The Owner was remodeling her master bath, it was almost finished. The electrician hung her lights and they were quite clearly too big and bumping into her medicine cabinet. She bought the lights 90 days ago.

“She was literally in tears” as Dave tells his story. Dave works differently than we do but a lot like many remodeling contractors. “Look, I’m just the installer” is what he said to her.  Dave tells his customers where to shop for products. “You go and get what you want and I’ll put it in for you.”

She was very, very frustrated.

Now her project is not done still.

Now she has to spend more money and more time for lights and labor to change them. What if the new lights need the electrical wiring relocated?

Hopefully, this was the only issue.

Planning the work up-front and understanding the interaction of all the parts and pieces is not how Dave works. Sure, he might have some ideas but it is not how he wants to spend his time during the day. He’s a good installer, but he only wants to put things together. He doesn't want to design.

Think about how you want your project to come together and what kind of help you might need. What kind of experience do you want to have during construction? There are some who are OK winging it, and have the money and time to back it up.

We help you understand what you’re getting and how much time it will take before construction starts.

Thanks for reading, Jeff

During design for your remodeling project, you may feel the temptation to try to spend less money or opt for a cheaper product selection. Instead, consider the initial cost of your remodeling project as a short term hurdle and place higher value on your long term enjoyment.·

Focus on the enjoyment.

I had replaced all of the blah and flat paneled doors in my home, with raised five paneled doors. Naturally, new doors meant I also needed new door hardware. I took a trip to Clements Hardware. I fell in love instantly with these Baldwin glass doorknobs, and I remember contemplating the price. They were easily more expensive than other doorknobs I could have considered. Instead of going with a less expensive option, I decided to just do it and get the knobs that made me happy. Years later, I am still thrilled to have these little jewels on all of my doors. The enjoyment hasn't diminished. They still look beautiful and function fabulously.

My advice would be the same for your bigger decisions too. This week, I had the pleasure of visiting with someone we’d built a screened porch addition for. She had just purchased a substantially sized outdoor couch for her screened porch. As I stepped into her screened porch, I immediately recognized feeling really good in the space. And so I asked her if she was satisfied with her decision to have a screened porch built of this size. She explained to me that everyday, everyday she goes out to her porch she feels so incredibly happy with it. She’s not thinking daily about the money she spent to have the larger screened porch. She’s only thinking about the enjoyment she experiences there. ·

When you are trying to make the myriad of decisions you have to make during the design and selection process for your remodeling project, try to put the question of cost aside and think about how it is going to feel, look, perform, and endure. Will your decision make your heart sing for years to come? The cost is in the now; the finished space is what I’d like you to be enjoying forever.

Thanks for reading, Joanne