Remodeling your home can be very exciting for most people. There’s moving walls, installing new finishes, looking at design magazines to name a few. Once our clients have all the information, from budget to how long the project will take, they are ready to go! We also get excited about creating beautiful spaces and meeting your expectations. We consider it a privilege to be a part of a special time in your home ownership, as well as a valued business opportunity that delivers fulfillment of winning over another satisfied customer.

All this excitement sometimes can lead to a call to action, so it’s important to be cautious and not start too soon. We are always willing to accommodate the schedule of our customers. But I have seen a downside to starting too quickly and it usually has to do with not allowing clients to ‘settle in’ with their project plans. For example, what about some of the items that should be selected? Or the final details of the plan that still need to be ironed out?

As the Ethics Chair of the local Remodeling Association, it is my responsibility to get involved with consumer issues. I’ve learned that often the root of a remodeling ‘surprise’ is due to lack of information obtained during the planning phases. For example, a surprise would have been avoided if the client had known it costs more to install a built in refrigerator over a slide in refrigerator… before the walls were torn down.

For those of you that are first-time remodeling clients, there are many selections that will work in concert like lighting, cabinets and cabinet/hardware finishes. For those of you that have remodeled before, maybe you understand that it is a little less fun to sign-off on the choice of cabinetry because you have run out of time… or worse, you find out that the project is delayed because the lead time on the product you like is much longer.

So what are some of the steps that can make your remodeling experience as fun as it should be? For starters, The Wiese Company provides each customer with a Selection Schedule that comprises of a list of what is needed, in other words decisions the customer needs to make. Your project’s Selection Schedule should include: cabinetry, counter tops, tile, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures and a few other items all organized into a timeline that helps you understand what items have the biggest impact on the schedule. In projects that require cabinets, we usually start there first since it can take 4-16 weeks from the time they are ordered until the time that they arrive.

Whatever your project is, there will be much less anxiety and a lot more excitement if you know what color you are thinking about before the painter shows up! Happy remodeling everyone!