Workbook
Before you begin.
Twelve questions, a budget worksheet and a list of what to gather. Answer them at the kitchen table and your first conversation, with us or with anyone, starts where it would otherwise end.
The room
Describe the problem before you describe the solution.
Which room, or rooms? If more than one, which is stopping the rest of the house?
What does not work today? Be specific: where you stand, what you reach for, what is in the way.
What should feel different when it is finished?
What must stay exactly as it is?
The house
What the building will ask of the project.
What year was the house built? Before 1985, expect to find something behind the wall.
Is it in a flood zone? If it is in Pinellas County, the 49% rule may set a ceiling on the scope.
Is there a homeowners association or a condominium board that has to approve the work?
Has the room been renovated before, and by whom?
The decision
Most delays start here, not on site.
Who decides? Everyone who has a say should be in the first conversation.
Will you live in the house during the work? Is there a second bathroom or a way to cook?
Is there a date that matters: a season away, a family event, a sale?
Do you want one party responsible for design and construction, or do you intend to price the drawing with several?
The budget
A number you have not said out loud cannot be designed to.
| The most you are prepared to invest in this project, in total | $ |
| Design, from the design planner (from $4,600 for one room) | $ |
| Construction, if the room will be built | $ |
| Held back for what the house reveals | $ |
| Furnishings and anything that is not fixed to the building | $ |
| The cost of living elsewhere or without the room, if it applies | $ |
What to gather
Bring these to the first conversation, whoever it is with.
- Photographs of each wall of the room, and one from the doorway
- Any existing plans, surveys or elevation certificates
- The age of the house and of the last renovation
- Your flood zone, from the county map
- Images of rooms you like, and a note on what you like in each
- Association or condominium rules, if any
What to ask anyone you hire
The answers tell you more than a portfolio does.
- What exactly will I receive before construction begins, and may I see an example?
- Is the price firm, and what is it built from? Does it contain allowances?
- Who holds the licence the permit is issued under?
- What happens, in writing, if something is found behind the wall?
- Who do I speak to during the work, and how often will I hear from them?
- If I stop after the design, what do I keep?