Thinking of remodeling your home? Building a new one? Whatever path you may take, there is a decent probability that you will consider tackling the design portion on your own. Before I go any further, I am going to say that I have worked for both a remodeling design/build firm as well as for a high end custom home design/build contractor.
This is not to say that I think you should go with a firm that will do the design for you. I just have a lot of previous experience with companies that do this and have seen a lot of horror stories of people thinking they have the ability to handle it on their own. That aside, doing it yourself is not always a bad idea. Here are some main points to consider if you think you have the skills to tackle this big design task, not the building aspect, just the design
What is your timeline?
A common misconception I have observed while working as a contractor is the idea that the time it takes to build a home is pretty standard. From a single story Ranch to a three story Victorian with a million rooms. There were always the clients that felt 6-8 months was how long it took to build a home. If you are going to work on your own to come up with the design of what you want your new home to be, don’t forget to consider that the more complex it is; the longer it will take. You may not have that much time to wait.
What is your Budget?
This is basically the same idea as above. If you are going to design a kitchen encased in marble you may have to sell at least one of your kids to afford it. In addition, a large chandelier
in every room may not be appropriate. Do your research regarding costs. There are many great resources on the web and it is not too hard to get a decent idea of what things will cost. You can even call up vendors (pretending to be a contractor) and ask them about costs for a project you are considering.
Where do you live?
Though the answer to this is obvious, the implications are not always. Ever wonder why there are so many boring rectangle houses in the Midwest? Yep, if you said that it was because it is cold up here and the cost of heating a home in cold climates is directly proportional to the exterior exposure (ie. the amount of exterior walls). If you want to design a sprawling Spanish style home you may want to consider a move to Scottsdale.
What can’t you do on your own?
There are some portions of the design that you should leave to the pro’s. This includes structural, electrical and plumbing. In my opinion, the best way to try and tackle designing your own home is to come up with detailed ideas of what you want and then working with these professionals to build something that the Big Bad Wolf can’t blow over.
Ryan Sandberg writes for his blog “thedesignupdate” and occasionally for people like us too! Thanks, Ryan!
