One Design, More Than One Quote
You might be thinking about hiring a designer for the style that they offer, their know-how in picking colours, or because you feel pretty lost when it comes to how to pull off the feeling that you want to achieve. Those are all great reasons to hire a designer but might not feel entirely worth the cost of hiring one. I'm here to tell you that Interior Designers are valuable consultants to have on your side for more that just our taste in furniture and accessories.
Let's talk about the practical stuff...
If you call me before calling around and getting quotes from contractors, I CAN SAVE YOU MONEY! (Sorry about the yelling there!) In the planning stage of your project, you would be working with me to get the design of your space juuuuuuust right. I would make you 3D models and walk you through the space. That's the fun part! I'd then covert that design into construction drawings and specification lists that you could then use to get quotes from more than one contractor in a minimal timeframe - meaning that you don't have to waste time going through the design process with more than one company. With those drawings, the contractor would probably do a quick visit to check out your project, you could email them the package and presto- you're headed to quote land! (I imagine it to be a pretty magical place!)
The most valuable part of this, other than the stacks of cash that you might be saving, is that you're really comparing apples to apples when quoting the project. Without these specifications and drawings, you're comparing one contractor's vision for your space with another's, which isn't ideal since you want to be comparing prices, not one type of flooring to another at this point.
A really valuable piece of this puzzle is something that I've heard from many clients and friends who say "If I had known that designers do this, I wouldn't have gone so far through the process with XYZ Company. By the time that I decided that I wasn't sure if we wanted to go with them, we had invested so much time in the process of getting a quote that I just went with them instead of starting the whole process over with another company. " Everyone that has told me this was left wondering what they left on the table, as far as if they could have gotten a better quality reno with another contractor or if they could have saved money by getting more than one quote.
Project Timeline
I can save you so much time selecting finishes, colours, furniture, and accessories. I know for a fact that so many of my clients hire me because there's TOO MUCH CHOICE OUT THERE! (Oops, I got yelly again!) Have you every gone furniture shopping with your spouse or partner and wondered why they suddenly became so damn opinionated?!!? (Let's not even venture into price-point territory!) Why would you waste a Saturday (or God forbid, Saturdaysssss) on that? Enjoy your weekend. I've got you. Once we've worked together to nail down a design concept (designer-speak for "What we're going for here", I'll find you a couple options that you'll love, then you can pick from that. Don't like them? No problemo! I got into this business because I've got LOTS of ideas - not just a couple! Cool? Cool. No overwhelming options, no pushy salespeople, just me, a girl who's got your back and your budget. I've got the education and experience to make this go smoothly.
This approach ends up saving you time, sanity, and maybe even marital...er... issues. (There's a reason why my husband and I refer to that upstairs bathroom, our first ever renovation together, as the "Ol' Marriage Tester"!) When we can make decisions faster and you feel more confident in those decisions, we can get the show on the road a lot faster and you can choose a contractor based on your budget AND timeline! Your time is worth a lot, so let's not waste it.
My Preferred Partners
Not crazy about getting a whole whack of quotes? No problemo! I can recommend people that I love to work with because they offer great products and services, reasonable prices, are honest and reliable, and have loads of experience. I wouldn't recommend them if they were sketchy! I promise!
DIYers, I haven't forgotten you! I'm so happy to work with clients who are doing the work themselves! I can still save you time when I'm involved in that crucial planning phase so you're not making decisions on the fly and settling for something because it was a detail that was forgotten along the way. Stay tuned for more blog posts related to DIY and how I can help!
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