Interior Designers Can Ensure Style, Functionality, And Profitability From The Ground Up.

With big shortages of housing across the country, investors are increasingly building new spec homes from the ground up rather than flipping houses. But given current inflationary pressures, building new homes or custom-spec homes is becoming incredibly challenging. You must watch every penny you spend on these projects because costs can and do get out of hand fast on big projects.

You might think, then, that cutting the number of people working on the project is a good choice. Think again!

Everyone knows an architect and contractor will inevitably be a part of your team. But too often adding an interior designer to the team isnít considered or is a last-minute thought. Although an architect and contractor are needed, projects can survive without an interior designer.

Notice I said survive not succeed. Although architects and contractors are experts in their field of structurally designing and building homes, interior designers are experts at choosing materials, space planning, and ensuring the flow, balance, and rhythm of a home. Interior designers often have a better understanding of which materials will sell homes faster and what buyers are looking for.

Additionally, interior designers have better contacts for materials, meaning they can often work better discounts and deals.
Adding an interior designer may increase your upfront cost, but overall they will benefit your bottom line. Let’s look at some top reasons why hiring a designer is crucial for your next investment project.

Value And Vision

Most interior designers can see things before they exist. Think about the value that talent could add to a project. Interior designers can save investors thousands of dollars by being able to picture how things will look before they are finished or even before they start. Investors and contractors know change orders are expensive, time-consuming, and better avoided. In that sense, having an interior designer on your team is an added safety
net that controls costs and protects your investment from going over budget.

Understanding Customers

It is an interior designer’s job to know what’s in or out, what’s old, and what’s new. Interior trends change

as rapidly as fashion trends do. Most people don’t realize that fashion and interior design trends are fueled by those who are running the country, dating back centuries to the kings and queens of England. Understanding what’s trending isn’t just about paying attention to what’s popular; it’s also knowing why it is popular and whether is it in the beginning, middle, or end cycle of its popularity.

Interior Cohesiveness

Interior designers look at a home not just as a structure but as a building that needs to make a design statement. Homes always have a specific style of architecture (e.g., Spanish, modern farmhouse, midcentury modern, ranch, French country, etc.)

Knowing and understanding how to carry the exterior style into the home is an interior designer’s job. Understanding how a particular style came about is part of an interior designer’s education. Knowing the history of a home’s design guides designers toward which materials are best for a home’s interior. Keeping the home true to the style of the exterior provides flow and rhythm and makes the home feel cohesive from the outside in. The home will feel aright to buyers who view the exterior and walk into a home with an interior they would expect to see.

Intentional Use Of Space

An expert designer doesn’t pay attention just to how fashionable the materials they choose are. They will pay attention to how the home will be lived in as well. How durable is the floor selection? Should white marble really be used in a kitchen? To which side of the sink should the dishwasher be placed? These are just a few of the many questions interior designers will consider.

Designers are adept at squeezing out every inch of a home’s space, from cabinets to doors to window placements and the overall floor plan. For example, they will understand and be more knowledgeable about furniture size, giving them a better grasp of how a room will function when looking at house plans. They understand traffic flow and know how the house should be laid out in order to be comfortable to live and work in. Interior designers pay close attention to every little detail when it comes to how a space will be lived in, making them invaluable to the overall project.

Fewer Mistakes

Although there’s no avoiding every mistake, using an interior designer will help you avoid many of them. To create homes that buyers want to live in takes a keen eye from someone who can see the home completed before it’s been built. Interior designers are creative visionaries who can spot potential issues or design flaws before they happen. Having someone on your building team

with these capabilities can help cut down on change orders and eliminate running into unfixable design flaws. For example, custom-ordered cabinets that don’t end up fitting or looking right can break a project. Not handled properly, these big-ticket items can cost the project time and money.

Who To Hire?

Adding an interior designer to your team requires time and effort. Your first conversation with a potential designer should be in person.
Every team is made up of different personalities, opinions, and tastes, which means you will need to do due diligence on any designer you consider. Deciding whether the personalities will work together as they make numerous decisions is the most important thing you must determine.

Find a designer with a portfolio you love; their work will define the look of the overall project. You should also be comfortable working with the designer. Building a house from the ground up is exciting, fun, and very lucrative if the right team is in place.
Interior designers are invaluable to any investor wanting to build a spec house from the ground up. All too often cut out of the budget, designers can more times than not make up that cost through their guidance in making good decisions that keep the project on time, within budget, and more profitable. Isn’t that what we’re all striving for?

Tags | Design
  • Michele Van der Veen

    Michele Van Der Veen, host of Good Day segments including Flip It, Decorate Like A Designer and Stage To Sell, started her career in real estate investing over 30 years ago. A published author herself, she has also been recognized and featured in international magazines for her unique approach to interior design. Acquiring a formal education from the Interior Designers Institute of California, Michele’s experience stems from building custom homes to flipping over 100 homes and working in commercial real estate development alongside her father at a young age. Not afraid to push the limit on her own designs/investments, she will often be heard reassuring her team about her decisions by saying “Don’t worry we are the comps!” For more on Michele’s work or to contact her go to iHeartHomescorp.com.

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