Remodeling

Is there any greater stress than building a new custom home? Yes, a full remodel of an existing home.

Polls conducted by the website Houzz.com reveal that up to 50% of people who've recently undergone home renovations report that the process caused significant stress on their marriage. 12% reported that going through home renovations caused them to consider or pursue divorce.

A common cause of stress is contentious disagreement over aesthetic choices. Can hiring a good interior designer help navigate through the differing opinions about style and material choices? I think so. The designer can be a neutral third party with the expertise to support their recommendations. Disagreements can be deflected away from a spouse and reconciled by the designer without the marriage relationship coming into play.

Another major stress factor is the budget. All projects go over budget. Nobody knows how much a renovation will cost in the beginning. They do know what they want, and their wants can grow throughout the project. The builder is then tasked with creating a budget for a moving target. At ESC we often submit a comprehensive initial proposal, then value engineer it to meet a budget, only to have deleted items added back in later in the project. This probably happens with other trades too. It's no wonder that most projects end up over budget. A realistic budget in the beginning could help to prevent cost overruns later in the project.

Finally, project completion is affected by client delays in decision-making, material availability, contractor scheduling conflicts, and weather. Delays can add to client stress due to interference with family plans. A builder who can bring a project in on time and within budget is a miracle worker.