May is National Home Improvement Month for NARI, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, and it’s a time to spotlight our industry. These days, we can’t escape news of supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and cost increases. And yet, our clients still want to embark on beautiful home renovations that will make their living spaces fresh and flexible for how they currently live. Here are some examples of how we’re helping our clients navigate today’s market conditions during their remodeling projects:
- Plan ahead. As soon as your design is finished and plans are drawn, it’s time to order your fixtures and finishes. We have seen delays from vendors across the board – appliances, cabinets, doors, windows, engineered lumber, furniture, paint, tile and more. Our approach allows ample time in the project planning phase to make these decisions and consider alternatives that may be more cost-efficient and readily available.
- Consider a phased approach to spread out the costs. We can work with clients to develop a Master Plan to complete larger renovations in phases and put infrastructure in place up front to make future projects more efficient. For example, to facilitate a future second story expansion, we can reinforce the first-floor walls now to support an expansion later and rough plumb future renovations.
- Be flexible. While some aspects of the build-out have to go in a specific sequence, with enough notice we can work with our skilled trade partners to adapt workflow on site if one element is delayed. For example, we can focus on outdoor living elements while we are waiting for kitchen cabinets to be delivered.
- Get creative. Last fall we hit a snag on a client’s new kitchen when their oven/range unit was delayed. To help them get back in the home in time for the holidays, we sourced a rental oven to put in place until their first choice arrived. Problem solved and the family’s holiday celebration went ahead as planned.
There may be some things we cannot predict or control in today’s environment. However, our skilled project managers have the knowledge and experience to adapt and bring more certainty to an uncertain time.
Dale Contant, Partner, Alair Homes Marietta