If you are planning to remodel or renovate next summer, early winter is the ideal time to start the conversation with your renovator. Shopping for a home renovation, after all, is not like buying a car: you’re not driving off the lot with a new kitchen or home addition! Remodelling your home, or even just one room demands the proper amount of time to plan and to allow for decisions that aren’t rushed, so the earlier you can get started in the process, the better for everyone involved.

One of the reasons that it’s important to reach out to your renovator as early as possible is that we need the proper amount of time to first clearly understand your needs. Even if you’re not able to put your finger on exactly what it is that you don’t like about your space, a good renovator will be able to guide you through the analysis.

Herb Lagois says “As designers, it’s our job to listen to the clients, identify challenges they are having with their home and come up with a design solution.” We commonly hear from homeowners that they want to remodel or renovate because their space is outdated, too small, or the design leaves them isolated from friends and family while they’re prepping in the kitchen. Whatever your challenges are, we want to devote the right amount of time to planning: “We don’t want to go down the path of a design that doesn’t solve any of our client’s problems” says Herb. That is just wasting everyone’s time.

The early winter months are an excellent time for homeowners to have a good look at how their space is working for them, and what problems they would like to solve with a new design.

Identifying these needs and challenges early on gives your renovator the time to design properly. We know that clients are busy working families so building in enough time to be able to review plans and avoid having to rush through decisions is key.

Once the design has met what you had envisioned for your space, we then move into the selections phase. Step 2 of our 3-part process, choosing the finishes inside and out, involves a multitude of choices which can create some timeline issues. For example, if you are thinking of custom cabinets or that beautiful Italian tile, it is important to make these decisions as early as possible so that we can allow for enough time to have them built or shipped in. This allows us to be able to commit to being on time and on budget for your home renovation project.

With our depth of design knowledge and expertise, our team will help you make informed decisions, and anticipate potential challenges before they become issues. Which in turn limits any delays once your project goes into the construction phase.