The RCI Advantage

Tackling a home renovation project can be both exciting and stressful.  Trying to make decisions while staying within your budget and time frame can feel like a full-time job.  Most folks see the advantage of hiring a contractor to help them accomplish such projects, but hiring a designer to assist can be equally important.  This is where professionals like Danielle Gundrum from Red Couch Interiors can help ensure that a project ends on a positive note.

First and foremost, a designer and a contractor share a common goal, their client’s ultimate satisfaction with a job well done.  They will likely have different areas of expertise, stemming from a shared love for the building industry and how all its components fit together.  Their common mission will be reached most successfully as they discover each other’s strengths in communication, product selection, overall floor plan, and budget boundaries.  When these flow together, a project can be enjoyable and successful from all perspectives.

Hiring a designer can be beneficial for those who have no idea where to begin, for those who need someone to help them tie all the details together, and for those who are too busy to actually execute a project on their own.  Consider the following ways a designer can be of invaluable assistance:

CREATING COMMUNITY:  Ideally, a designer should be part of the project from the very beginning.  This helps with ease of communication between contractors, subs, and the homeowner.  Frequent interaction and job site visits help ensure you avoid costly mistakes and that all of the details come together smoothly.  While it is inevitable that changes will be made along the way, this ability to work together benefits all parties, and ultimately, the homeowner, in making sure the little details remain a priority while shooting for an overall goal.  Additionally, all parties can work together to find creative solutions for challenges that arise, based on their individual skill sets.

MAKING SELECTIONS & CHANGES:  It also benefits all parties, especially the homeowner, if selections are made before the project ever begins.  This is where a designer is of utmost importance in helping to keep things on time and within budget.  Changes are best made at the rough-in stage before change order costs are in play, and designers are exceptional at communicating all of this to the contractor. Once the rough-in stage is complete, changes will automatically require extra work, which leads to extra expense, so a designer can help the homeowner think things through in advance to avoid unnecessary stress and cost.

DETAILED PRODUCT SELECTION:  Choosing the right colors, appliances, and finishes can be overwhelming to a homeowner.  A designer can help you wade through the options, keeping the overall picture and budget in mind, and saving you hours of fruitless shopping or internet surfing.  The designer can also help educate the homeowner on new items or ideas in design and help narrow down the options, and he or she will also have access to resources and connections not available to the general public.  A good designer is also a good listener, taking note of a client’s specific taste and needs and then applying such knowledge to the selection process in a way that minimizes the stress.

RELATING TO THE CONTRACTOR: The contractor is typically responsible for setting the budget and time frame, both of which are subject to change.  A designer is a helpful liaison between the client and contractor, identifying client expectations and keeping the contractor informed along the way.  If the designer can handle the organizational aspects of the project, the contractor is freed up to devote his time to construction details and coordinating his subs to stay on schedule.  The designer can flag little things that pop up, like the need for an outlet at an unusual spot or placement of overhead lights. The designer and contractor can help promote each other’s businesses as they develop a healthy working relationship.  Ideally, they will be able to connect future clients with the right people to ensure that each project ends successfully.

If you have not taken advantage of a designer’s services in the past, it can be difficult to envision the benefits of hiring one.  But the designer’s ability to help a project run seamlessly from design to product selection to completion cannot be underestimated. Red Couch Interiors enjoys the opportunity to help clients see their dreams become a reality!