Q/A
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE YOUR CONSTRUCTION AMBASSADOR?
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES BETWEEN CLIENTS , CONTRACTORS / BUILDERS; UNCLEAR COMMUNICATION ON EXPECTATIONS ON THE END RESULT.
IN SOME CASES WHEN THE PROJECT FOR THE OWNER IS LOCAL, THEY’RE ATTENTIVE RESPONSIVE, AND AVAILABLE. AND WHEN THERE IS A PROJECT FOR THE OUT OF STATE CLIENTS, WHO DON’T LIVE HERE THEY HAVE DIFFERENT MOTIVATIONS AND DIFFERENT TIMELINES.SOME OWNERS HAVE BUSINESSES, FAMILIES, AND A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING AROUND SOME OF OUR LOCAL REPS AND CONTRACTORS ARE JUGGLING MULTIPLE PROJECTS AND DO NOT HAVE COMMUNICATION ACCESSIBILITIES SET TO BE IMPORTANT.
THAT IS WHY ELISA CHRISTINE INTERIORS HELPS GUIDE THOSE UPFRONT DISCUSSION AS AN ADVICOTE AMBASSADOR FOR THE HOMEOWNER. WE DISCUSS AND COMMUNICATE ALL AROUND HOW THE PROCESS OF THE PROJECT IS GOING TO LOOK AT SCALE. MAKING SURE THAT THERE’S A LOT OF ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE DESIGN AND THE END RESULT. THOSE ARE THE TWO BIGGEST AREAS WE PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR CLIENTS.
WHAT MAKES OUR DESIGN PRE-CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENT IMPORTANT?
OUR DESIGN STRUCTURE BRINGS CLIENTS ORGANIZATION AND ALIGNMENT OF NEEDS THAT VARY THROUGHOUT A PROJECT. OUR DESIGN PRE-CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENT BRINGS A MAPPING PLAN FOR THE CONTRACTOR / BUILDER, budgeting, COMMUNICATION, AND END RESULTS.
WHILE NOT DOING THE RIGHT KIND OF PLANNING UPFRONT. THERE ARE ENOUGH OPPORTUNITIES FOR ERRORS TO ENTER INTO THE SITUATION THAT WOULD CREATE CHALLENGES TO THE PROJECT.
THERE HAVE BEEN REPEATED PATTERNS OF ERRORS THAT THEN CREATED MUCH BIGGER CHALLENGES, THAT WERE RELATED TO A FAILURE TO DO EXCELLENT PRE-CONSTRUCTION DESIGN WORK. FOR PEOPLE STARTING ON A PROJECT AND CONSTRUCTING BEFORE THEY KNEW REALLY WHERE THEY WERE GOING, WHICH THEN CHANGES WOULD OCCUR MIDSTREAM. WHAT HAPPENS IS THOSE CHANGES WOULD IMPACT THE FOLLOWING ITEMS THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT: THE BUDGET IMPACTED, THE SCHEDULE WOULD RISE, LEAD TIMES ON ITEMS OR ARE DISCONTINUED, OVERSEEN DESIGN MISFORTUNES, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE HOMEOWNER AND CONTRACTOR IS NOW IN A CHALLENGE.
PEOPLE TRYING TO WORK TRY TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS, BUT NOT DOING THE RIGHT KIND OF PLANNING UPFRONT.
WHY HAVE ECI AS YOUR DESIGNER?
A LOT OF TIMES HOMEOWNERS WHO START A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ARE UNWILLING TO FACE THE MUSIC OF A CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCE. OR A SELECTION THAT THEY MADE, IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE, WRONG SIZE AND THEN, A DESIGN FLAW COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. IF THERE NEEDS TO BE A DESIGN INPUT TO PUT INTO A PROJECT AND IF IT IS NOT ADDRESSED EARLY, IT ONLY BECOMES A BIGGER PROBLEM OF COURSE AS TIME GOES BY. OUR INITIAL CONSULTATION BREAKS DOWN THOSE BEARIERS. THERE’S THIS VIEW THAT THE GENERAL CONTRACTORS ARE REALLY NOT INTERESTED IN THE CLIENT'S ESTHETICS OR THEY’RE NOT BEING TRANSPARENT AS THEY SHOULD BE, TO THE HOMEOWNER. HOWEVER, HAVING AN OBJECTIVE ADVOCATE AMBASSADOR / AKA. YOURS’S TRUE THERE CAN TALK THROUGH TO THE CONTRACTOR AND HOMEOWNER.
BUILDING COMMUNICATION AS THE OTHER TEAM MEMBER. BY BEING YOUR CONSTRUCTION AMBASSADOR, WE ARE WORKING THROUGH THOSE ISSUES FOR YOU. WE AT ELISA CHRISTINE INTERIORS ARE HERE TO BUILD A PRODUCTIVE AND COOPERATIVE TEAM WITH ACCURACY WITH OUR DESIGN PRE-CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENT PHASE. OUR ROLE IS TO IS NOT ONLY TO DESIGN OR DECORATE BUT TO BE DIRECT AND CLEAR IN EXPLAINING IT IN THE EXPERIENCE, AS COLLABORATING AS A REAL TEAM APPROACH TO SOLVE WHAT CLIENTS NEED. WHEN WORKING WITH OUR CLIENTS WE ALSO RELEASE THOSE KINDS OF PRESSURES FOR BOTH CONTRACTOR / BUILDER. AND TO HELP MAKE THE PROJECT MORE PRODUCTIVE, HELP THEM CONCENTRATE ON TASK ITEMS NEEDED FORCOMPLETION AT THAT PERIOD, FINDING A WAY TO BE THOUGHTFUL AND MAKE GOOD DECISIONS IS THE STAGE WITH IN OUR PHILOSOPHY OF SERVING OUR CLIENTS.
HOW WE HELP YOU AVOID TENSION BETWEEN YOU AND THE CONTRACTOR/BUILDER?
HAVING A DETAILED PRE-PROCESS WITH THE INITIAL CONSULTATION, AND GETTING MORE COMPLICATED ANSWERS IN THE PRE-CONSTRUCTION DESIGN DEVELOPMENT IS IMPORTANT TO AVOID WORKING THROUGH THE CHAOS OF A PROJECT.
MOST BUILDERS HAVE IT BACKWARDS WITH THE OWNERS AND GENERAL CONTRACTORS, WITH ONLY UNDERSTANDING BOTH THE TRANSACTIONAL SIDE AND THE CHALLENGES TO FINALIZE A PROJECT. APPLIED IN MY PRACTICE, A DEVELOPED UNDERSTANDING TO AVOID THOSE LESSONS AND TRY TO REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF CHALLENGES DURING THE PROJECT. CLIENTS GET BLINDED BY THE EXCITEMENT IN OPTIMISM AND WANT TO PROCEED. BUT MANY DO NOT KNOW IS THAT A BIG PART OF CLOSE TO 50% OF THE COST OF THE HOUSE FINISHES THE RANGE COST FOR THOSE FINISHES IS A GREAT DEAL. DEPENDING ON THE SELECTIONS THAT ARE MADE, IF CHANGES ARE MADE TO THE BUILD, ALONGSIDE THAT WITH THE STRUCTURE OF THE HOME. ITEMIZATION BEGINS AND NOW EVERYONE LOOKS TO WHERE THERE NEEDS TO BE A CUT TO SOME OF THE CLIENTS' MOST NEEDS AND WANTS FOR BUDGETING PURPOSES.
THERE’S THIS UNCOMFORTABLE PROCESS OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SHOW UP, WHAT’S BEEN DESIGNED TO BE BUILDABLE BY THE CLIENT. THAT IS JUST BACKWARD TO WHAT WE AT ELISACHRISTINE INTERIORS DUE. OUR DESIGNS OUR DEVELOPED AND APPROVED BEFORE BREAKING GROUND OR DEMOLITION.BY BEING CLEAR ABOUT WHERE WE’RE GOING AND THEN KEEPING EVERYONE DISCIPLINED TO CREATE PLANS THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH THOSE OBJECTIVES.
DO YOU ONLY DO LARGE PROJECTS?
NO, WE TAKE ON SMALLER PROJECTS,AS WELL!
IF YOU ARE NEEDING TO WORK IN PHASES OR ROOM BY ROOM, WE WOULD HAPPLY LIKE TO BE APART OF SEEING YOUR HOME TRANSFORMED. WHAT MATTERS TO US MOST IS IF WE ARE THE RIGHT FIT FOR EACH OTHER. ECI IS NOT FOR EVERYONE, AND EITHER ARE YOU. OUR PHILOSOPHY IS TO LOVE ONE ANOTER, AND SERVE. WHICH BOTH COME TRUE TO CORE OF WHO WE ARE. BUT, HONESTY IS WHAT WE TREASURE MOST. THERE HAS BEEN PREVIOUS CLIENTS WHOM WE HAD TO “FIRE” DUE TO BEING DISHONEST, CONTROLLING AND MANIPULATIVE. WE DO NOT TOLERATE, UNKINDNESS.
WHAT IS YOUR PROJECT FEE ?
EACH PROJECT FEE IS DEPENDING ON THE SCOPE OF YOUR VISION. DURING OUR INITIAL CONSULTATION, WE DISCUSS ROUGH ESTIMATES, BUDGETING, AND ALL THE DIRTY SECRETS OF THE REALITY OF A TRUE DESIGN PROJECT, CONSTRUCTION OR EVEN CUSTOM FURNISHINGS.
DEPENDING ON YOUR REQUIREMENTS, A FEE IS PROPOSED ALONG WITH THE BREAKDOWN OF DEPOSITS AND PROJECT TIMELINE.
WHEN IS THE PERFECT TIME TO BRING ON A DESIGNER WITH A CUSTOM BUILD?
AT ELISACHRSITINE INTERIORS, WE RECOMMEND THE EARLIER THE BETTER! ESPECIALLY, IF YOU HAVE JUST THE SHELL OF THE BUILDING FLOOR PLAN SET. NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN, WE WILL OFFER INTERIOR WALLS CHANGES, BATHROOMS TO BE RELOCATED, ENLARGED AND ADD ADDITIONAL ROOMS WHICH BUILDERS HAVE FORGOTTEN. YES, IT IS POSSIBLE. ONE BUILDER HAVE THE WALL SPACE DESIGNED BIG ENOUGH FOR A KING SIZE BED. THERE WAS NO PLACE TO PUT THE BED IN THE MASTER. CLOSET STORAGE AT TIMES, ARE FORGOTTEN, ALONG WITH FUNCTIONALITY OF KITCHEN OR MASTER SUITE BATH. EACH DETAIL IS IMPORTANT WITHIN A HOME AND REFLECTS THE CLIENT’S UNIQUE PERSONALITY.