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Tuesday, August 16th, 2016
FFDM American Cherry
If this is something that you still haven’t considered, then it’s time that you seriously give it much thought – hiring an interior designer is the smartest decision that you can make when it comes to beautifying your home.
Interior designers serve a lot of purpose for current and would-be homeowners. Whether the homeowner knows where to begin or not, these experts can help conjure design ideas where there were none and can execute a long-desired plan.
If you’re too busy to take on a DIY interior design project, then know that there are a lot of benefits if you hire a professional to do the task instead.
Much Savings
You might find it unbelievable that hiring a designer could help save you money yet there are costly mistakes that can add to the ever-growing expense. Hiring a pro becomes much more crucial when you’re prepping your home that’s about to be sold. This move can help you boost buyer appeal and could potentially make your home stand out from competition.
An Expert Assessment
An interior designer can offer professional assessment. This initial assessment would eventually lead to a workable plan. An interior designer will know what order to follow during the entire project duration. In essence, you are hiring an extra pair of eyes that is well-trained to notice stuff that you won’t even imagine being there.
An interior designer is also trained to keep the project within budget. You get to save time and effort since this expert knows suppliers and other contacts that will make your home project more successful.
A Willing Middle Man
An interior designer would be better able to act as a liaison officer between you and the contractor or architect. This is important in time and money management. Every interior designer has been trained to scrutinize all the things that you might overlook. Furnishing and lighting needs should be addressed prior to the beginning of the project. Furniture placement can affect the eventual locations of the floor outlet; this is an example of professional assessments that are missed by DIY enthusiasts.
FFDM Viniterra Collection
Numerous Resources
There are many things that are readily available to interior designers that the public are not even familiar with. In short, they have connections that not a lot of people have. Making use of these resources and merchandise can help make the place look more collected and pulled together. Apart from the vendor resources, designers also have a lot of industry contacts. They can save you from headaches caused by problematic contractors, plumbers, electricians, etc.
Interviewing the right interior designer also means you should ask the right questions. Here are some of the most asked interview questions –
Tags: benefits of having an interior designer, benefits of hiring a contractor, finding an interior designer, how to find an interior designer, interior designer benefits, interior designer interview, interviewing an interior designer, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
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Friday, July 29th, 2016
1586-80151A-GRY1 Lulu Shaped Console Table 4056CR Henry Exposed Wood: Achieving this look is easy if you know which design elements to balance. Don’t know what to do? Hire an expert.
A lot of residential contractors take on design projects here and there usually with the cooperation of the homeowner. The latter could bring photos, sketches, even tear-outs from interior design magazines or books. This is true when it comes to remodeling where the design choices are constrained by some pre-existing circumstances.
Technically speaking, design contractors provide the design-build services yet they are not referred to as design builders. They also do not charge separately for their design project so long as this is not a line item on their estimate.
On bigger home remodels, though, a lot of contractors prefer to work off another person’s plan unless design is a part of their service. Still some allow homeowners to terminate the contract right after the design stage, allowing you to make use of another contractor’s plans. This is a crucial choice that you would want to see in your contract. Contracts may offer discounts if you would be working with the same contractor during construction.
There are various approaches to design-build bidding as well as contracts. A lot of design-build companies work through negotiated bid since they don’t generally put out the plans to different contractors for bidding. In this case, a contractor will share a portion of the costs with the homeowner and would negotiate a fee (whether hourly, by percentage or fixed) for the services that they offer.
Choosing the Right Design-Build Contractor
If you are hiring a designer and a contractor which is the same person, you need to ask the kind of questions that you would ask an architect/designer and the contractor. When you evaluate a company, be sure to separate the construction from the design side. This is because you might like their design projects but not their construction ones.
Talk to people from the design team and ask about how they work together during the design stage. See how they have previously worked with clients and how they charge for their designs. As to the construction side, ask questions that you would ask a general contractor.
Ask for references then ask their previous clients regarding the design and building phases. You need to know what went well, what surprises or problems came up, any cost overruns and how they were handled, and how much the clients eventually liked the project.
Another important thing to remember is the total cost of the project and a breakdown of the fees.
Make it a point to have the design company take full responsibility of the mistakes should anything happen. Have this stipulated in the contract.
Hooker Furniture Home Office
Advantages of Hiring a Design-Build Contractor
The greatest things that you will enjoy when you hire a design-build contractor are the same advantages that you get from a general contractor. You also get to simplify the process by hiring a one-stop-shop for construction and design.
Hiring just one company for design and construction means you save significantly. There will also be no disputes between the design and construction departments since they are technically in the same department.
You get to have more design freedom when you deal with just one company. Here, you can control the specs such as the fixtures that you use, finishes and mechanical equipment.
Lastly, find a reputable design-build contractor. He should also be someone who you would like to work with. You would also be likely to save money if you hire a single expert rather than a team of professionals. Make sure also that you keep the plans that you would work with so you can still use them with another contractor (should the need for another expert arise).
Tags: benefits of having an interior designer, design contractor, design-build contractor, finding an interior designer, hiring an interior designer, how to find an interior designer, how to hire an interior designer, interior design contractor, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, tips, working with interior designers
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Monday, June 13th, 2016
This sample dining room set up by Hooker Furniture blends wood, metal and other materials beautifully.
Have you ever thought of renovation or the creation of a home as an exciting journey? Well, it should be an electrifying experience but in reality, most would-be homeowners dread having to take on such a huge project. Creating home from scratch – if done correctly – can help you discover who you are, what you actually want, and what environment you would like to live in. This is, essentially, your shot at defining your relationship to your family, your community and more so yourself.
So, are you ready to get down on your knees and begin this journey?
Every Journey Has a Plan
Just like any other journey, you must begin it with some planning and research. You would want to know what the end result would be and, of course, how much it is going to cost you. Don’t even begin to think that you’ll be able to finish this project alone because no has. A helping hand is not just a welcome idea but a needful aspect throughout the course of your building your home.
Planning requires goal setting. As a would-be homeowner or someone who wants a totally new look for his home, you must have goals. Effective goals are comprised of both functional and decorative elements. Each is crucial and must be recognized.
Make two plans for your project – Plans A and B. Should Plan A fail to make sense, then there’s always your backup plan.
The Cynthia Rowley 7064-011CR Windsor Tight Seat Sofa sits comfortably in a sea of like and complementary hues. The pop of color, now and then, is a fresh sight to behold.
Ask the Right Questions
Whoever thought that creating or designing home from scratch requires a series of questions? First, you need to know what you would want to achieve. This can be summed up in a theme for most people. Knowing your ultimate choice between contemporary and traditional makes a huge difference in the elements that will be bought and brought in.
It is also important to ask where you would want to be. This is that end result that you have been asked to envision. The layout should help give you a mental picture of what your home would look like when finished.
It is also vital to know the cost of the entire project. This is a good way to prevent scenes where you’d end up being cranky because the project turned out to be thousands of dollars costlier. Being realistic would help you plan a budget that works, else, you would be left to the mercy of unscrupulous individuals.
Make good use of an Excel sheet where you could have a bird’s eye view of what has been spent so far and where the cost is going.
Round Up Your Team
Remember, this is your project. Gather professionals who have proven their worth in terms of interior design. Just like a lawyer shouldn’t represent himself in court, then so should you take experts who will take on your project.
The team leader is you and your right hand should be the lead interior designer. This expert will be your guide, advocate, therapist and counselor throughout the project. It pays to find the best team from the onset. The right guide also ensures that the journey that you have embarked upon will be an enjoyable one.
You might also add some team members now and then. There are specialists among these experts (e.g. a kitchen and bath designer) that will be better able to help you. Every extra member will cost you more but it is an added guarantee on the success of the interior design project. Once you gather these experts and they are willing to help you out then, rest assured, that you will have a smooth-sailing journey ahead.
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Thursday, June 9th, 2016
FFDM’s Summer Home Collection: The design elements in this bedroom- from the woodworks to the fabrics and metallic decorative pieces – all work to achieve this amazing ensemble.
Designing the interiors of a home can be a daunting project for many homeowners, even for those who are devoted to DIY tasks. Most just delegate the task to skilled professionals but a lot of misconceptions have been looming about when it comes to interior designers, enough to make others shun these experts from helping out.
Majority of homeowners do not know that there are three ways that interior designers work with their clients; first, through full design services, then through design plans and lastly through consultation.
Full Design Services
This is the kind of service rendered by a designer who offers the complete solution to your interior design dilemma. This is the optimized service level that leaves all the hard work to the professionals. This is ideal for people who do not have ample time to run the project. This is also great for those who would want a packaged deal.
Full design service package is chosen by people who want to have a full house renovation. This is also an awesome choice for kitchen design projects and buying furniture for specific rooms.
Hire professionals from this level if you have a low level of tolerance for design frustrations. This is the kind of service that offers a long list of suppliers and dealers.
Find this kind of professional if you want a huge interior design project finished in no time. What you have here is a handful of experts all handled by a project manager who will manage the outsourcing, ordering, inspecting, installation management, and dealing with problems that could suddenly take place.
The Designer: A Visionary
Interior designers are professionally capable of developing a vision on what your home could be. He or she could give you style cues and steps that are needed to fulfill all your orders and installations.
An interior designer prepares concepts, elevation and floor plans, lighting plans, furniture specs, even millwork designs. A designer can work from the conceptualization phase to the completion period.
A designer is also supposed to help you find dependable and qualified people especially when you are having a hard time searching for them. You can attain peace of mind once you see the team of people that the designer has gathered for you.
Designing takes time and decision-making phases which is why you need to have professionals sort these out for you. These experts are especially helpful when your plate is full and when you don’t have time to spare.
What to Expect
An interior design project can take anytime from a few weeks to several months, even up to a year. This depends on how huge the project requirement is. A major interior design project might also require you to attend a number of meetings where you will be informed about the status of the project and other updates. You will also be constantly reviewing the designs and other elements that are going to be brought into your home.
Cost-wise, know that an interior designer is compensated for his or her education level, experience and overall expertise. The fees can be paid hourly or on a per-project basis. The latter (fixed-price interior designers) calculate their project quotes by computing the square footage against their professional fees. Sometimes, they require a certain percentage of the client’s proposed overall budget.
Remember that hiring a professional for your interior design project will save you a lot of time, even headaches. Structural planners include remodeling contractors and architects. The interior designer, on the other hand, is in charge of design elements inside your home. This expert should work closely with the contractor so that they, together, get to achieve what you would want them to achieve.
Cynthia Rowley 6272CR Lulu Bench: Patterns don’t always jive and it takes skills to fuse them into one working group. These are skills that an interior designer must have.
Tags: benefits of having an interior designer, finding an interior designer, hiring a designer, hiring an interior designer, hiring design experts, interior designer, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
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