Happy Summer friends! What a whirlwind these last few months have been with the ending of school, client projects and our own home projects about to begin. We're celebrating 2 years here and are finally getting into our project list that we've been discussing. We have a two story garage and are going to be finishing off the top floor to become a home office/guest suite for the inlaws to come up and stay longer than a few days. Anyone who has parents that live in a different state knows how awesome it is to have them come and be able to stay comfortably for an extended period of time. Here are some of the plans I drew up for our "cottage":
I'm really excited to see this come to life especially since looking at a completely unfinished space it's hard for me to see this end result (which is why I love being able to draw up the designs like this!)
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Since I have more first hand knowledge of what major home renovations entail, I thought I'd write up a quick checklist for anyone who may be thinking of completing an addition or renovation:
Plan early: We reached out to our contractor last October to begin this process and even back then he said the earliest he can begin would be July. It sounded like a long time however between architectural drawings and permits this time went by fast!
Interview/Hire contractor, architect/designer early: It's no surprise that since the beginning of Covid, home renovations/additions have increased like 1000% with all of us utilizing our homes differently. It's imperative that if you want a project completed within a certain time frame to begin looking for a contractor, an architect and if you want, a designer, to get on their schedule. We can only do so many projects at one time😉 Do your due diligence when selecting who to work with. I have seen a lot of people complain of projects not being completed properly or have been taken advantage of.
Learn your town restrictions/codes/permit requirements: This I can't stress enough. File the permits you can file for the contractor. Do what you can to move the process along quicker: I know a lot of people expect the contractors to file the permits, which they all do, however, there's nothing more frustrating than permit delays due to something that could've been avoided had you learned what you can and can't do with your renovation. Right when we said the go-ahead, I hopped on the phone with my zoning officer and got the list of requirements with not only the town but the county too. I quickly found out all about impervious surface, how much space we are allowed to add. We cannot add a stove or call it a bedroom to not have this qualify as an apartment, which would mean a larger septic, something we cannot do here due to a conservation easement. Also about how far things need to be from your property line. Catch my drift with the knowledge gained 😆. The more you learn about your property and requirements, the more empowered you feel.
Expect the unexpected and be patient: This coincides with prices, supplies, and furniture delivery times. There's no easy way to put this but if you haven't witnessed it and don't know what I'm talking about-Covid put a nice delay in everything- I'm being sarcastic. Delivery times for a majority of custom furniture is just shy of 9 months, with 17 weeks being the minimum. Yes, you saw that correct. Cabinets can go as far out as 12 weeks, depending on manufacturer, so it could be longer. Please keep this in mind when timing your project. Patience can be tested with any large project but it's important to know that whomever you hire will do their best to keep the unexpected to a minimum.
Approve the Design Early: It really is never too early to have architect drawings and the end design approved. I've drawn up designs for projects that won't go into construction for at least another 4-6 months. It takes time to have these drawn up and make any necessary revisions. My design time is 3-4 weeks for the first design presentation. This gives me time to draw up the floor plan and select all the finishes, furnishings and accessories. Once the design is completely approved, it makes all those prompt construction decisions less stressful since you already know what the selections are.
I hope this list helps you become aware and organized for when you are ready to embark on the wonderful journey of home renovations!
Latest Designs:
There are lots of people still continuing to work from home full time and I love being able to design these spaces to inspire, rejuvenate and make you want to go work. Here are two of my latest office designs:
I don't know about you but I'd gladly work from either of these😆.
Summer brings a semi-break from social media so I don't post as much but if you'd like to follow along on either Instagram or Facebook I'd be so happy to have you!
Have a wonderful summer!
Maria
