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Dream Big, and Within Budget

Try This Today: Make a check list of must haves in your home, and assign a budget for your remodeling.

Not only know what you want but also how much you are ready to spend. Good contractors will help you figure out what parts of your dream (if not all of it) are possible given your budget. They’ll help you visualize the big picture and prioritize your needs accordingly. A good contractor will also give you ideas for saving money without compromising on quality—like repurposing old materials or improving the efficiency of your spaces—to achieve as much of your dream as possible while staying within your budget.

 

Know Your Style and Taste Before You Begin

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Beginning a home renovation project is always easiest if you have a good sense of what you want your home to look like. From the moment you decide to renovate or even if you think you might want to renovate sometime soon, it would be a good idea to start taking notes on the kinds of home features you like and don’t like. 

Try This Today: Sign up on Houzz and make your remodeling board. Feel free to share it with your partner/friends or keep it a secret.

Pay attention when you visit your friends’ places or see cool houses on TV or in movies, and maybe even browse some designer and contractor websites to check out their work samples. If you’re at someone else’s house and don’t have your computer handy, try to get in the habit of writing down the features you like and where you saw them in a notebook or on your phone. Or even better, if your friends or neighbors don’t mind, try snapping some pictures (or saving pictures if you’re browsing the web at home). Online, you can use platforms like Pinterest or Houzz or just create your own Facebook album to create a kind of idea scrapbook. This will be tremendously helpful when you’re trying to express your vision to your contractor.

 

There I Said it “Service”.

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Thirty years ago, I decided to go into business for the reason so many do: I thought I had an idea that would work better. After having spent a number of years learning the trade and working in clients’ homes on behalf of several bosses, I had noticed an all too familiar pattern—the clients in whose homes I was working seemed to appreciate the quality of the work we were doing, but they were overwhelmingly dissatisfied with the overall experience of dealing with our company.

I also was constantly reminded by everyone I knew that builders and remodelers were not generally considered to be the most reputable, fair, or even ethical businessmen out there. I was perplexed, and I did not understand how this profession could somehow attract all the least desirable folks to open shop. I was further confused by the fact that the majority of people that I knew in the business, including my various bosses, seemed like very regular, caring people—albeit a bit demoralized, I must say. Was I naïve? Was everyone else right? Did one have to be a bit of a lowlife to be in this business, or was everybody else just wrong? Of course, I realized, neither of these could be entirely true.

Certainly, our clients seemed to have legitimate and sincere complaints

but when I spoke to my boss he was equally adamant that their requests and expectations were unfair. He felt that they were getting what they asked for and what he had agreed to.

Well, I didn’t go to college, but it didn’t take me long to see what was happening here. The number of times he dismissed complaints asking, “what do they expect” or that I heard clients say, “he isn’t living up to the expectations he set” made it easy (or so I thought then) to see the problem and the solution: if you wanted to avoid frustration on both ends and ensure complete customer satisfaction, it’s vital to clarify the clients’ expectations, and then meet those expectations! My career, my struggles, and any success I have had over the last three decades were launched on that singular notion.

The ensuing years and the relationships I have developed with hundreds of clients since then have continued to demonstrate that I was right about the need for this “revolutionary idea” in the building and remodeling world, but they’ve also disproven my notion of how easy it would be.

I’ll share some of my journey, my goals, my successes and my failures along the way in the coming posts. And I hope that if you’re reading this and you’re working on your home or considering doing so, or if you’re working in this industry or considering entering it, you’ll gain some perspective from my posts that might help you be better consumers, design or trade partners or service providers. THERE, I SAID IT: “SERVICE.”

How to Avoid the Building or Remodeling Nightmare! A Boston Design Week Panel by FBN

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It’s easy to tell how people feel about General Contractors. Whether it’s because of funny TV commercials, horror stories from friends, or a personal experience, their reputation persists. Is this experience a necessary evil? Can you minimize your chances of falling victim to it?

Bob Ernst of FBN will share insights from his 30 years of experience along with those from the distinguished panel of architects and design professionals. This discussion will highlight some team-building techniques for creating an exceptional home renovation and will answer many key questions from homeowners. 

Venue: Vanegas and Company at Boston Design Center, 477 Harrison Ave #2a, Boston, MA 
Date: March 29th, 2017
Time: 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
RSVP here. 

 Sample questions answered:

What are the common reasons for delays and how they can be avoided? 

What are the most common reasons for cost over runs and how they can be avoided? 

What can a homeowner do to ensure architects, design professionals, and builders start collaborating and working in their best interest?

What is the best way for a homeowner to manage the budget during a remodeling process?

What are some simple techniques for design professionals to improve their communication and succeed?

What are the most common issues in the renovation process and how can they be avoided?

And any other questions from the audience

 

This industry expert panel is organized by  FBN Construction and is a part of Boston Design Week, a 12-day Citywide Design Festival. 

Meet the Panelists:

Bob Ernst, Builder and Moderator:

Having been a builder for over 30 years, Bob has built FBN’s reputation through collaboration, customer service, and transparency. Through his leadership, FBN Construction has grown from 750k to 10M annually and has become recognized as a market leader both locally and nationally. As an active member of NAHB, IFDA, BAGB,ASID, BSA, and NKBA, he frequently contributes to industry panels and events on how designers, architects, and clients can work together to give customers a positive, empowering experience during their home projects.  

Leslie Fine, Designer:

Leslie Fine is the president of Leslie Fine Interiors, Inc., an award-winning, full service residential interior design firm located in Boston, Massachusetts. Leslie is known for her personalized service and hands-on approach with her clients in creating functional and beautiful homes. Leslie’s Blog has a large national and international following, and she enjoys sharing her experiences with interior design and luxury living with her readers.

Andrew Sidford, Architect:

A licensed Architect with 30 years of experience, Andrew Sidford is one of the top architects in the Boston area. His expertise ranges from historic renovations, to contemporary design, and from single-family homes to large-scale commercial and institutional projects. His unique designs have garnered accolades and awards, and have been featured in Boston Globe Magazine, Design New England, Northshore Magazine, and numerous others. In 2006, Andrew Sidford Architects became the first architectural firm to join 1% For the Planet, an international environmental group whose members pledge one percent of their profits to environmental causes.  

Duncan Hughes, Designer:

Based in Boston, Duncan Hughes Interiors is an award-winning interior design firm that is synonymous with timeless but forward-thinking designs that cater to the unique aesthetic and functional needs of each client, whether traditional, modern, or commercial.  From the recent refurbishment of a historic Richard Morris Hunt mansion, to contemporary properties for actress Katherine Heigl, and illustrious private clients throughout the United States, Hughes is renowned for his elegant, sophisticated, yet always comfortable interiors.  Trained in architecture, he spent years collaborating with other designers before launching his own interior design firm in Boston in 2003.