Why you want to call a designer before a contractor

Over several years in business, I have observed a very troubling pattern: Clients calling a designer too late in the game.  If you’re considering a remodel of any size for any part of your home, you need to call a designer BEFORE you start calling contractors. At the risk of having this article sound like a sales pitch, I am going to share with you 3 specific reasons WHY you want a designer on your team prior to choosing a contractor.

*Please note that not ALL contractors operate in this fashion. My comments will be mostly applicable to the cheap/cash-only contractors. Not all contractors are created equal, just as not all designers are created equal. This is an opinion piece, based only on my 15 years of professional experience.

1.        YOU NEED A PLAN

It’s astonishing how many people I meet that have their home torn apart before they have so much as a sketch of the desired layout. The client calls me, asks if I can come see their space and help them “pull it all together” so their contractor doesn’t get stalled. Mind you, the area in question has been fully demolished, and the contractor is asking the client to have all materials and fixtures ready to go within ONE WEEK. The client is stressed, having been caught totally off guard, but desperate to meet the contractor’s requests so that they can have their home put back together as quickly as possible. They are less concerned with having results that are worth the money they are spending, and more concerned with having a functioning toilet in their master bath. So they scramble over to the Home Depot, make rushed decisions based on zero design expertise, and basically become a slave to their contractor’s complete lack of process and communication for several weeks until their project is “complete”.

Sadly, this is how cheap contractors tend to operate. They show up ready to work and request individual items that they need as they need them. No upfront communication, no advice on what to look for, or where to look (other than the Home Depot), no plan. That is not to say that you can’t find a good contractor who is also affordable, but you need to be prepared with a plan (floor plan, elevations, and specifications) BEFORE you get on their schedule. Experienced and reliable contractors will often provide plans as part of their contract, but they will still rely on the client to provide them with all the selections/specifications. They send the client to a showroom that has only fifty gazillion options to choose from, and the one the client finally decides on after weeks of debate with their spouse is on backorder for 4 months. This is the remodel chaos that scars homeowners and gives contractors as a whole such a terrible reputation. Clients have no grasp on the amount of planning that is required to ensure a seamless and successful project. And for some reason, many contractors just don’t seem to care enough to inform their clients BEFORE they get the deposit. They typically will only recommend calling a designer when the client is taking too long to make a decision, and at that point the designer can’t really help.

A well thought out plan typically takes a professional a minimum of 1 week to produce (with drawings) and quality selections take a minimum of 2 weeks to research, price, review, approve, and document. Lead times for quality materials and fixtures will span between 2 weeks and 12 weeks. Plan accordingly.

Whether you choose to do all your design work yourself or call in a professional, make a plan (layout, elevations, and specifications) before you start interviewing contractors. If you need help and reside in the East Bay Area, check out my remodel services page here.

2.        YOU NEED SPECIFICATIONS

What are specifications? In this case, specifications are the individual selections of each material, fixture, and finish that will be required to complete a remodel project. Sound simple? If it were as simple as picking one tile, one countertop material, and one paint color, then sure, it might be simple. But a smaller remodel project will often require upwards of 30 individual specifications. As an example, for a guest bathroom remodel you will need to specify your countertop material, countertop edge profile and size, sink/s, lavatory faucet/s, toilet, cabinet type, panel style, wood species, cabinet finish, backsplash material, wall tile, floor tile, Schluter finish, grout color, niche size and location, shower door material, shower hardware finish, shower bracket & hinge type, shower pull type, shower drain type and cover finish, shower bench seat size and configuration, shower fixture/s, light fixtures, fan, mirror/s, wall paint, ceiling paint, trim paint, door paint, door, baseboard, door trim, crown molding, door hardware style, door hardware finish, cabinet hardware style, cabinet hardware finish, cabinet hardware placement, towel hardware style, towel hardware finish, and towel hardware placement. I could go on.

There are literally dozens of design decisions that need to be made, even if you hire a reputable contractor to handle your plans and permits. Unless you want to be getting calls every other day from your contractor and be constantly driving around to showrooms accumulating dozens of samples in the back of your car and adopting a whole lot of extra stress you don’t need, you want to have a solid plan AND specifications before you break ground. Call a designer first. Let them help you create a beautiful design that you LOVE, then either have them bring in their regular team to do the work, or present the plans to any contractor you interview and get apples-to-apples quotes, which will be much closer to accurate than they would be otherwise.

3.        YOU NEED ORDER

Here’s the thing. An experienced designer knows what to expect. They know the game. They know the struggle. They know what problems to anticipate and how to navigate them. They also know which contractors to avoid and which are more reliable to deliver a professional result. They know which product to order first, and which to order last. They know where to go for certain products. They know who to ask for. They know how to PROJECT MANAGE, and how to right the ship when things get rocky. If you want your home remodeled, and as little hassle as humanly possible, start with a designer who is well established and experienced, with a regular tried and true team of contractors and subs.

Not all designers are project managers, and not all project managers are designers. My company happens to be both. We maintain a consistent 7 step process to manage projects as seamlessly as possible. We can’t remove all chaos from renovations, but we can at least take it off your plate from the beginning so you can keep your focus where it needs to be.

Inquire about our project management services for your remodel today.