3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Hire a Designer for Your Remodel
We promise this isn’t snarky clickbait! There actually are a few situations where hiring a professional designer in addition to a general contractor might not make sense.
PHOTO: Ryan Ancill
In the past few months, we’ve had a few conversations with prospects that weren’t totally sure they needed to hire a professional designer for their upcoming renovation. While it may seem counterintuitive to discuss this topic on our own blog, we figured at the very least it would be a good way to provide insight on how we determine if a project is a good fit when someone approaches us.
1. Very Short on Budget or Time
If you’re tackling a renovation with a very small budget, or within an incredibly tight timeline, adding a professional designer to the mix may conflict with your project goals. Granted, we are very good at what we do, and can help you make smart decisions quickly — but our best work happens when:
We have the opportunity to collaborate with you, exploring multiple paths forward
We can source thoughtful finishes and materials to create something unique for your home
Our signature design style includes a one-of-a-kind mix of new, vintage, and custom elements tailored to our client’s individual style. If you just want something simple and quick (think kitchen facelift just prior to selling your home), your time and money may be better spent working through the design details with your contractor, and visiting a big box home improvement store.
2. Scope of Work is Too Small
Sometimes the scope of work for a project is too small to justify bringing in a designer. If you’re looking to add window treatments in one room, or shopping for a single piece of furniture for example, a local showroom would likely meet the brief just fine. The real value in bringing on a professional (and this is especially true for our team, where you get both an architect and interior designer’s brain on your project) is not realized in having us complete piecemeal tasks — but in letting us put together a comprehensive design plan for your space. That’s where the magic happens!
3. You Have a Strong Sense of Design, or Already Know Exactly What You Want
This scenario can be a little tougher to suss out. On one hand, it’s helpful when a client shares inspo images so we can get a clear sense of what they’re drawn to aesthetically. On the other hand, there’s no real value in hiring a designer to regurgitate exactly what you saw on Instagram.
One of the most important aspects of our job is helping you find clarity in your vision and goals for the project. The end result should of course feel like “you,” but if it’s something you could have achieved on your own, then we didn’t deliver.
When You Should Hire a Designer
The process of renovating a home can be daunting at times, but we always aim to make it fun and easy for our clients! We would be remiss not to address the (many) benefits of working with a professional design team — here’s the short list:
Ease of Communication & Distinct Roles
As much as we love and rely on our trade partners, they don’t always like to deep dive into the “pretty” stuff that really makes your space special. We do. And we have the vocabulary to make sure your general contractor understands and sticks to your design plan! More importantly, we have the plan on paper saving you from costly change orders if something goes awry. Those mid-day texts asking exactly where a sconce should be installed, or how a tile pattern should be detailed can get overwhelming fast — trust us on that piece.Project Clarity & Creative Vision
You may think you know what kind of flooring you like, until your general contractor sends you to a showroom to pick something out. The same goes for paint colors, and countertops, and tile, and cabinet hardware, and lighting (and, and, and)… Even a seemingly simple renovation project can be made up of hundreds of little design decisions that all need to make sense together! Those decisions take time, and time is money. We can actually make your project budget stretch further by taking that aspect off of your plate and keeping things moving forward on time for your construction team.
Ready to Get Started?
We’d love to help make your next home design project a brilliant success! Schedule a call with the Rockledge team today to see if we’re a good fit.