Are You Two-Steps-Forward, One-Step-Back in Building or Renovating your Home?
After much discussion with your building team, it may seem that your project is on track.
Before you know it, you’re faced with answering a number of questions that seem to require immediate attention.
A sample question from your builder or contractor may be:
- What is your roof, siding and trim selection going to be?
- Can you have this info this week?
Yes, you could start a Google search for ideas. But, it won’t be long before you have that feeling of doubt or uncertainty about your choices. Invariably, you’ll plan a trip to the nearest building supply center to see the samples you saw on the web.
However, they may or may not feature the same products you are leaning toward and selected on the website. Or, the roof selection on the website does not match the sample in the store. Now what?
When working on a new construction project like these with my clients, I like to begin at the beginning. If it’s new construction, we start at the site. We’ll want to notice the other houses on the street. What color roof, siding or trim do they have. We’ll drive in the neighborhood to see which homes we like.
Once in a while we are lucky enough to ask the homeowner for the name of the siding, etc. We will discuss the idea of finding a selection that works well with the other houses and is different as well. One supplier we visit is happy to give us the address of customers who’ve used a particular siding we like as well as lend us actual samples.
On renovation projects, after looking at Pinterest for inspiration, it’s time to go to kitchen and bath stores, furniture showrooms or show houses. We may visit custom cabinetry companies to see their current project.
Most successful building and renovation projects start this way. Unless your builder has samples for every type of siding, roofing, cabinetry, kitchen fixtures, etc., you have the job of specifying the exterior early on in the building process. It it’s not siding, you may need to select windows, lighting or trim.
Yes, it’s time consuming, but the time it takes gives you peace of mind, so you can start working on the next step.
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