Easy Home Remodel Projects that Can Reduce Your Client’s Fears

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While many homeowners would like to make improvements to specific spaces, they can be hesitant to work with an interior designer on even the simplest of home remodeling projects. The reasons for this are obvious. They include one or more of the following: remodeling cost, disruption to routines, lack of trust, loss of control, and potential disappointment with the results.

Learning to manage these fears and concerns is one of the most important challenges for a designer. We’ve shared some ideas before about how to deal with client fear but, in this post, we would like to suggest you approach this challenge from a different direction.

Virtually any of the problems outlined above can be overcome if you scale back the remodeling projects for clients who can’t seem to overcome their fears.

Of course, we would never recommend that you should reduce the size of a project (or your fees) if your client is not expressing their discomfort with cost, disruption, or loss of control. However, if you find yourself working with someone who is hesitant because they are afraid of these things, it makes a great deal of sense to start small and gradually work them toward larger home improvement projects.

For example, we all know that kitchen remodels are one of the most popular home improvement projects, and for a good reason Kitchens tend to be the most popular room in the home, and improvements to the space can add quite a bit of value to the property when it comes time to sell.

Yet, for these very reasons, tearing apart a kitchen and changing the look and feel of the space can make a homeowner very uneasy. What’s a designer to do?

Use Smaller Remodel Projects as a Gentle Way Past the Fear

Here are a few less threatening ways you can improve a client’s kitchen without breaking the budget or scaring them to death:

• Lighting – Depending on the age of the home, the kitchen lighting is likely WAAAAAY out of date. Those overhead fixtures that were so popular in the 70s and 80s need to be dumped. And, because new fixtures can be found in any price range, even hiring an electrician to install them should not overwhelm the expected cost.

• Cabinets – Simply painting the kitchen cabinets can make a huge difference to the look and feel of the space. Switching out the old knobs or pulls for something more modern or decorative can also transform the look of their cabinets, particularly if the existing cabinet hardware is typically bland contractor-grade.

• Faucet – Adding style can easily be done with a new faucet assembly for the kitchen sink and hey, you can even toss out the kitchen sink and put in a new one! While faucets and sinks can get pricey, they can also be very reasonably priced, with huge selections available at the big box type hardware outlets today.

• Rugs – Adding a classy rug to the kitchen can make the room feel even more like the most comfortable gathering place in the home. Plus, since you're the expert on rugs (and they are not), you can ensure they get a quality piece at a reasonable price.

• Walls – Once again, a coat of paint comes to the rescue. While wallcoverings are not hugely popular in kitchens, paint is. You can help your client completely reimagine this space with some fresh ideas about colors and textures.

• Backsplash – This oft-neglected area of the kitchen can be used to add some spice to the space (pun intended). It can also be used to add style and class. Never ignore the kitchen backsplash, especially if your remodel is on a tight budget because it offers a high return on even a minimal investment.

Granted, small changes like these are not the type of work most designers are hoping to find. However, few jobs are too small for a savvy designer. If you wish to work on larger home remodel projects with clients who are a bit skittish initially, these relatively inexpensive, lower impact improvements could be the “in” you need to calm their fears and sign a contract for a bigger remodel in the future.

Can you think of other rooms where you can reduce the scale of a remodel to help calm a client’s fears? How would you do this in a master suite or living room, for example?

Are you looking for more interior design tips, design trends, marketing tips, new products, and furnishing ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Designer Tip – Kitchen Remodels Add the Most Value to a Home

In a previous post titled Master Bath & Kitchen Add Value to Homes, we shared the idea that a master bath remodel was a good way to help your clients make their home more appealing to potential buyers, with five important areas to consider. Of course, this is not to suggest that the kitchen is just, if not more, important to the value of a home. So, for today’s designer tip, we offer a few ideas on how you can help your clients boost the appeal of their home by making changes to their kitchen.

First, let’s look at the cost versus return on investment (ROI) of remodeling a kitchen. According to various sources, the ROI for a kitchen remodel will most likely be in the range of 60% to 80% of the cost. Yet, depending on location and the marketplace, some remodels may return 100% or more.

For the sharp interior designer, though, there is more to the appeal of a kitchen remodeling project than boosting value for the homeowner. Since we’re talking about the essential room in most homes, making the kitchen more appealing to the current owners is a significant feature for investing in a remodeling project, with added value as a side issue and bonus.

In other words, don’t merely focus on ROI. Instead, make it clear to your client that a new and improved kitchen will add to their own lives in ways they may not have considered: comfort, efficiency, and even increased intimacy.

Best Ways to Add Value to a Kitchen

It should go without saying that remodeling a kitchen present numerous opportunities for improving such an important space. From appliances to cabinetry and countertops to flooring, and even the simpler things like paint pulls, and knobs, there are dozens of improvements to be made to any kitchen – from the most basic to the most advanced.

So, where should you, as a designer, focus your attention when working on a kitchen remodeling project?

Kitchen island – Virtually every expert opinion we can find suggests that, if space is available, adding a kitchen island is one of the most significant improvements you can suggest. Even a mobile workstation adds flexibility for food prep and cooking, as well as helping the kids with homework.

Brighter is better – Whether natural or artificial, kitchen lighting is an essential element in a remodel. After all, the cook needs to be able to see what they’re making for dinner, and the family rarely needs mood lighting at the dinner table (although using dimmers for special occasions make sense).

Cabinet upgrades – Regardless of room size, it seems space is nearly always an issue for the homeowner. New kitchen cabinets can usually resolve the problem, adding additional storage where needed but, cosmetics can also be an issue. If budgets are tight, a new finish or paint job, along with new hardware, may be the best solution.

Kitchen appliances – The sheer number of appliances in a kitchen may make this category of improvements the most important. From finish to function and from convenience to cost, the features of every appliance should be considered – yet, it’s the benefits to the homeowner and the family that should be the deciding factors.

Kitchen as gathering place – While it may be true that most of your design clients gather in the dining room for meals, it’s unlikely. Instead, most families who consistently eat meals together will do so in the kitchen. They will also use this area for family gatherings, so; you should make sure that the dining area closest to the kitchen is comfortable in virtually all circumstances.

What is your best designer tip for kitchen remodels that add value to your client’s home? Share your thoughts below.

Are you looking for more interior design tips, design trends, marketing tips, new products, and furnishing ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.