I was in exactly the position you are now in three years ago when I finally decided to completely gut remodel my home.

The first step is to look at as many pictures of rooms and homes as you can. Save the ones that you find appealing - don't think too much about why you like them but just save them in some kind of file on your computer.

Second step is to find a designer. I was extremely lucky as my designer had great "taste" but also knew a great deal about construction so she could act as my project manager throughout the entire process and make sure that everything was being done well. I would not have the expertise to determine some of this stuff even though I read a LOT about stuff.

She also interfaced with the General Contractor and City. This is helpful because she worked with the General Contractor on other projects so she has a lot more clout than I would have in terms of making sure everything was done really well. This is also true of the actual items that were purchased - because she used her sources (i.e. upholsteries; cabinet makers; curtain makers/hangers) all the time, they would be much more likely to make sure stuff was done really well for her versus a single retail customer.

Once you meet with the designer, you discuss budget and what your design aspirations are. That is where having lots of photos of rooms you admire comes into play. When I met the designer I showed her the photos and discussed what kind of styles I liked and she was able to look at my inspirations and determine common threads.

There are obviously steps to follow in terms of hiring a designer - getting the contract done correctly etc. However, as one non-expert to another, the critical first step is to determine what kind of designs rock your boat and then hiring a really good designer who will be able to deliver something that is more than one could ever have dreamed of in terms of both aesthetics and functionality. At least that was true for me.

You are a gem, Helen! Thank you!!

As long as everything is functional, live in it for 6 months. You don't know what you don't know about the livability of the house.

Thanks for your feedback! We’ve been here 3 months and most of what we want changed is cosmetic. Functionality should remain intact and be improved upon in the area we’re actually gutting (master bath).

"I do not have a good eye and I want the house to have consistent styling throughout."

You've already taken the right first step. You're smart enough to know what you don't know. I've seen the horrors from people who wouldn't dream of cutting their own hair who decide to design their own websites, graphics on their truck, and structural issues.

Also, trust your gut. If you don't like what is proposed and aren't given a compelling reason for it, it is probably for the decorator's or contractor's convenience. There are a lot of great professionals out there are some that are not so great.

Since you're planning so much work, it will be important to have a vision for all of your spaces before anything is started.

IMO you wait at least 3 and preferably 6 months before doing anything. As you live an a home you strat learning how you live there and that is when you strat planning what to change. kitchens and batrhooms are some of the mose expensive rooms to redo so wait. A well designed kitchen is IMO where you start but only after living there for a time. You can often get some great odeas here if you post a to scale floor plan showing all windows doorways and mark all measurements clearly. Make sure the drawing can be enlarged. This will help you as you wait to do anything and it’s free

We aren’t making any major changes to any area except the master bathroom. Floor plans and layouts won’t change in the kitchen. I just wanted to know more so about the process. Do you hire the designer first? Do you hire the contractors and work through them on design. By design, I mean picking out coordinating countertops, backsplash, and paint colors. I probably wasn’t clear in my original post.

As I wrote, you hire the designer first before the contractor. In order to hire a contractor you will need bids. In order to get a REAL bid, you will need to have specific plans submitted to the GC which specifies exactly what is being done including those finishes which the GC will be supplying. I wound up hiring a GC who had worked with my designer on a number of projects which turned out to be a great decision since she knew exactly how to get the best work out of him.

My contract with the GC was a combination of allowances - set prices - and portions of the elements I ordered and provided separately. For example, it was a set price for installing and preparing the wood floors but I paid for the actual wood myself since it was a complete variant. All of the rough plumbing was a fixed amount but I provided and paid for the fixtures since - again - these were items that were completely within my control in terms of design and cost. Other items were an allowance like the shower doors and mirrors and electrical work. Obviously this kind of thing depends on your contract with the GC. My electrical work covered expected electrical work but as it turned out I had an expensive surprise since I needed to upgrade the electrical panel to meet Code since each appliance required its own circuit so that was obviously not part of the original contract cost.

And oh yeah - be sure to include a generous contingency in the budget because every project is going to exceed the budget in one way or another. Luckily for me I was self funding so going over budget wasn't an issue as I just wrote the checks :-) but I have a lot of friends who had either loans or a very specific amount they could spend and they literally ran out before a project was completed so they had to make some unhappy choices out of necessity.

When I hired the designer, she drew up the plans which were then submitted to the City for permits as well as used for the bidding process. They were incorporated as part of the contract with the GC. At least for my remodel, there were two kinds of plans - the very specific set of plans that almost resembled blueprints which specified everything and the "design plans" which included the board. The design portion of the process evolved during the time the project was being done.

In my personal experience it is going to take much more than three months or even six months to actually start the process so there is no reason not to at least start the process by getting your inspiration looks together and researching and interviewing designers. And - at least in my experience.

And any design is a complete collaborative process between the designer and the client of course. My designer translated my aesthetic vision as well as how I wanted spaces to function into a coherent design. There were some items that I had to track down because I had extremely specific ideas about what I wanted but there were so much stuff that I was happy to completely hand over to her like where to place overhead lights or what color to paint - she brought me three samples and I - of course - wound up choosing her first choice :-).

Thank you so much, Helen. Very helpful on all fronts!

I wanted to add that my designer was really great in helping me decide which of my furniture and decorative items should be kept and which should be released. I had way too much stuff of every kind and a lot of the stuff wasn't really my taste anyway but had just be acquired over the years. So the end result in terms of the finished design incorporates the older pieces which still reflect my taste and function well within the space as well as new pieces.

I very much agree with taking copious pictures of all of your rooms you wish to do cosmetic or full renovations on.

This will do two things; one it will give you a record of how it looked before. 2 it will give you an idea of what works for you and what doesn't in each room now. I would advise you to pay attention to the style of your home. That includes baseboards doorways wall colors Etc. It works better if these things speak to one another along with your textiles and furnishings.

I think the next thing to do is to collect pictures of what you like. I believe this is very important homework to bring to a designer. It gives the designer a snapshot of what sings for you.

I'm sure if you figure out what you and your DH like and it gels with the style of your home everything will turn out great!

Good luck!

If you are going to be redoing the kitchen, why not consider changing the layout? Just like the advice to not change anything at first, the standard advice is to keep an open mind about the options when you are actually developing your plan.

Thanks, yeonassky! I am all over that homework!

Lyndee, the layout of the kitchen works well for the space (small-ish). Cabinets are in good shape, flow is good, so we’re just updating the surface finishes. The master bath is functional but has much more room for improvement from a more extensive remodel. We’re also closer to the higher end of the market for resale so we’re trying to make changes that will give us the best roi while keeping in mind we’re pretty close to that ceiling.