Should I Hire An Interior Designer To Help With My Custom Home Selections?
As a Custom Home Builder I often tell Homeowners, you can't afford not to hire an Interior Designer. Why do I say that, because it’s true. You can tell almost immediately as you walk through a home whether the Owners used an Interior Designer or not. The color and product coordination is spot on. There is so much more to the home specification picture than picking colors. Using a professional adds value to your home that will not only increase you enjoyment but pay off handsomely when you sell.
The Interior designer reviews and consults with the Owners on the scope of the work for the home in order to aid in the selection of colors and finishes. This includes the completion of the owners selection sheets that are provided to the Builder and his team. The "Selection Sheets" tellnthe Custom Builder's Team exactly what "you" the Owner wants incorporated into your home.
Below is a list of items the Interior Designer normally specifies:
Exterior:
Roof color and type,
Exterior colors of fascia,
soffit,
corbels,
stucco,
trim,
exterior doors,
garage doors, and front door,
Front door style-stain-hardware,
Brick,
Front/rear porch floor and ceiling material,
Driveway pavers, Lighting.
Interior:
Flooring: tile-wood-carpet style:
color and design,
Wall and ceiling finish and color,
Trim selection and color,
Stain colors,
Cabinets and hardware,
Counter tops,
Back splash materials and design,
Appliances,
Light fixtures,
Electric switch plate and floor outlet colors,
Floor outlet locations,
Plumbing fixtures,
Towel bars and bath accessories,
Interior doors,
Door hardware,
Custom closets ,
Fireplace material and design.
After your home is completed you can even have the Interior Designer help you select window treatments and furnishings.
Minimize Stress- What if the Owners could just sit back and enjoy watching their dream home become a reality knowing how much their home is going to cost and not run around making last minute decisions?
Tom, the Builder called and said, I need to select all my appliances today so they can be ordered or our home will be delayed for a month? You can just imagine the stress the Owner is feeling in this instance. Building a Custom Home doesn’t have to be this way.
Instead, while your home plans are being designed the Owner works with the Interior Designer and makes all the decisions before you even sign the contract for construction. There is a preliminary meeting with the Builder’s Interior Designer to understand what type of appointments you would like included in your home. The Designer goes off to visit all the Builders suppliers, returns with samples then provides a room by room presentation of everything that you would like to have included in your home. Tile, carpet, cabinets, appliances, counter tops, paint colors, ceiling treatments etc. Everything to make a house a home and what they cost. Perhaps, this may take 2-3 meetings to get everything just right but it sure beats running all over town for weeks and weeks and trying to remember what you selected at the flooring company 2 months ago.
All the finishes are displayed at one time so you know just what each room in going to look like when it’s completed. The Builder can include these items in the final contract pricing. If the total exceeds your budget, adjustments can be made before construction commences. Now that you know what your home is going to look like room by room and how much it’s going to cost to make your dream a reality, its time to sit back and watch the dream materialize. This is the fun part of building. All the tough issues are behind you, relax and enjoy.
The best part of hiring an Interior Designer, they are quit affordable and a good one will save you money. They have their fingers on the pulse of the home building supplier market and know where the deals are. The Designer can guide you to products that will make the most impact in your home and let you know when you are wasting your money.
In the Central Florida area the cost of their services ranges from $1.00-$2.50 per SF of living area. For the value they bring to a project, that’s a deal!
So the next time someone asks, should I hire an Interior Designer to help with my custom home selections? Tell them, you can’t afford not to hire a designer!
Have an awesome day!
Mike
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