Remodel Lesson Learned #3: Designers & Interviewing

Designers are a tough cookie to swallow. Finding the right designer is important. For people like me, I have a vision, I love the research and I didn’t want to add on another year of planning to our project. I’ve seen many friends go through the design process with success and heard plenty of horror stories. There are three things I’ve learned from their experience, along with my own experiences.

Their People & Your People: I recommend using a designer that you have heard good feedback on. If you are using a designer based on a internet search. Make sure you contact all of their client references. Be sure to ask things about timeline results, budgeting results and more importantly, how easy was the communication. If you are planning on using a certain contractor or architect, be sure to ask for a designer reference. You want them to all work together.

Interview, Interview, Interview: It sounds like exhausting process, but it will help you in the long run. I suggest you at least 2-3 designers first. Your one on one interaction with them is important. There are plenty of sites out there that can provide you with some key questions (How much do you mark up? What is your discount? Who do you like to work with?) to ask when interviewing a designer.