Every project, no matter the size, will encounter challenges along the way. Without the proper help and full scope understanding of the project, the average overage of remodel/new construction projects tend to be 20% over original budget.
We are no strangers to the problems, and solutions, during projects that we face with our clients – we even experience them ourselves! While building and remodeling our showroom, we encountered many hiccups. Luckily, we are used to conquering these dilemmas with ease; so, we know the easiest steps to rectify the situations.
One of the dilemmas we encountered had to deal with the general electrical layout. We always like to lay out an electrical plan for our projects, from recessed lighting to accent fixtures. This allows us to see how lighting will interact with the architecture, furniture layouts, and overall livability of the space. With so many hands working in one project, it is easy to get sucked into the telephone game of miscommunication. Initially, our electrical plan did not end up getting utilized to its full potential; which, forced us to make a few sacrifices and shift our plans around to make everything work. The consequence of this for the contractor had him adding on many trips back to our showroom to get us the product we were looking for. I think we were his favorite clients of the year! Creating a detailed plan is always the best route to take, no matter how basic or detailed you are wanting to design your space. Following through with your contractors with clear communication and setting up walk throughs to ensure your wishes are brought to fruition is a must!
Touch ups will happen, and they are meant to happen! Paint touch ups are ritual maintenance for small spots on walls, trim, doors, etc. Another struggle we have encountered with our own space is any extra paint that was left over from construction was not labeled. We have multiple areas with the same paint color, but different sheens. This has made it extra tricky to touch-up specific areas. We always make sure to label our paint charts with locations, specific color SKU’s, and paint sheens so it makes easy work for our painters. On the other end of the spectrum, ensuring that any product surplus gets labeled right away, will cut down on a great deal of confusion in the years to come and extra bonus, if you go to sell, your buyers will be grateful to have the information!
Scheduling a variety of subcontractors for a project can get tricky! Most pieces to a project have to be done in a certain order; which means, scheduling contractors to integrate into their schedule and into the schedule of others becomes rather difficult. Having to work around your own schedule is difficult enough; in this case of our showroom, we had to work around our business/walk-in traffic. This pushed us towards a quick turnaround time and having out sub-contractors working after hours/weekends as much as possible. Stacking contractors back to back and coordinating schedules proved difficult, but not impossible. It all works out in the end and we cannot wait for you to visit our refreshed show room to see for yourself!
With the current state of manufacturing, lead times have become exponentially longer for many things – especially furniture. Many people have been experiencing these long delays for their pieces and we are no exception! Luckily, with our staging business, we are able to pop in similar pieces from the same vendors to get us by until our full showroom set up arrives. If we could hot rush the pieces, we would; but, for now, we have to learn to cope with the current state of manufacturing! Luckily, our staging inventory comes from the same vendors so we are still able to show the quality of these vendors. The new collections will just take a little longer to come in. We will be eagerly anticipating their arrival and will bring you along on the journey as they do arrive via our social media so make sure to follow us!
Even through the time spent coordinating every detail can be tedious, we would (and will) do it over and over again! That is why we love our EED Process. The end result is ALWAYS worth the effort and having a clear plan of attack before diving into any project, will always help you out. Our clear plan helped us along the way to stay on track, with our project timeline and with our budget. It also aided our contractors along the way with the customization of our project. Planning isn’t always fool proof; so, make sure you know how to pivot!
When you use the EED process, you’re ensuring that your mind is put at ease through the entire building or remodeling process because you chose to invest wisely into making sure the selections and finishes are in line with the vision you have for your project, thus, saving you money and keeping you on budget! We hope you enjoyed learning about the EED Process and hope that you think of us for your next project so we can help achieve your vision! Thank you!
If you enjoyed this blog, check out my video on the EED Process for more information. Please visit our website CLICK HERE to see example of our work. If you have a topic you would like us to cover in a future blog, please email us at office@elizabetherindesigns.com and let us know what topic you would like to hear about! Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with all the latest tips. Have a beautiful week and remember Elizabeth Erin Designs is here to help you achieve your vision!
