It’s that time of year again; sweater weather AND the holidays are getting close. What does this mean for homeowners who want to give a room a facelift with some new paint, furniture, and a sprinkle of decor? And what if there is construction involved, such as a kitchen or bath remodel? If you are hoping to use an interior designer for assistance, we have some helpful reminders and tips for you!

Two BIG miscalculations people make when planning out a remodel:

  1. Not allocating enough time to develop a solid design plan.
  2. Not understanding how long the process really takes.

Shows like HGTV make renovations seem like they can happen overnight. That can be very misleading. There is actually a lot more that goes into it. A solid plan that is well thought out by a designer, contractor, and homeowner will get the best results, and leads to the least amount of disruptions! By following this plan, your project stays on budget and timeline; especially during the holiday season. This could be the perfect time to start the process in preparation for construction to begin early in the new year.

Some things to keep in mind during the holiday season:

  1. Factories shut down during the holidays, so things like your sofa or kitchen cabinets will have longer lead times.
  2. Consumer volume increases right before the holidays leading to delays in availability for furniture and decorating items.
  3. There could be delays in building materials. This year in particular, due to the shut down back in March, there is a ‘catch up and delay’ for the home industry. Pricing has increased tremendously for materials such as lumber and drywall.
  4. Contractors will book up quickly. You want to hire the best one who will stay on budget and on time. You do not want to hire a contractor that promises they can get to you now because you are in a hurry; only to find out, after you have given the deposit, that there is a delay in the start date. Give yourself time to find the right contractor.

At Love Your Room, we carefully plan out each project, strategizing with our clients and contractors from the very beginning, so we can avoid delays and be realistic about any items we may not have control over.

The best advice we can give homeowners looking to start a new project, even if it will not happen until 2021, is to review your project with us as soon as possible.

Some reasons why you don’t want to wait to review your project with an interior designer:

  1. We need to schedule a date to book the first consult with you to review the scope of your project. At this time of year, it gets very busy for designers.
  2. After the first consult, we need time to create your design, source the materials, and gather the budget estimates. This can take three to six weeks.
  3. If you decide you love the design and wish to move ahead, we need to find out our contractors’ availability and get them booked.
  4. Finally, furniture and certain building materials have longer lead times (6-12 weeks), which has to be taken into consideration when creating the project timeline for any simple room facelift, or before any construction can begin on larger projects. (You don’t want to be knee deep in construction of a kitchen, for example, and come to a halt waiting for cabinets to come in).

Anyone who promises you shorter turnaround times is not telling you the facts. The timeline plays a major role in any project. It is the first thing we discuss with our clients.

The holiday season can be stressful; adding a poorly planned out home project during this time will only add further stress. At Love Your Room, we assist hard working homeowners who appreciate allowing our services to take care of that extra stress, so the renovation process goes as smoothly as possible whether it be a large renovation or a simple room facelift.

Check out our Signature Service to learn more about how LYR runs each and every project we work on. Book your consult today. We would love to hear more about your project!