The pieces may be a lot bigger, but large-scale remodeling projects come together much the same way as an intricate jigsaw puzzle. Outlining a budget and design plan is like assembling all the edge pieces to create a sturdy frame; installation is as easy as snapping each piece into place. For clients, product selection can be an intimidating process, like tossing thousands of puzzle pieces on the table and asking that they make sense of them all. A little guidance from seasoned remodeling experts can help clients see the big picture.
PLAN FIRST, WORK LATERClients may just be concerned about their specific project, but remodelers often have a dozen projects going on at once. Finishing one job gives designers and staff more time to devote to other work or to bring in new jobs.
At Dave Fox Remodeling in Columbus, Ohio, interior designer Louise Budde knows the company's ACT promise — Always Complete on Time — must operate in two directions. “It's very stressful for a homeowner to have their living environment torn up, so we try to get in and out as quickly as possible,” she says. “The key is to have all the products lined up before any work starts, and that means working very closely with the client to select products in a timely fashion.”
Having all the product selections made before work begins is also important for the staff at Out of the Woods Construction, in Arlington, Mass. “Once all the products are on site — or are at least on order — it lets our crews get started working on rough-ins right away,” says project designer Nancy Nelson. “Also, getting clients to commit to their product selections early helps us identify any potentially special situations and deal with them before they arise. For instance, if the homeowners choose to install a two-person whirlpool tub on the second floor, our crews know early on that they'll probably have to reinforce the floor.”
Panchali Sau, owner of Painted Plum Building Solutions, takes her clients to meet in person with vendors that can help make product decisions. They also help Sau ensure she hasn't overlooked any details herself.
After Nelson meets with homeowners, presents them with a feasibility study, and nails down a design agreement, she uses a project continuum that outlines specific product selections and due dates to help keep clients on task. “Our approach with remodeling projects is to eliminate the use of allowances and to present clients with specific real designs and real products as part of the feasibility study,” she says. “But even though we have specified granite countertops or oiled-bronze faucets for the project, the client still has the opportunity to select the exact granite or fixture they want to have in their home. Along the way, it's our staff's responsibility to nudge them and remind them that we need their specific selections by a certain date.”
At Out of the Woods, product selection takes roughly two weeks for the average client. Products with the longest lead times, such as cabinetry, are chosen first, while smaller items such as knobs, pulls, or backsplash tiles can wait a bit longer.
For Panchali Sau, owner of Painted Plum Building Solutions, in Charlotte, N.C., the process takes clients an average of 60 days, but this wasn't always the case.
“When we started our company five years ago, we left all the product selection up to the client,” she remembers. “We didn't realize how important it was to know that while hardwood floors were chosen for the kitchen and dining rooms, the client was planning for stained concrete in an adjoining foyer. We also didn't have any documentation of product selection or a reason to discourage late changes. That really ended up hurting us.”
Sau remembers more than one instance when crews would move forward with rough-ins based on what she presumed was the final selection — only to end up in tense situations with the home-owners, who had changed their minds in favor of a different product without making their new wishes known. “After a lot of trial and error, we developed our current product-selection method, and we're pretty adamant about making clients go through this process,” she says.
The current approach is part of the company's new-customer welcome package. Using a series of five forms outlined for bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, exterior, and foundation, Sau has clients fill in the blanks with basic product selections and notes. “For the bedrooms form, for example, we've broken it down into categories and subcategories, as well as specific spaces such as ‘master bedroom,' ‘bedroom 2,' and ‘bedroom 3,'” she explains. “For the master bedroom, clients will choose something from the flooring category — hardwood, carpet, tile, vinyl, or other; then designate for trimwork — baseboard, cap, crown, and so on. They can choose some of it or none of it just by checking off the appropriate boxes.”
Since implementing this approach, Painted Plum Building Solutions has seen its profit margin increase nine points to 25%, simply by eliminating any room for missed selections or misinterpretation. Clients make their selections with Sau's help and that of local showrooms and vendors, and both Sau and the client sign off on those selections.
SHOPPING SPREEThe plan-before-you-work approach is an important step that allows clients and remodelers to initially sort all the pieces, by room, product category, or both. The next step requires a more detailed approach that involves sending clients out into the vast world of home design stores, often with little more than a CAD-generated vision in their heads, let alone the big picture for the project. Though many customers will enter into a remodel with some idea of how they want their finished homes to look, others don't. Add to that busy schedules and differing levels of inspiration, and designers must choose carefully the best way to help their clients shop for products.
“We tailor our shopping experience to each client depending on how much they would like to participate,” Nelson says. “Some like to go to showrooms with me, or they prefer to go alone. Others don't have time to shop, but they do have a vision, so I'll take a look at their house, listen to their ideas, and offer suggestions that fit both their budget and their vision.”
Budde agrees, noting that product-selection meetings with her customers usually begin in the Dave Fox Remodeling showroom. “We try to accomplish as much as we can in the showroom first,” she says. “The samples we have for cabinets, countertops, and wood finishes are fine for a lot of our customers to work with, so we can get many selections made at once.”
Interior designers Louise Budde (right) and Courtney Burnette work Dave Fox Remodeling's showroom.
For clients who want to see full granite slabs or other non-showroom possibilities, Budde takes them on a tour of other vendors' showrooms over a period of a few days or weeks. “Depending on the scope of a job, and especially for high-end projects,” she says, “I like to take homeowners out to touch and feel the tile, the appliances, the cabinets.” Budde says she never sends clients shopping by themselves, lest they become overwhelmed. Grouping showroom visits based on their location in the city, she says that most clients can handle about two major selections per day without getting too worn out.
Sau agrees that product selection is often the most challenging part of a remodel in the customer's view. “Planning is tiring and tedious, especially because there are no tangible results right away,” she says. “If I'm shopping with clients, I can add knowledge and help them make efficient decisions, and keep them excited and focused on the end result.”
Kent Eberle does not shop at showrooms with his clients. Instead, he chooses to bring the stores to them by way of a company-created catalog called the Product Selection Information Guide. “The guide is a binder with about 140 pages of information on products we've used in the past,” says the president of Sacramento, Calif.-based Eberle Remodeling. “It contains information not just about the products, but also about maintenance issues, installation issues, and our experiences with the product.”
The guide, presented to customers once they enter into a design agreement, also contains a list of local vendors that carry the products, so clients can check them out in person at their leisure.
When it was first created 10 years ago, Eberle says he and his staff took about three months to compile the guide, with each lead staff member responsible for a specific section from appliances to trim. “When we first implemented this approach, we noticed that it did help speed up the product-selection process by helping clients wade through the enormous volume of product options available,” he says. “Now, prices and availability of different options for each product require regular updating, but it's worth it to make sure customers have the most up-to-date information.”
THE ILLUSION OF CHOICEFor most remodelers who handle several projects each year, knowing how to fit together all the pieces of a job comes relatively easily. However, for homeowners, who may take on just one or two home remodels during their lifetime, the challenge is much greater.
Like Eberle, and his company's detailed Product Selection Information Guide, most remodeling companies have vendors that they regularly work with, and may even have preferred product lines from each of those suppliers. So although homeowners may initially see an array of 200 pedestal sinks from 50 different manufacturers, in sitting down with a designer, the choices are already whittled down to just a handful of styles from two or three vendors.
“If the client just doesn't know where they're going or is making a decision I feel won't ultimately work with the design, it's easy to give them a bit of direction by way of your own product knowledge,” Nelson says. “If they know they want stainless steel appliances, I can suggest two or three product suites and explain the different features and benefits of each. I try to stay current with all the products out there so I'm familiar with many, and we keep catalogs from manufacturers we trust, which helps us make recommendations about what are the best choices for that particular client's needs, style, and budget.”
Sau agrees. “The first thing I tell clients is to bring in pictures from magazines and books, or even of friends' homes, so I can get some initial feedback on what their tastes are,” she says. “Then we can make appointments with the appropriate vendors. I'm not going to bring clients 1,000 options for a product category or spend weeks taking them to every store in Charlotte. They'll get three or four choices to pick from because I've already figured out what their tastes are.”
Though they may not be aware of it, most of Jeremy Fare's clients have already made product selections by the time they approach him about a project. “Over the years, we've developed a ‘look' that has really become our brand and that differentiates us from other builders and remodelers,” says the president of Woodward Rhodes, in Atlanta. “People can walk into a spec remodel that we've done or a custom remodel and recognize it as a Woodward Rhodes home. A lot of the houses in our area were built primarily from 1900 to 1930, so although we've never put together the same design twice, we do try to stick with similar finishes that give a timeless look and feel.”
Showrooms with updated displays help clients make several product selections at once, without requiring a lot of hand-holding or additional shopping.
Fare says the company hasn't gone so far as to put together product “packages,” but it does work deliberately to ensure that fixtures and finishes are consistent throughout the home. “When we're shopping for light fixtures for example, we'll take the floor plan with us and go room by room,” he says. “All the fixtures might have an antique-brass finish, but they could be from different manufacturers. That way, we get the consistency of finish and even of style without specifically matching all the items.”
Controlling the number of choices clients have during the selection process can be a great way to accelerate the initial phases of a remodel, but it doesn't eliminate the individuality or distinctiveness of each particular project. Especially with high-end clients, homeowners frequently want to incorporate favorite pieces of art or items they've purchased in their travels into the design scheme.
“It's always amazing to me how two customers might choose the same basic combination of products, but because there are so many variances with regard to colors and finishes and other details, the final project always looks different in each setting,” Eberle says. Indeed, although homeowners and remodelers may all be working from the same million-item pool of remodeling puzzle pieces, chances are none of them will ever complete the same puzzle twice.