With new construction the contractor will usually provide the homeowner a total flat budget bid for the finishes of the home. They try to balance a solid bid with developing a cost that is appealing to the client to try to get the bid. Areas where some contractors may provide a more affordable bid to clients is bidding with less expensive finishes that may not be the quality of finishes the homeowner wants. I consult with the clients prior to going to the contractor for a bid and determine if they already have a finished budget in mind... The homeowner will have hundreds of decisions to make before the home of their dreams is completed. Some decisions however are very important to the overall look of the home they desire. The cost of the below items will have a very large impact on the overall look and quality of the home but the costs of these items can vary significantly depending on the client's selection.

Such items may include:

a. Tile/Stone for bathrooms and kitchen
b. Kitchen appliances
c. Countertops for kitchen and bathrooms
d. Cabinets in kitchen and bathrooms
e. Type of interior doors and exterior doors
f. Hard surface flooring and/or carpeting
g. Bathroom fixtures
h. Glass shower doors
i. Door handles/hardware
j. Light Fixtures- both interior and exterior
k. Garage doors

How does the homeowner keep costs down and still get the look of the home of their dreams?

I worked with a client who was on a tight budget to build his home. When bids started coming in from the contractors a dollar budget amount was provided as a total cost allocated for the finishes within these bids. The important question is - What quality of finishes did the contractor assume when they provided the finish bid? I analyzed the architectural plans and specifications for determining what finishes were needed per plan. I arranged for meetings with 11 vendors and suppliers to meet with this client and me to preview finish options. (At this time the client was able to better understand differences in quality of materials and differences in cost) We discussed what items could be selected with little affect to overall quality of home as well as what items the client may want to spend a little more money from the budget to retain the desired quality look of the home. I then provided the client a detailed spreadsheet of the inventory of all selections with costs and a budget for these items that were within the contractors overall bid for the finishes. Once final decisions were made by the client on these selections, I coordinated with the vendor/suppliers to determine delivery dates to coincide with the contractor's construction schedule.

The benefits of detail selections upfront are:
1. Saving on cost overruns by knowing upfront what quality of finishes will be in home
2. Savings with limiting change orders
3. Alleviated much of the client’s stress decisions and budget
4. Easier to analyze competitive bids to make a more accurate informed decision.

Architect Planning Stage:
In case study #1 - I also worked with the homeowner as the plans were being developed with ideas and suggestions that could assist with lowering the cost of construction/finishes. In this case, the architect developed an impressive set of plans. However windows and kitchen cabinets were not standard sizes which adds to the cost of the project. With some adjustments we were able to consider changes at the planning stages that saved on the over costs without jeopardizing the integrity of the overall look of the home desired.

Client was looking for a home remodel and refresh without breaking the bank. I reviewed the client's living, kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms spaces and discussed the goals of the client and the budget. The homeowner did not have funds for all bathrooms and kitchen to be fully remodeled and wanted to retain some of their existing major furnishings. We were able to give the home a full refresh within the budget by doing the following:

a. Painting the interior of the home with a light bright color to lighten up the dark interior
b. Re-carpeted the worn carpet in a style, texture, and color that updated the look of the home.
c. Changed the cabinet pulls in the kitchen and bathrooms on the newly painted cabinets
d. Replaced and redesigning Kitchen hood - located a metal artist who wrapped the hood in iron. This hood became an architectural feature to the whole living space.
e. Re-freshed the bathroom with new accessories, bath mat, towels, and shower curtain
f. Added new decor pillows on living room sofa and added a corresponding comfy soft throw
g. Added new kitchen floor mats with a fun design and corresponding colors
h. Updated light fixtures over kitchen island and dining room table. Added light strips under toe kick in kitchen on top of cabinets to add additional lighting
i. Changed the window coverings in the main bedroom
j. Selected new bedding to include new duvet, shams, and pillows for the master bedroom

Client is remodeling the main bathroom. I reconfigured the floor plan of the bathroom by providing a scale drawing of a proposed new floor plan. Three walls were removed to add more space to the new bathroom taken from a non used closet area next to the bathroom. The new bathroom space is now open which will have improved flow and allow for a bathtub to be added in addition to enlarging the shower.

Some important decisions I made in the demo and reframing process were:
1. Coordinated with contractor where to relocate a new crawl space and attic access since it was originally in the old closet space that is now part of the new bathroom floorplan
2. Determine where the new heat registers should be moved.
3. Identified where towel bars, and display floating shelves will be located so the contractor could add support studs in the framing process.
4. Worked with an electrician with placement of switches, ceiling exhaust fans and new ceiling lighting.

Client Selections:
1. Took clients to tile stores and plumbing fixture retail stores to determine client’s style and provided them with the various options available.
2. Provided finish options to assist clients with decisions regarding tile, countertop, vanity, plumbing fixtures, mirror, and shower door selections.
3. Provided client spreadsheet outlining costs for all finishes all within desired budget.
4. Determined color of wall paint to coordinate with tile and desired overall mood of the new Bathroom.
5. Completed selection and ordering of bathroom accessories, bath mats, towels etc.

The above steps 1 - 5 were completed prior to the contractor's bid. By having this information it gave the client good concrete information on finish budgets prior to contractor’s cost. This assured that all costs were in alignment with the contractor and all finishes were at a quality client desired.

Once final decisions were made by the client on these selections, I coordinated with the vendor/suppliers to determine delivery dates to coincide with the contractor's construction schedule.

Clients wanted new bedroom, dining room and living room furniture and could not locate what they wanted at the local furniture stores.

I made arrangements to fly the client to North Carolina where most of the US furniture manufacturers are located. High Point North Carolina has many manufacturer designer showrooms with a significant inventory of furniture, floor coverings, bedding and accessory options and styles etc. We spent 3 days going to different showrooms. One manufacturer alone has over 3 Million Sq Ft of showroom options. This showroom for example had one floor dedicated to fabrics and upholstery fabrics alone. We were able to customize the client’s selections with upholstery and trim for the sofa and chair cushions all coordinating. We also selected new bedding.

Keep in mind when ordering furniture through this process, it can take up to 6 months for manufacturers to build and ship items. There are various designer showrooms that are open to only designer professionals and their clients in some west coast major cities. Many of these design centers however order their inventory through the manufacturers in North Carolina and will have similar lead time.

Purchasing direct from the wholesalers through a designer there is a cost savings over buying from local furniture stores. If a client does not wish to travel to one of the furniture markets as described above, I am able to shop locally or through websites to narrow down options to the customer.