So you’ve made the decision: you’re remodeling your home. Congrats! We’re all very excited for you. But now comes the biggest decision of all: who to pick as your home designer. There’s a lot you need to consider when picking the right designer, not only for your project, but for you as the home owner.
Here’s a couple things to consider and ask when you’re in the market for a home designer to fit your needs.
Are They Experienced?
This should probably be the first question you ask when hiring anyone to do anything. You wouldn’t want a doctor performing surgery on you on his first day, would you? Always make sure you’re asking the right questions during your first consultation and doing thorough research on projects they’ve done before. You should be able to get a feeling right away whether a person really has the experience to take on the project you’re looking for.
An experienced home designer will know which materials are best for your area, the standard building codes for your province, and will have an arsenal of dos and don’ts from past clients. Make sure you’re asking questions related to this – even if you don’t know the right answer – so you can gauge how much experience they actually have.
Would You Hang Out With Them?
I know, seems weird, but trust me this is important. You’ll be working with your home designer religiously for weeks or months at a time. It’s important than that you don’t just have a transactional relationship, but you can also connect on a deeper level. Not only are they designing your home which needs to represent you and your taste, they’ll also be acting as councilor and therapist during stressful times, so it’s important you can be honest with one another.
Try having your first consultation out of office in a more casual environment like a coffee shop or bar. This way you can get a feel for their personality and whether you can picture yourself trusting this person with designing the perfect home for you.
Are They Thoughtful?
A great home designer doesn’t just know all the trends and styles, but is also very thoughtful of every unique project. Not only do they think of the aesthetics, they think from a million different points of view. How would an engineer look at this design? How will the contractor react to this decision? Which forms will this mean we have to fill out with the city?
You’ll be able to tell this from the services they offer. Do they offer blueprint drawings as well? Are they partnered with a construction firm? Do they take care of everything in this project? Chances are if the firm offers a lot of services it means they will be asking the questions you need them to ask. This signifies a larger understanding of a project as a whole instead of just one part.
Looking for a home designer to make your Vancouver renovation dreams come true? Contact us to book your first consultation today.
