So you want to start a remodeling project. Probably your kitchen or bathroom. But you don’t know where to start. Your first inclination is probably to call some remodeling contractors.
Please don’t do that! Call a Professional DESIGNER first.
Here’s why…
If you don’t already know the contractor you want to hire, you’re going to want to contact more than one to compare, right? And you also might not have any idea what your remodeling project will cost. So it makes sense to call contractors to give you “estimates” right?…WRONG!
Here’s what happens — you end up getting “free estimates” from 3 or 4 different contactors and you treat those estimates like they’re the actual project cost. Then you end up picking your contractor based on those “estimates.”
The problem with that is, those “free estimates” are NOT at all comparable! If you have not clearly defined your design intentions ahead of time, then those contractors are all giving you “quotes” based on their own interpretation of what they THINK you want. They are making a LOT of assumptions and Contractor A’s assumptions are going to be completely different than Contractor B’s, which will greatly impact the estimate.
The only way to ensure that you are comparing “apples to apples” is to have an actual Design Plan (or “BID” drawings) that you can give to each contractor and ask them to provide you a FIRM price based on those drawings and specifications. THEN you’ll have a clear picture to make an accurate comparison.
But what if all of the FIRM bids are way too high?
It doesn’t really matter. The purpose of BID drawings is to make sure everyone is “bidding” the exact same thing. You want to know that everyone bid the same Grade materials (even if you haven’t made your final finish material selections yet). Once you use the bids to determine who you want to hire, you can sit down with them and discuss ideas on how to modify the plans to lower the cost and stay as close to the original concept as possible. You could even ask each contractor before you make your final decision, what they would recommend to lower the cost to bring it more in alignment with your budget. Their individual ideas could be what sways your final decision.
But if I call a Professional Designer first, it won’t be “FREE.”
No probably not. But it will most likely save you money in the end. And it will FOR SURE save you a lot of headache and heartbreak! I say that because having a design plan from the beginning saves you from inevitable surprises. For instance, you told the contractors that you wanted new cabinets and granite countertops. And that’s what they all “estimated.” But Contractor A generally uses a much lower grade granite and the most simple cabinet style made out of the most economic wood. Contractor B likes to use higher grade materials for projects.
What you had in mind might be more like what Contractor B bid, but you chose Contractor A because their bid was much lower. So the project is under way and you are shocked when you actually make your granite and cabinet selections and the contractor tells you it’s going to be an additional cost because that’s not what they bid. And that’s just one example.
When you don’t know exactly what everyone bid, I promise there will be MANY surprises along the way that will cost you more money, time, and definitely your sanity! It’s totally worth it to pay a designer up front for a set of BID drawings. The set should be yours to keep and bid out to anyone you want. You could even ask the bidders if they would be willing to reimburse that design fee off the total contract price if they are selected for your project. Their answer just might be the thing that swings your project in their favor.
Yes, some contractors are designers, or have designers that work for them.
It’s perfectly fine to use a contractor’s design services if offered, but make sure you understand the terms ahead of time. And it’s only fair that they understand your intentions as well. Most won’t provide “free” design services in a bid situation. They would probably have you sign some kind of contract before exerting any design energy and/or require a “design fee” as down payment. If you do pay something up front, make sure that any designs and drawings produced become your property and that you are free to use them for bid purposes.
Communication is KEY!
As with everything, a smooth remodel, that’s on-time and on-budget, will depend on clear and consistent communication from the beginning. That’s exactly what a good Design Plan provides. Make sure to start your project off on the right foot…hire a designer first!
