It’s a new year and yet another chance to embark on improving our client’s homes and lifestyles through design and remodeling. It’s a privilege to be a trusted partner with our clients, assisting them through a process that most people do only a few times in their lives. It’s important for you to be pleased with all aspects of your completed project. Some companies focus on the latest trend, we focus on you and your project. Our craftspeople do too.
Every project and every client is different- different goals, different styles and different lifestyles. We listen to everything our clients want to share with us and then ask questions that broaden that conversation to fully understand what I will be incorporating in the design and final out-come of the remodel. Whether it’s a kitchen remodel, bathroom or family room you want something different or we wouldn’t be talking.
Beyond the planning and drawings, what do you like? Pictures start to be shared and many times I hear, “I don’t know what I like exactly, I know each picture is different”. I can usually see a theme, a trend. No one likes to clean but what do you expect the performance of the various materials to be? We help our clients find the fit and finishes that work now and for a very long time.
What had you planned to budget for this project? This is a conversation that will cover a lot of ground. Sometimes if a client has remodeled in the past or recently, they may be exactly right. Clients who suggest budgets that won’t complete a project or the size project they may have imagined want to learn more. Should they do their projects in stages, maybe? Where to start? What I’ve learned over the years is that people believe there are say, 8 or 9 things to include in their budgets, when in actuality there may be 23 items or categories depending on the complexity of the project to account for. Sometimes this changes the scope of the project and sometimes it explains the budgeting necessary to create that perfect space.
The first four paragraphs of this blog haven’t talked about colors, materials, newest and best or projects I’ve done in the past. That’s because the most important work I can do with my client is to listen, understand, ask questions and provide insights before I begin my work.
So, I look forward to another year to meet new clients, work with existing clients and their friends. Most of all I look forward to seeing the joy that a perfect space for a specific family can bring. It truly can change your life and put a smile on your face.
Best,
Nancy Keenholts Dalton
Baywolf Dalton, Inc.