Making the decision to actually begin a project is a BIG event in a home owner's life. We get that!
Generally you have been dreaming about improving your home for months, maybe years. Now it is finally time! Congratulations!
There is one important question every employee of any Kitchen Bath Department of a home improvement warehouse or the most exclusive custom cabinet showroom is asked often. It is,
" How much does a kitchen / bath as shown in this vignette cost? " We understand it is a legitimate question. We know it is more complicated to answer than you might expect. Why? The answer is choices, choices, choices!
A remodeling project is an investment in your home that impacts functionality and resale value.
Performing your due diligence is key. You are wise to determine how to acquire as many of the preferences on your wish list as possible. Yes, comparing pricing is important. Let me give you a tip. The most important consideration is not price. It is value! You can always find a cheaper price.
Please consider an important fact! You are going to be in this space everyday for years to come. Value and quality win out over saving a few dollars in the long run. The old saying " You get what you pay for," is completely true in the remodeling business. If your purchase involves product installation, referrals are critical. The wrong product will not last. An inexperienced contractor and installer can ruin the product, damage your home, and leave you stranded mid project! It happens! Unfortunately, unscrupulous contractors have been known to tell people what they want to hear, take a hefty deposit, begin the job in the demolition phase to never return again. We are hired by homeowner's experiencing such an emergency. Value and peace of mind would have been their experience if they had come to us first. Often saving a few dollars costs you thousands to repair.
Kitchen and Bath projects are a combination of math, art, creative talent, and craftsman skills.
Unless you have an unlimited budget and vision to custom build a new home or add an addition to an existing one, you are faced with limits created by the square footage of the room. You are also impacted with the placement of doors, windows, fixtures, plumbing, and appliances. No one can have everything they dream of and must prioritize based on space and their budget.
Let's get down to the gritty answer to the "cost per foot" question. Here comes THE question: " How much would this display run in my house? Or , " How much does this kitchen/bath cost per foot as displayed?"
The reality is two families could live in the same development, in the same model home with exactly the same square feet. The placement of their original cabinets, fixtures, plumbing, and appliances could all be the same when they purchase the home new. Yet, when it is time to remodel, there will be vast differences in cost and pricing. Why? The choices they make Their personal tastes and
goals create the vision they have in their mind and determines cost. Rarely would any display you see in a showroom work perfectly in your home. To quote an accurate price for that same display sets the homeowner up for expectations that lead to disappointment.
Linear pricing is very misleading! The policy to actually market remodeling this way is deceptive. It is linear pricing. Linear pricing is a marketing strategy that is very misleading. It is displayed this way: "This Kitchen Display is $---.-- a foot as seen." These small vignettes rarely if ever actually imitate a real kitchen or bath layout.
When a homeowner, especially the woman of the home, gets serious about pulling the trigger on the project she wants "everything" possible for as reasonable as possible. She typically wants it all done, "yesterday". After all, you have waited for your dream kitchen or bath for a very long time.
Your space is going to need a unique design fitted to your measurements. Square footage of your room and selections are the deciding factor on what your project will ultimately cost. The linear pricing approach is a bait and switch approach. Usually, the per foot pricing does not include installation. Warehouse store management teams want every item in the store priced to attract shoppers. Store Managers and Assistant Managers are not remodeling professionals.They do not realize how projects are priced accurately. Neither do their supervisors from the corporate offices.
When Corporate declares to price everything, the only way to do that is add up the retail pricing of the cabinets and counter top in the display. Then the total price of all components in the display is divided by the linear feet of the counter top. As you can imagine, this will not be a true representation of your available space and personal selections.
"Free Design" marketing plans play into the inaccuracy as well. Often a "designer" will compose an CAD design based on the customers measurements and hand drawing. The general public is uninformed. Management understands the lure of "free design". They need their employees to learn the CAD design software. Thus repetition is the tutor and since they are on the clock, why not offer free designs?
Just to remind you of last weeks Post's facts:
There is a huge difference in design and sales approaches. Any reputable Design Build Firm will not proceed with any design service until the build team members measure on site. Those measurements are accurate and passed on to the Design team Designer assigned to the clients project.
The reason for the difference has to do with expertise and a Designer having built a portfolio of projects completed satisfactorily. The path to being a one of these more experienced designers might have begun in a big box warehouse store. That is my story as well as many other very talented professionals. They have earned their stripes, so to speak. Yes, high pressure repetitious practice teaches people the software. The more free designs done, the more the new designer learns. It is really that simple.
I hope I have helped you know important info. I hope it educates and guides you to the best possible partnership to realize your dream project. We would love to help you avoid all the pitfalls and find complete satisfaction and value working with us.
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