Why You Need a Design Plan Prior to Making Home Improvements

Hey, guys, I know that it’s easy to get excited about home improvements and things you see get done in record time on tv yet I’m here to tell you about one thing Designer’s and contractors would really appreciate you do right now, especially if you are planning to remodel or build an addition to your home in the next few weeks. Stick around and I’ll give you the lowdown on the why, when, and how.

My name is Caroline and I am the owner of Carolina Moncion Design LLC in San Antonio Texas but just a little closer to the city of Garden Ridge.

There is a rising trend in the homeowner community right now that has become quite disturbing. It surfaces when homeowners are so enthralled with what they see on tv shows that they actually believe it’s real.

You can probably guess what I’m referring to: kitchens that can be renovated in 3 weeks. Bathrooms that can be renovated in 1 weekend. To add insult to injury, most believe the costs are less than 20k for a new kitchen including new appliances or 10k for a pimped out bathroom.

You do know that this is entertainment, right?

You do sit and watch the credits roll at the end and see that a lot of things have been donated by the sponsors, including the labor, right?

So let’s talk about timeline. Kitchens take about 6-7 months – sometimes more- depending on size, product availability and the contractor’s availability. Bathrooms are often a little less. Yet, people actually believe they can be done in much less time than that. It’s impossible!

Now, let’s talk about another trend many of us have been seeing: Gutting of a primary space without a plan, no knowledge of cost, and no scope of work.

Somewhere in the midst of all this, it dawns on everyone that it’s much more work than they expected. Well, guess what? It’s a lot of frigging work! So, I’m here to ask you to put down the remote, stop being inspired by everything you see because it doesn’t let most of you make a decision and if we don’t see progress, things get unreasonable. You get mad at them and they want to walk off the job. No one wants that, I know that for sure!

Stop gutting your kitchens and bathrooms without a plan. Stop starting something that requires knowledge and training to do. Stop assuming it’s going to cost so little when it could cost you this much.

I’m not sure how this trend started but the back and forth trips to the store and ripping things out to throw them away are what is costing you the most money. You install something and then you hit a wall that makes you have to backtrack. You’re throwing your money away! . And when you get tired of doing that, you reach out and ask a professional for their help. But here’s where it gets awkward: You ask them to give you the lowest prices possible because you’ve lost half of your budget on your mistakes. You’ve gambled it away: You’ve taken a big risk and you’ve lost.

Prices are what they are: you can’t have fast, cheap and excellent quality altogether. It just doesn’t work that way.

I’m asking those of you that are planning on remodeling your home or adding an addition to get a plan first so that way you can spend less, save time, avoid major headaches- you’ll know what it is your are getting because you have blueprints and you’ll know what its going to cost because you can get accurate pricing. You can’t do any of these things without a plan. You don’t know what to expect without a plan. And you can’t protect yourself from a bad setup or end product without a plan because plans tell everyone what they are supposed to do and what you expect to see when it’s said and done.

The best part? No more of this often-spoken line: That’s an upgrade.

How about this one? That’s not what was accounted for.

There you are, thinking you’ve been clear and precise but that’s not what they heard nor what they estimated. Now, they’re saying your $40k bathroom is going to be $65k. Are you insane? Get a plan first and avoid that drawn-out process. Call your local design professional before you get started so you can be sure you’re going to love where you live, instead of crying over it, later.

Again, stop gutting rooms without having a plan and knowing what it’s going to cost.

One of the most uncomfortable conversations I’ve ever had with someone is when they tell me – over and over – how much they’ve spent on the space, how much it hurt to tear it out, and how much they would appreciate the lowest price I can get them.

Our best lowest price is synonymous with you NOT getting the dream kitchen or bathroom you really wanted because you blew your own budget. So, stop gutting things before you get a plan and pricing! That’s tough design love, right there. And if I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be saying this.