What are the Most Important Benefits of a Design-Renovate Firm?
Let’s address the big question — what is a “Design-Renovate Firm?” Well, we’re similar to a design-build firm (the terms are often used interchangeably), but instead of building a home from the ground up, we design and renovate existing spaces.
This means that your professional Interior Designer and General Contractor are housed under one roof, giving you the best of both worlds in one place. As a husband and wife team here at CKD Remodeling, we are also quite literally housed under the same roof!
For this week’s blog post, I want to share some of the most important benefits for YOU that come with hiring a Design-Renovate firm. But first...
Who Designs & Who Renovates?
In case you’re new around here, I’d like to introduce you to our husband-wife duo — my husband Steve and me, Sarah (hi, there!).
Steve is the General Contractor and Kitchen Designer at CKD Remodeling (and one heck of a home chef). He actually started his renovating career way back as a cabinet fabricator and installer. His clients liked his kitchen installations so much that they kept asking for more, and before he knew it, his services had evolved naturally into full-on renovations as a GC.
Meanwhile, and before CKD, I ran a full-service Interior Design firm and custom drapery workroom in Atlanta. If you’re unfamiliar with “full-service” interior design, it’s a lot more than styling shelves. My team and I completed turnkey projects, from conceptual designs to ordering, from managing a budget and overseeing trades to carrying out the installation and final reveal.
Look at that handsome smile!
Needless to say, it was a no-brainer for Steve and me to join forces. (Plus, did I mention Steve can cook??) Together, we provide a unique white-glove approach at CKD, handling all aspects of architectural design, budgeting, construction, finishing and product selections.
We couldn’t be happier to be pursuing our passions and talents together, and while this may not be on our list of 5 benefits, I can tell you with confidence — having a team as passionate as us by your side will make the renovation process easy and enjoyable.
Alright, let’s talk about the 5 biggest advantages of hiring a Design-Renovate Firm…
A peek at our trusted cabinetry supplier
1. Clear Accountability & Leadership
Have you heard the phrase “too many cooks in the kitchen?” When it comes to a design and renovation, the greater the number of professionals involved, the greater the need for top-notch communication (and the more room for human error).
Too many “cooks in the kitchen” makes for confusion, and in some cases, duplication of effort. Instead, a design-renovate firm serves as a single-source of leadership for implementing the design and construction.
Yes, we will bring in the right tradesmen and suppliers as needed. They are a close-knit network of vetted suppliers who know us and have supported our work time and time again — and we love our people. But they are the incredible supporting cast, not another cook in the kitchen.
When we can maintain control over all aspects of the project, we take responsibility for everything. And, as you’ll see further down, this responsibility carries over to the best possible efficiency for your project schedule, budget, and yes, even your personal time.
Our experience with many renovations as well as our design acumen allows us to envision the actual end result before you can see it. We know where we are headed and have your welfare in mind with each decision.
We create your architectural plans in-house.
2. Increased Efficiency
As you’ve probably gathered by now, when the work is separated between designers and renovators, miscommunications can arise. In some circumstances, this can turn into passing the buck back and forth regarding issues that come up during the process.
For example, the designer may have ordered a tile that will take months to arrive, throwing off the contractor’s schedule. Or, sometimes a contractor will need to alter the design due to an unforeseen circumstance, and there’s a time lag sorting it out with the designer or architect.
With design-renovate there is no need to have an outside designer. We have an inside designer, and we are coordinating all aspects of the project in tandem from Day 1. We work on material choices, oversee the trades, and manage the installation for our clients.
This means that decisions can be made promptly to stay on schedule from the start of your project to its finish.
The beginning of a bathroom renovation. The colorful cement tile was our inspiration!
3. Easy In-House Communication
Let’s talk about communication. I think we’ve all been part of an email or text exchange in which multiple parties had to be coordinated (and maybe the whole situation could have been solved with a quick phone call). A design-renovate firm doesn’t operate like that.
Having all of the necessary parties in-house minimizes the time drain from text and email exchanges. With a small company like ours, the team members work closely together making our communication easier.
Plus, there are some things that you just can’t see in a drawing or plan that we can see based on experience. For example… Do you want to remove a wall to open up space for a larger kitchen?
An interior designer is not trained to evaluate load bearing walls or understand the proper reinforcement needed to get that open floor plan. But as a design-renovate firm, we can evaluate the design of removing the wall, consult with an engineer to make sure the removal is properly supported, procure the beam and other materials to execute the open floor plan, and communicate to the homeowner the cost of the project. And we can do this quickly. (Time is money, after all.)
We believe this is a VERY big advantage of being a design-renovate firm. The best part is that CKD can anticipate and communicate these kinds of issues during the planning phase, which saves time, prevents frustration later, and ushers you as quickly as possible to your most beautiful home.
The design options presented will always work with your home’s structure.
4. Accurate and Realistic Estimates
Accurate estimates are another advantage for design-renovate clients. By keeping things in-house, we have an in-depth knowledge of what the construction and material costs will be.
This expertise comes from many years of planning and executing renovations, as well as working with our trusted suppliers and trades. We’re attuned to the actual cost of each line item and are constantly working to stay abreast of current Codes, design trends, and material costs.
By contrast, working with a GC and Interior Design firm separately will make it very difficult to accurately judge your investment. You will have two parties giving you estimates, each will fluctuate a bit as the project progresses, and in the end, you may or may not have a sum that fits the original expectations.
Unless there are unforeseen problems hiding behind walls or in the structure, or the client changes their mind halfway through and wants to add more stuff, we stick to our original estimate through to the finish of the project.
Note: We also do not practice the HGTV approach where the homeowner is routinely presented with decisions that require they choose one room renovation over another. Rather, we research and plan for our projects with as many realistic variables already factored into the budget.
A floor plan designed for our client’s ideal lifestyle — including a deck for entertaining!
5. A Seamless & Enjoyable Renovation Experience
If you have never renovated before, it’s worth mentioning that it’s a highly detailed process. In fact, I dedicated an entire post to sharing 5 things most first-time renovators don’t know, one of which is — it gets worse before it gets better. (Anything involving construction is sure to be loud and messy.)
Hiring a GC to manage your project (versus DIY) will already take a significant amount of time and stress off your hands. That goes double for a design-renovate firm.
It’s not just about us being efficient, managing your investment wisely, and communicating quickly and effectively — it’s also about YOU. Your time. Your energy.
Working with a single design-renovate firm makes the process incredibly streamlined for you. Our clients only need to communicate with one firm start to finish. Our clients only pay one firm from start to finish.
Our clients tell us they appreciate this seamless service experience, which doesn’t require multiple points of communication or the need for them to play “middle man” between businesses. Our “one stop shop” puts our clients at ease and makes their lives a lot easier through the process.
“This is my 8th home and the best construction project I’ve ever been through. I can’t recommend them [CKD] highly enough.”
As a family-run business passionate about helping others live more fully in their homes, we have done everything in our power to make the renovation process as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.
No one needs the drama of an HGTV renovation in their lives. You want a team that has your back. You want a smooth process. You want a home to enjoy and entertain in for years to come.
We want that for you, too.
So if you’re ready for a design-renovate team to create your dream home, Steve and I would be delighted to meet you. You can book an introductory chat with us here.
If you’re not quite ready to start your project yet, don’t worry, we have something for you too. You can download our helpful guide below, 9 Essential Steps To Prepare For Your Kitchen Renovation, to start dreaming and preparing.
From our family to yours,
Sarah & Steve Abbott