5 Things These Professionals Learned During Recent Projects
Architects, designers and builders reflect on how a single renovation project changed the way they do business
Every renovation project is full of surprises. But it’s also full of learning experiences that hopefully will make the next job go more smoothly. The following five home design and building professionals shared what they learned from a recent project. Maybe their past experience can influence your future one.
2. Be Realistic and Focus on What’s Most Important to the Client
Designer: Jason Vanderhovel of Dream Kitchens
Location: Farmington Hills, Michigan
Size: 212 square feet (20 square meters); 23½ by 9 feet
The project. Remove a wall between the kitchen and living room to open up the floor plan and create a warm Craftsman style for the kitchen that matches the rest of the home.
What I learned. “I guess the takeaway here is not to force things,” designer Jason Vanderhovel says. “Everything about this kitchen fell into place after we homed in on what was most important to the client.
“Everyone’s initial wish list is massive, but only a few items on there are things that are set in stone. Figure out what those items are and make it happen.
“For the secondary and tertiary concerns, let them work their way into the design naturally, and if you have to spend hours forcing it, it will never play out the way you anticipate it in real life. As designers, we spend most of our time thinking in hypothetical, and the space between our expectations and physical reality can be vastly different. Sometimes what you spent all that time on just won’t work because you rode too fine of a line trying to force it to happen.”
Designer: Jason Vanderhovel of Dream Kitchens
Location: Farmington Hills, Michigan
Size: 212 square feet (20 square meters); 23½ by 9 feet
The project. Remove a wall between the kitchen and living room to open up the floor plan and create a warm Craftsman style for the kitchen that matches the rest of the home.
What I learned. “I guess the takeaway here is not to force things,” designer Jason Vanderhovel says. “Everything about this kitchen fell into place after we homed in on what was most important to the client.
“Everyone’s initial wish list is massive, but only a few items on there are things that are set in stone. Figure out what those items are and make it happen.
“For the secondary and tertiary concerns, let them work their way into the design naturally, and if you have to spend hours forcing it, it will never play out the way you anticipate it in real life. As designers, we spend most of our time thinking in hypothetical, and the space between our expectations and physical reality can be vastly different. Sometimes what you spent all that time on just won’t work because you rode too fine of a line trying to force it to happen.”
3. Rethink Working With Steel Panels on the Exterior
Designer: Shea Stewart of Intrinsik Architecture
Location: Bozeman, Montana
Size: 528 square feet (49 square meters); 22 by 24 feet
The project. Raise a ceiling to create a living room that feels larger without increasing the footprint of the house.
What I learned. “We used a lot of steel roofing and siding on this project,” designer Shea Stewart says. “We had some problems with the standing-seam panels ‘oil canning’ (otherwise known as stress wrinkling) at certain times of the day. We ended up putting backer rods behind each panel to provide some tension. This helped but didn’t eliminate the problem. In the future, I’d be a little more hesitant to use a flat standing-seam panel as siding.”
Designer: Shea Stewart of Intrinsik Architecture
Location: Bozeman, Montana
Size: 528 square feet (49 square meters); 22 by 24 feet
The project. Raise a ceiling to create a living room that feels larger without increasing the footprint of the house.
What I learned. “We used a lot of steel roofing and siding on this project,” designer Shea Stewart says. “We had some problems with the standing-seam panels ‘oil canning’ (otherwise known as stress wrinkling) at certain times of the day. We ended up putting backer rods behind each panel to provide some tension. This helped but didn’t eliminate the problem. In the future, I’d be a little more hesitant to use a flat standing-seam panel as siding.”
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Be Bold
Designer: Kourosh Babaeian of Black Orchid Design
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 255 square feet (24 square meters); 17 by 15 feet
The project. Designer Kourosh Babaeian says this is a spec home for which the client asked him to think outside the box and build something “different from everything else that’s being built around town.”
What I learned. “Never be afraid to take chances,” Babaeian says. “We were very skeptical about using black paint for the walls and ceilings, but we bit the bullet, went with our instincts and hoped for the best. After all, it’s just a can of paint and you can always adjust it, but you never know if you don’t try. In the future I will definitely be more bold when making design decisions.”
Designer: Kourosh Babaeian of Black Orchid Design
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 255 square feet (24 square meters); 17 by 15 feet
The project. Designer Kourosh Babaeian says this is a spec home for which the client asked him to think outside the box and build something “different from everything else that’s being built around town.”
What I learned. “Never be afraid to take chances,” Babaeian says. “We were very skeptical about using black paint for the walls and ceilings, but we bit the bullet, went with our instincts and hoped for the best. After all, it’s just a can of paint and you can always adjust it, but you never know if you don’t try. In the future I will definitely be more bold when making design decisions.”
5. Be Open to the Ideas of Other Professionals
Designer: Lorraine Levinson
Location: Greenwich, Connecticut
Size: 400 square feet (37 square meters)
The project. Designer Lorraine Levinson spearheaded an extensive renovation project in her own living room. She removed two staircases and opened the room to the kitchen.
What I learned. “The floating bookcase in this room, the glass stair sides and the marble vent hood that matches the slab backsplash are the most ‘designed’ elements in my home and the most research and learning I had to do to direct the contractors on how to execute,” Levinson says. “I think I learned on this project, and every project, to be open to the ideas of others — especially the fabricators and contractors — on how to get a design I have in my mind to finished project. There can be many ways to get the end result you want, and I’m always searching for the best and simplest way.”
More for Pros on Houzz
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Designer: Lorraine Levinson
Location: Greenwich, Connecticut
Size: 400 square feet (37 square meters)
The project. Designer Lorraine Levinson spearheaded an extensive renovation project in her own living room. She removed two staircases and opened the room to the kitchen.
What I learned. “The floating bookcase in this room, the glass stair sides and the marble vent hood that matches the slab backsplash are the most ‘designed’ elements in my home and the most research and learning I had to do to direct the contractors on how to execute,” Levinson says. “I think I learned on this project, and every project, to be open to the ideas of others — especially the fabricators and contractors — on how to get a design I have in my mind to finished project. There can be many ways to get the end result you want, and I’m always searching for the best and simplest way.”
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more articles for home remodeling professionals
Talk with your peers in the Pro-to-Pro discussions
Find out how to join the Trade Program
Designer: Farnaz Harouni
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 333 square feet (31 square meters); 18 by 18½ feet
The project. A light, bright living room in which the homeowners can spend time with their two young boys.
What I learned. Designer Farnaz Harouni says her perspective changed on the way she orders and stores materials and furnishings during this renovation project. “I learned it’s worth the extra effort to store items elsewhere and have a single setup day to put all the elements in at once,” she says. “If things trickle in over time, the clients can judge things out of context and be unsure of the final result until it’s completely done.”