My Biggest Custom Build Regret
Embarking on the exciting journey of building a custom home has been a rewarding yet challenging experience. One significant decision that influenced our project was opting to work with in-house designers provided by our builder's company instead of hiring a designer whose tastes aligned more closely with ours.
In hindsight, we believe it would have been more personally convenient to choose a single designer from the beginning rather than working with multiple ones provided by the builder. While we love the evolving look of our home, we had anticipated more assistance in giving each room a unique personality and ensuring no details were overlooked.
Choosing in-house designers initially appeared as a logical decision, promising seamless integration into our overall project. However, unforeseen challenges surfaced with the unexpected turnover of designers within the company. Each transition brought the need to repeatedly explain our taste and vision, introducing an unforeseen level of complexity to the design process. Despite the undeniable expertise of the designers, the shared attention across various clients presented a hurdle in fully grasping the nuances of our personal style. This, unfortunately, resulted in certain details slipping through the cracks, putting the responsibility on us to identify them – a scenario we never anticipated when starting the project.
In contrast, the independent designers we selected to complement our home's interior with furnishings understand our taste intimately. Despite managing other projects, they prioritize us, ensuring streamlined communication and unwavering commitment to understanding our preferences. Our regret lies in not recognizing the importance of a more personalized touch in the design process, as the turnover and divided attention among in-house designers created unnecessary stress and additional work for us. On the other hand, the external designers we chose for furnishings provide a level of commitment and understanding that elevates the entire design process.
This experience offers a valuable lesson for those embarking on the custom home-building journey. Carefully consider the choice of designers, weighing the convenience of in-house options against the benefits of hiring professionals with a more personalized approach. While we acknowledge that a personalized experience is possible with in-house designers, our unique journey emphasizes the importance of working with designers who prioritize and understand your vision, turning the building process into a more fulfilling and satisfying experience. I want to express our deep appreciation for our builder, project manager, and the designers we've had the pleasure of working with. The turnover of designers was unexpected, and no one could have anticipated it, but in the end, it became an integral part of our unique experience.
