You aren’t sure what to do about your house…you just know it needs updates. The spaces don’t flow, its finishes are dated, and you aren’t getting that “return on enjoyment” you know you should on the place you call “home.”
When the time comes to renovate, you start contacting contractors and remodeling companies. Maybe you even expect quotes. That’s how to get started, isn’t it?
…How can you get accurate quotes, though, if you aren’t sure yet what you want or what the absolute best design solutions will be to live the way you dream of?
It’s tempting to go into a consultation with a remodeling company and let them do the talking, the guiding, the selecting, and just about everything else. After all, that’s why you’re looking to talk to a professional, right?!
…Well, yes and no. Renovation firms and interior designers can help you explore creative design solutions that meet your needs, but you have to get those needs crystal clear in your head first.
Here’s how…
Can you relate?
This is how some homeowners feel…
The kitchen cabinets have TOO many doors, and not enough drawers. The cabinet hardware is all wrong, too…it catches on your slacks when you walk by, and slips between your fingers when you try to open something.
In the bathroom, you constantly think, “I need more space,” but you barely have enough storage as it is and don’t know how on earth to add more cabinets without reducing your floorspace even more.
You have a laundry list of “love-to-haves,” too, like better breakfast nook lighting, or updated outlets all over the house, not to mention an updated palette of paint colors in every single room…
When it comes to putting it all together, though, all you have is a list and no singular, cohesive vision.
Sound familiar? Here’s how to change your thinking to get more out of a consultation when you do start talking to contractors…
How to Change Your Thinking Before Talking to a Renovator
Instead of focusing on isolated changes, start by imagining how you want to live. Think about your day-to-day, your social life, and when you have guests. Think about how you spend time with your family. How you relax. How you reach your goals in work or health. How do you want to feel in your home?
Instead of molding your life into the house you have, mold your home into the environment that makes your dream life possible.
This flip in thinking not only makes your design process more meaningful, it ensures that every change you make will genuinely enhance your life. Talk about satisfaction!! THAT’S what we call “return on enjoyment.”
Examples: From Dream to Design
Meet Sarah and Jordan, a couple with busy work schedules.
They dream of spending more time with each other, and can envision evenings full of card games, the occasional mixed drink, and weekly movie nights (maybe even a double feature from time to time).
Sarah and Jordan based their renovation on this dream, which informed decisions like:
- Opening the kitchen and living room into one space where whoever is cooking can still chat with whoever is relaxing
- An updated kitchen island where they can spread out while playing cards after they eat (since they never did like sitting at a dining room table, anyway)
- A storage nook in the pantry designed to perfectly fit the bar cart that they wheel out on nights when they want to have a drink
- The old dining room converted into an entertainment space equipped with a cuddly sofa and a drop-down projector screen
…
Down the street, there’s Alex. She dreams of living the healthiest possible lifestyle, with more time for exercise and nutrition, as well as better spaces for needed relaxation.
After her renovation, Alex’s home is equipped with:
- A state-of-the-art gym with its own devoted HVAC flow for “just-right” temperature regulation
- Adjustable lighting controlled with an app so she can bring the lights up from the treadmill or turn them down for a calming effect when she practices yoga
- An updated patio that makes room for a garden where she grows her own herbs and vegetables
- And, in the kitchen, devoted cabinet nooks for her food processor, pressure cooker, and huge collection of cooking utensils
…
James and Lisa renovated their home, too.
This couple with two teenage kids dreamed of a home that’s perfect for entertaining, whether business guests, extended family, or the kids and their friends.
After working with their local remodeling company, James and Lisa enjoy:
- A large and open living and dining area with a seamless flow to the outdoor patio
- An outdoor kitchen complete with a grill and bar area, and plenty of seating
- Smart lighting and sound systems to set the perfect ambience for any event
- A custom-built bar indoors with a spacious dining table for extended conversations after dinner, sometimes well into the night!
You can see how the dream informs the design, not the other way around.
Unless you want to live a “cookie-cutter” life, though, few homes will come equipped with everything you need to turn your dream life into a reality.
Therefore, when you do start looking to have a consultation with a remodeler, this is how to go in with your dreams at the ready…
Organize Your Dreams
Once you know how you dream of living, the potential design solutions are what a vetted renovation firm can help you figure out.
This means going into a consultation with an open mind instead of a laundry list. The best renovation firms will come up with solutions you wouldn’t have thought of.
To get ready for a consultation, take your list of dreams and pick which ones are non-negotiable. Try to rate the others by order of importance, too. Your priorities will help the renovator work with you to get as much done within your chosen investment as possible.
With your dreams in-hand, you’re almost ready for the MOST productive consultation possible. Just one more thing to consider…
Questions to Ask a Renovation Firm or Designer
The right renovation firm will show great creativity and interest in your dreams…AND how to translate them into design.
There are, however, additional questions you should ask to vet the companies you talk to. If you expect the firm to be able to turn dreams into a reality, that requires skills, craftsmanship, and proof of work that you can only be sure about if you ask!
Consider asking these questions at your consultation:
- Can you show me examples of similar projects, or projects where the design solutions required you to think outside the box?
- How do you ensure that a design aligns with the client’s lifestyle needs?
- How do you handle project management, including orders, deliveries, and subcontractor schedules?
- Can you share references from past clients?
- How do you manage timelines and investment expectations throughout a project?
- What measures do you take to ensure quality and attention to detail?
- What warranties or guarantees do you offer on your work?
By starting with your dreams and learning how to clearly communicate them, your renovation turns into more than a “refresh.” Otherwise, you’re just putting a band aid on a house that’s forced you to live something less than your dream life.
Start with your dream. Mold your home to that dream. The life you want to live is possible, and it’s on the other side of a successful consultation with a renovation firm like ours.
About the author
Robin Burrill, RID, NCIDQ, ASID, IDS, CAPS, is an award-winning professional kitchen, bath, and interior designer. Robin and her husband, Robert Mathews, have owned Signature Home Services, Inc. for nearly three decades, establishing a superior in-house team with a widespread reputation for delivering meticulous design to their many repeat clients.
In 2022, the national publication, Kitchen and Bath Design News magazine, named Robin to their Top Innovator list in recognition of her achievements in the field of kitchen and bath design. In 2024, she was named one of the Fall 2024 Market Pros and “tastemakers” by ANDMORE at High Point Market. Also in 2024, Fixr identified her as one of the Top Professional Interior Designers for their nationwide audience. Over her extensive career, Robin has been quoted in Architectural Digest and Forbes multiple times; her design work has been featured in top national trade publications; and she has been interviewed for Designers Today magazine’s “Profiles in Design” video series, among others. Widely respected for the depth of her knowledge, Robin is a sought after speaker and judge for many design industry events.
In 2023, Robin designed a bench for Charleston Forge, making her foray into product design. Robin currently serves as a volunteer on the board of the Dallas/Ft. Worth chapter of the Interior Design Society.
Thank you for the thoughtful reflection you shared, Leslie! Yes, homes are so much more than an investment…in fact, decisions we make about our homes are far from just financial! They’re LIFE decisions. We’re so glad this hit home with you!!
We couldn’t agree more, Janet! Our homes aren’t just assets…they’re where we LIVE. And it’s up to us to choose how that home environment contributes to the life we WANT to live!!
How exciting to know you’ll be starting a project soon, Amy! We hope to see details as it unfolds. It sounds you happened by this article in an opportune moment!!
Such good advice! Always start with the dream rather than *your* list of solutions. An experienced design professional can help you get there with ideas you never even knew to consider. I love the phrase “return on enjoyment” as it is such an apt description of what every successful design does!
We will be starting a renovation project soon and I found your post so helpful! As homeowners we tend to focus on how are spaces don’t work for us, I love your emphasis on how to make our spaces work for our needs! Great post, thanks for sharing your expertise!
Hi Robin ~
I really enjoyed the theme of this post. It gave me a lot to think about with respect to how to approach working with someone like yourself on a home renovation. I love your phrase, *return on enjoyment* because that’s really what I would want a renovation to give me ..not only a return, eventually, on my investment, but a return on the enjoyment I get from being in my home [ because it’s been personalized just for me ] in the short and medium term.
Thank you!