When remodeling or building, hiring a designer matters. Builders would come to a homeowner and say, “Okay, go pick your tile,” and the homeowner would go, going, going to the kitchen and bath place and this and that. Generally, builders are not designers.
Builders Are Not Designers
Number one, a builder doesn’t think of design. A builder is thinking about building or remodeling and getting all the sticks and stones and blocks so they don’t break your bones. Not whether it’s going to be pretty.
What tile, what flooring, what paint colors- builders don’t think of any of that kind of stuff because they’re focused on all the large things. This is a generalization, but a lot of contractors do the same thing: we are not designers, we do not, you pick, I stick. A builder will actually tell clients, you go pick it out, I’ll stick it right wherever you want.
Function
Interior Design For Your Custom Home
Number two, when building a house, builders do not think about function. Given a set of plans, a builder is not going to make sure a pantry is in the kitchen, and there’s a trifecta in the kitchen, and does not really care about a shower or tub a homeowner might really be wanting.
You give a builder a plan, they execute the plan. This is also true even with some engineers and architects. When a homeowner hires an architect, they think the architect is going to be able to do all that for them, and for the most part, most architects can, but a designer thinks of it differently than an architect or builder. A homeowner kind of needs that whole team.
Builders Don’t Even Like Design
Number three, a builder doesn’t even like design and isn’t good at it. It doesn’t matter; bring whatever you want, and it’ll go in, because there are so many other trades, building departments, inspections, and the last thing to be thinking about is the paint color or the color wanted in a room.
This is a generalization, but for the most part, a lot of builders work with designers, and if they don’t have one on the team, then the client hires one, because it’s such a key thing.
What a Designer Brings
Pulling Out Client Style
Number four, a designer pulls out client style and helps their vision come alive. A homeowner may not understand why they like a picture of a bathroom on Pinterest, but a designer can pull that out and help create it in the space. An architect is not going to do that, and a contractor is not going to do that.
Then it’s taking that and helping pick out the tile and finishes that really complement the entire vision. Homeowners who have hired contractors and had to make all the decisions themselves end up disappointed because they have a hard time seeing that in picture. A designer can help make that whole picture come to life, and the builder then executes that vision.
Sourcing Product
Number five, designers will source products, contractors do not. If it’s not sold at a big box or a supply house, a contractor is not going to source it, and a homeowner is not going to take the time to do it either.
A designer will spend hours researching the best product, sometimes more time than is even being billed, just to have the best product, and will go source it. A homeowner doesn’t need to do all that because homeowners don’t know what quality, what type, do I do vinyl, do I do hardwood, and a designer can come and give options and different solutions to problems that a builder is just not going to do.
Freeing Up the Customer and the Contractor
Number six, this frees up the customer and frees up the contractor from making all these decisions. A designer will help take plans, make them more functional, make them pretty, and then the contractor doesn’t have to think about it or worry about it, and can just go to the designer and ask what the clients wanted.
There is so much that goes into even just a bathroom remodel. A client or customer should not have to carry all that mental load and all those decisions on themselves; it is so stressful.
Alongside that, it saves time shopping and time spent worrying and thinking about it, since the client doesn’t have to sit down and source everything and think about it. It’s twofold: the client saves decision-making time, and the contractor doesn’t have to put any thought toward it either, since the liability of picking a wrong wall color and repainting falls elsewhere.