
Choosing the right team can lead to really enjoying “home sweet home.”
As we all now finally have a chance to catch our breath, we can look back at the last several years and realize: We’ve been through a lot.
We’ve dealt with COVID, inflation, remote working, gas prices, immigration, economic migration, interest rates, cost of living, politics and the like. It’s been a ride.
One thing is certain: For a variety of reasons, we spend more time at home than ever before.
Imagine, back in the “normal” world, we’d all leave for work or school somewhere around 7 a.m. With Atlanta traffic cooperating (which was rare) we might be home by 6:30 p.m. Assuming 7-8 hours of sleep, we were awake in our homes about 5 to 6 hours a day. Build in chores, meals, homework, lawncare, etc., our time to “enjoy” the space we bought and paid for is parsed down to a surprisingly low number.
Today, many of the above referenced hours transitioned to time spent in our homes. Uber Eats, deliveries, Amazon, work-from-home options, TV and streaming entertainment choices as well as many other changes in our lives have allowed us all to enjoy more hours at home.
This raises an interesting question: In the place we now spend more of our waking hours than ever before, shouldn’t the space in which we live be everything we want it to be?
Most of us love our homes, and yet almost all of us wish there were a few changes, some minor, some more dramatic. Particularly, home office space that serves real needs (we’ve all seen the embarrassing video call bloopers on TV or online), a kitchen that we use far more than we used to, the dining and living spaces that have supplanted restaurants for our primary meal and entertainment spaces all bear the weight of our new lifestyles.
Home improvements, renovations and additions are daunting thoughts and tasks. Budgets, schedules, selections, designs … . The process can seem overwhelming. Many, many people choose to live as-is, bypassing a chance to change their home into their dream home. Don’t be one of those people. Rather, find the team that delivers for you, so that you can anticipate the creation of your new dream home. It actually can be designed and built fully within your expectations and budget, without the burdens of attempting to do it on your own.
The real question then becomes: How? As we all know, this renovation/construction world can get complicated and confusing … FAST!
There are very, very few organizations with the staff, team, expertise and wherewithal to champion this process for you. There are even fewer that perform their services within one fully integrated design and build company.
The initial questions are generally the same: What do we want, and can we afford it?
The answer: An established process of proven performance and evidence, that not only answers the initial questions, but also leads the entire project team, guided by the goals and priorities of the homeowner.
Most simply put: You need a team that understands how this all works. Consultation leads to concept. Concept leads to design solutions. Solutions lead to details that lead to a budget. Solution and budget give us a permit and a schedule. A schedule drives performance. Performance delivers results.
Collaboration, integration and track record produce the desired outcome.
The process starts with a feasibility study. Can the goal be reasonably accomplished? Is the anticipated budget reasonable and realistic? Can the home accommodate any structural or systems changes that would be necessary? Are there ancillary spaces or issues not previously considered that would be best handled within the scope of the perceived work? Are there great ideas the homeowner never considered? Can the desired outcome be produced for even less than the initial assumption?
One paragraph, and only seven questions of the dozens that need to be asked and answered. Your chosen team should know these questions; and they should help you determine your best answers.
Comfort and trust are always essential to this process. Find that trust. Find your team.
Photo: courtesy Tracy Tesmer Design/Remodeling