Journal

How to Get Started On Planning Your Next Project

October 6, 2015  |  home renovation, how to get started, interior design trends, renovation

With the housing market in full gear and autumn leaves falling, everyone in the housing business is busy. From interior designers, to contractors to product manufacturers, lead times are longer than usual. So how should you get started on planning your next project?

For example, let's say you want to remodel your kitchen in time for the holidays. To begin with, you need an interior designer to help you come up with a specific design (i.e. floor plans, elevations, etc.). This process can take up to a month depending upon his/her workload. From there, selections such as flooring, cabinetry, tile, countertops and plumbing need to be made. This can be done in a matter of days; however, the actual products can take over a month to get in. Most importantly, a quality contractor needs to be selected and lined up. If you are requesting more than one bid, the contractors will need up to several weeks to provide you with a pricing proposal. Once you've made an informed decision, most good contractors are booked out for weeks or months and you may have to get on a long list of waiting clients. When the contactor is finally able to start your project, lead times can take 4-8 weeks depending upon his/her labor force and the size and complexity of your renovation. All in all, when you add up the numbers, you are looking at a 4-6 month time frame, and that's just for a smaller remodel job.

Another instance may be that you want to redecorate your living room for the holidays. Again, you will want to enlist the skills of an interior designer to meet with you and access your existing space and needs. From here, your designer will come up with a proposed layout and furnishing options to present at a second meeting. At our firm, this process can take 2-3 weeks depending upon our workload. Once a furnishings plan has been approved, products can then be ordered. Depending upon availability, products can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 10 weeks to get in. With current increased demand comes longer production and freight times. Finally, once the products are safely in our warehouse, delivery to your home needs to be scheduled which can be up to a week or longer during the holidays. Similar to a kitchen remodel, your entire timeframe is now up to 3 months.

So in a nutshell, don't wait to start that important project!  You will save yourself a lot of stress and headaches by giving the entire process the necessary time. That way, at the end of your project you can enjoy the end result even more.

Please contact us at Amy Youngblood Interiors to discuss your dream space!