Pros Share How They’ve Adapted to Challenges of the Past Year
Read how remodeling and design pros have stayed in the loop with vendors and worked with clients during the pandemic
When you run a remodeling business, the ability to make adjustments on the fly is essential. Whether there’s a kink in the supply chain or a client has a last-minute revision, the ability to adapt is a necessity. The pandemic has made adaptability more important than ever, so we talked with established professionals about the adjustments they had to make this past year.
Read how remodeling and design pros have kept up with the latest trends and products, how they’ve worked with clients, what they’ve missed the most — and also about how the importance of “home” has taken on even greater significance. Then let us know in the Comments how your business adapted.
Read how remodeling and design pros have kept up with the latest trends and products, how they’ve worked with clients, what they’ve missed the most — and also about how the importance of “home” has taken on even greater significance. Then let us know in the Comments how your business adapted.
2. Collaborating With Clients
Attending virtual showrooms and trade shows, and having vendors send samples directly to their place of business, has helped many pros stay atop the latest trends and materials. But going virtual has also been key to collaborating with clients throughout the pandemic.
Ruchi Agrawal Mohan of DesignbyRuchi in New York says it didn’t take too long for her and clients to adjust to working virtually. “It seemed hard in the beginning, but very quickly everyone became an expert,” she says. “Screen sharing, pdfs and samples being physically sent over to support the presentation call became the new normal. My emails became more detailed, as did all my drawings and presentations.”
Rachel Simrell Scott of Board & Vellum in Seattle agrees that working with clients virtually has been essential. “Any challenge presents an opportunity, and we’ve found that creative use of virtual presentation tools has allowed us to convey the passion of design in unique ways,” she says. “We have always worked with clients far from our office, and now we have an even greater toolkit of techniques available to us.”
One great way for remodeling and design pros to share their vision for a project is through Houzz Pro business and project management software’s Mood Boards tool and 3D Floor Planner. These tools enable pros to create visualizations of their projects that give clients a realistic, easy-to-understand view of the designs.
Attending virtual showrooms and trade shows, and having vendors send samples directly to their place of business, has helped many pros stay atop the latest trends and materials. But going virtual has also been key to collaborating with clients throughout the pandemic.
Ruchi Agrawal Mohan of DesignbyRuchi in New York says it didn’t take too long for her and clients to adjust to working virtually. “It seemed hard in the beginning, but very quickly everyone became an expert,” she says. “Screen sharing, pdfs and samples being physically sent over to support the presentation call became the new normal. My emails became more detailed, as did all my drawings and presentations.”
Rachel Simrell Scott of Board & Vellum in Seattle agrees that working with clients virtually has been essential. “Any challenge presents an opportunity, and we’ve found that creative use of virtual presentation tools has allowed us to convey the passion of design in unique ways,” she says. “We have always worked with clients far from our office, and now we have an even greater toolkit of techniques available to us.”
One great way for remodeling and design pros to share their vision for a project is through Houzz Pro business and project management software’s Mood Boards tool and 3D Floor Planner. These tools enable pros to create visualizations of their projects that give clients a realistic, easy-to-understand view of the designs.
3. What They’ve Missed Most
While going virtual has provided a lifeline for many businesses, the lack of in-person collaboration and camaraderie has been felt nonethless.
Building team camaraderie remotely has been a challenge, says Fred Ballard of Blue Horse Building & Design in Dripping Springs, Texas. “I miss weekly in-person team meetings. We added staff during the pandemic, and I find it more difficult to build camaraderie remotely,” he says. “The staff on-site is doing fine, but the connection with off-site support staff is not where I would like it to be.”
Lasater, the California architect, has also felt that lack of in-person connection. “My staff was working fully remote for nine months, and that was hard because, as architects, we thrive on collaboration and serendipity while working closely together,” he says. “Now we’re on a rotation schedule with half staff in at a time, so we’re getting back that connection and collaboration.”
Agrawal Mohan, the New York designer, has also strived to keep that connection alive. “I really missed the interaction with everyone in my industry. Running into colleagues, attending conferences and listening to experts,” she says. “I reached out to so many of my trade partners to check in on them, because like me, we all needed it.”
How to Manage Critical Conversations With Your Clients
While going virtual has provided a lifeline for many businesses, the lack of in-person collaboration and camaraderie has been felt nonethless.
Building team camaraderie remotely has been a challenge, says Fred Ballard of Blue Horse Building & Design in Dripping Springs, Texas. “I miss weekly in-person team meetings. We added staff during the pandemic, and I find it more difficult to build camaraderie remotely,” he says. “The staff on-site is doing fine, but the connection with off-site support staff is not where I would like it to be.”
Lasater, the California architect, has also felt that lack of in-person connection. “My staff was working fully remote for nine months, and that was hard because, as architects, we thrive on collaboration and serendipity while working closely together,” he says. “Now we’re on a rotation schedule with half staff in at a time, so we’re getting back that connection and collaboration.”
Agrawal Mohan, the New York designer, has also strived to keep that connection alive. “I really missed the interaction with everyone in my industry. Running into colleagues, attending conferences and listening to experts,” she says. “I reached out to so many of my trade partners to check in on them, because like me, we all needed it.”
How to Manage Critical Conversations With Your Clients
4. The Importance of Home
Remodelers and designers have had to adapt to new technologies and ways to collaborate with clients and colleagues, but throughout it all, their professions have perhaps never been more valuable.
Lasater believes people are now more aware of how much built environments influence their daily experiences. “When you’re rushing to work in the morning, and coming home late at night, you don’t have time to take an accounting of how your home is working — or not — to support your lifestyle,” he says. “After 12 months of staring at the same walls, people have begun to see that meaningful design and thoughtful architectural responses can make a significant difference in their daily life.”
Chad Esslinger of Chad Esslinger Design in Downers Grove, Illinois, agrees. “I think everyone has realized how important the idea of ‘home’ is,” he says. “People are home now more than ever, so there’s never been a better time to make their space what they’ve always wanted it to be. I’m very honored to be able to help people make their living spaces more beautiful, functional and livable.”
Join the conversation: How has your business had to adjust this past year? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in the Pro-to-Pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
Remodelers and designers have had to adapt to new technologies and ways to collaborate with clients and colleagues, but throughout it all, their professions have perhaps never been more valuable.
Lasater believes people are now more aware of how much built environments influence their daily experiences. “When you’re rushing to work in the morning, and coming home late at night, you don’t have time to take an accounting of how your home is working — or not — to support your lifestyle,” he says. “After 12 months of staring at the same walls, people have begun to see that meaningful design and thoughtful architectural responses can make a significant difference in their daily life.”
Chad Esslinger of Chad Esslinger Design in Downers Grove, Illinois, agrees. “I think everyone has realized how important the idea of ‘home’ is,” he says. “People are home now more than ever, so there’s never been a better time to make their space what they’ve always wanted it to be. I’m very honored to be able to help people make their living spaces more beautiful, functional and livable.”
Join the conversation: How has your business had to adjust this past year? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in the Pro-to-Pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
When in-person visits to many of the showrooms and trade shows around the country were restricted due to the pandemic, pros still found ways to work with vendors to stay in the loop.
Doris Loomis of Pantuso Architecture in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, says that instead of going to showrooms, the showrooms came to her. “We are lucky to have masked local suppliers bring their products to us,” she says. “Whether it’s the latest window and screening product, a specific stone or wood flooring, we have many materials brought or shipped straight to our office.”
Maureen Stevens of Maureen Stevens Design in New Orleans says many vendors have gone the extra mile. “Most vendors were really proactive and sent us their newest catalogs and swatches promptly with memos about their latest collections,” she says. “The virtual showrooms were pretty helpful and enjoyable too, with some sending individual cocktail packages for us to join in while sipping something refreshing.”
Dealing with vendors virtually has been a silver lining during the pandemic for Anders Lasater of Anders Lasater Architects in Laguna Beach, California. “We plan to continue virtual meetings with vendors and manufacturers in the future, as it’s much easier and faster.”
Learn about Houzz Pro business software