Measure Twice, Cut Once: 3 Reasons Why You Should Invest More Time in Designing Your Project
It’s always tempting to just jump in with both feet and get started on a new project. The initial excitement tends to propel
When it comes to renovating your home, though, not investing the appropriate amount of time in the design phase can lead you down the path of disappointment. Think of the old adage “measure twice, cut once.” In remodeling, you want the “cut once” to be the actual construction of your project: on
Your Project Costs More
Mistakes cost money; sometimes mistakes cost LOTS of money. If you get halfway into the construction of your kitchen remodel only to find out that the space you allocated for your refrigerator isn’t deep enough, causing it to stick out six inches in front of a narrow doorway, you have a problem. A designer would have taken this into consideration and it would have been identified in 3D when the project was no more than ink on a page.
More commonly, the error-of-omission mistakes are what cost you more. For instance, you pick out a great 6x6 tile that you love as a backsplash and you get a quote. Without a design, the tile setter makes assumptions. Perhaps he assumes you want the most basic design and for the
Your Project Takes Longer
Ironically, if you don’t spend time thoughtfully planning your project with an experienced architect or designer, it’s likely to take longer to complete. Why is that? Design on-the-fly and change orders slow (or halt) progress.
New materials need to be ordered and sometimes those materials can take weeks or months before they’re delivered. What if the tile flooring you chose doesn’t look anything like what you expected and the replacement tile you selected ships directly from the manufacturer. In Italy. Not only does it take 5-8 weeks before it ships, it has to clear customs before it starts the final leg of its journey to your job site. Guess what? Until that flooring is in place, no cabinets can be installed, no baseboard can be put down – your job just came to a standstill. And, even if there is no lead time on your materials, your contractor may have difficulty quickly accommodating schedule changes. If the tile setter is booked solid for the next two weeks, nothing gets done until then.
Had a designer with 3D rendering ability led the project, you would have been able to see – in near photographic quality (like the one of the bathroom pictured above) – that you didn’t like your initial tile choice – before it was ever ordered. And your designer would have also pointed out the pitfalls of specifying tile with long lead times and, instead, would have suggested something comparable that would be easier (and most likely cheaper) to obtain.
You Ultimately Don’t Get What You Really Wanted
Even if the cost and delays of change orders don’t really faze you (after all, you are incredibly easy going and have money to burn, right?), you may find that the finished space seems disjointed. By making snap decisions as problems arise, the “fixes” often don’t fit well within the context of the room’s overall design and workflow. Afterthoughts look like afterthoughts. Shortcuts make for disaster renovations that go over budget, yet don’t yield the same back in value. That’s why thoughtful planning is so critical to achieving your dream room.
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