a travel agent or concierge who already knows the best of the best and customizes the agenda to best suit your personal interests and budget.
Much like a luxury travel agent will get you in the VIP lines on a personalized epic holiday, when it comes to home design and construction projects, a Professional Interior Designer will get you the VIP result at the home front. They will guide you in making these big decisions from the get-go so the trip will go smoother and give you more time to enjoy every part of the process.
Why is it important to engage a Professional Interior Designer? Well, you know those “nightmare projects” you hear about that are ‘double the budget and double the time estimated’? The truth is, it’s most often because of the time and cost to fix mistakes. Mistakes that are, most often, due to indecision or misinterpretation. Mistakes that could have easily been avoided if a more solidified design was communicated to all the players from the start and any revisions to that design throughout the duration of the project were consistently communicated to all the players until the end.
Mistakes that could have been avoided if they had someone with experience and vision directing the show.
Building a new construction home project or fully renovating an existing home has many moving parts, moving people and moving clock hands.
There's architectural plans to review
Site visits and meetings to attend
Selections of tile, stone, plumbing...
...lighting, hardware, appliances....
...flooring, paint, etc. etc. etc. allll the way down to outlet covers
Involving a Professional Interior Designer to guide you in making these big decisions from the get-go helps save you time and money but most importantly saves you your sanity so you can fully enjoy the experience.
EMK Interiors uses a signature process to ensure a top-quality concierge service on every home construction, renovation and furnishing project so when you visit the foreign lands of home design you feel comfortable and confident.
We will be your luxury design tour guide throughout the process. You will feel like you're on holiday and can rest assured that you can put your feet up and relax knowing we have everything under control.
I believe each interior design client is unique and each client should have a unique, customized experience but always resulting in a design that offers both luxury and ease.
SO where is the most Important place to actually start WHEN starting a home construction, renovation or furnishing project?
(OR VISITING A FOREIGN COUNTRy for that matter)
A PLAN OF ACTION.
The process is like a journey AND AFTer all is said and done, IT’S MEANT TO BE FUN!
Whether you’re traveling or building a home, having an agenda in place is tremendously beneficial. If you do it right, your interior design journey can be one of those that comes in under budget and on time AND looks so good it’s almost like being in a foreign land because it’s so new and exciting.
Let’s face it though, the real reason why a home construction project or renovation is like visiting a foreign country is because coming HOME is always the best part.
Yours Truly, Erin
What has been your dream come true or worst nightmare in home construction or renovation projects? Do tell in the comment section below.
