One dilemma that most homeowners often face is the question of whether they should wait a while to get their interior design projects rolling, or just jump in headfirst. We all have our own ways of approaching larger projects; some people like to start as soon as possible, whereas others like to mull it over for a while before fully committing.
Many of our clients have been expressing concern over the rising costs of certain materials that may cause the price of their projects to increase. Although there is some truth in this news, many projects haven’t actually been affected.
If you’re on the fence about the timeline of your next renovation, I’d like to offer some helpful information to make the decision a little easier.
What Prices Have Increased?
Products that we have seen price increases on include raw lumber and appliances. Raw lumber prices have peaked recently, so although they are high, there’s a good chance that they’ll be going down soon. These types of supplies are more for new buildings and major renovations, so if your project will require supplies such as wood you may be seeing higher prices right now.
Image Source: EcoHome
It’s also important to note that most design projects (especially big ones) require weeks of planning, so we can get started on planning these projects now and face the step of gathering the actual supplies later on. This would likely mean the prices could have dropped by the time you actually need them!
Appliance prices have also gone up as the demand is currently our pacing supply. Lead times for appliances (as with many other products) have gotten much longer. You may have to wait 8 – 16 weeks for a luxury brand appliance, or even up to 12 months.
What Prices Have Stayed the Same?
When it comes to supplies like tile, cabinet hardware, and plumbing supplies, prices seem to be remaining the same. However, you may still be faced with longer wait times to get these supplies, leading to delays in projects. This is an important consideration because it may be better to jump right into your project, since it’s likely to take plenty of time to plan as well as acquire the necessary supplies. If you’re looking to do a smaller project, such as a kitchen or bathroom remodel, you likely won’t be facing any significant price increases, you may just have to wait a while to get what you need.
Image Source: bkc Kitchen & Bath
Why Hire a Designer to Help?
Although many homeowners are choosing to take the DIY route these days, hiring a designer can (and will) save you a lot of time and energy. Lead times can be unpredictable but typically an interior designer will be able to pinpoint the lead time once the products have been ordered. This can help with determining the start date of construction. We never want to disrupt your home for longer than necessary so we will always plan meticulously to schedule the demolition once the supplies are available.
We see homeowners who don’t choose to work with a designer that often make the mistake of starting their demolition right away. This often means they’ve completely skipped the pre-planning steps and they may not even have the necessary supplies for the project yet. These types of decisions could lead to you having to live in a torn-apart living space for longer than necessary since your project could remain idle for weeks while you wait for the supplies to arrive or work on planning the next steps.
Image Source: Black Line Renovations
Although, you can plan your projects yourself, why would you when we can do it for you? We can’t control pricing increases or supply and demand, but we can help you plan around these types of challenges, rather than you having to navigate it all on your own. Typically, we’ll receive notification a few weeks before price increases occur so we can order ahead of time to avoid paying extra for certain products.
Since the pre-planning phase can take several weeks, supply and pricing issues may even resolve before it’s even time to order the supplies. Sometimes products arrive damaged or they were incorrectly labeled, this can also lead to delays and you don’t want your home to be demolished before this happens.
We all know that interior design projects can present plenty of challenges. Ultimately, remodeling your home is always worth it though. Don’t you want to feel like your home perfectly emulates your own personal taste?
If you’re unsure about delaying projects or are just feeling overwhelmed (as these projects can often cause people to feel), it may be time to bring a designer on board. We can take the majority of the stress off of your shoulders and help formulate the perfect plan to make even the biggest project a seamless process.
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