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Post by hennybutton on Jan 23, 2022 18:58:02 GMT
DH is working with a realtor to get his late parents' house ready to put on the market. After meeting with her, he came home saying our house is a hodgepodge and isn't cohesive. He is correct and I've been trying to tell him that for months.
We remodeled our kitchen this past summer and I started a notebook afterwards of the things we need to do to bring the house up to the 2020s. Frankly, we haven't really invested anything substantial into its interior appearance in about 15 years. DH wants to replace the doors (our house is 50 years old and the doors are original) and baseboards. But, we need to remodel all 3 bathrooms and replace the flooring. I want to redecorate our 4 small bedrooms and we will need to redecorate the master bedroom when we remodel the master bath. And, I want our home to be suited for aging in place since we are now in our sixties.
Needless to say, the scope of what needs to be done is more than I can handle on my own. DH is trying to jump the gun on the doors and baseboards, so he clearly doesn't understand that certain projects need to be done before others.
TLDR is I think we need to hire an interior designer to guide us through the process of making our home more functional an cohesive. Have you ever hired one? How much did you have them do? How did you come up with a budget? How did you find them?
Any advice and guidance would be appreciated.
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Why
Drama Llama
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Post by Why on Jan 23, 2022 19:19:25 GMT
 After pricing repairs and replacements  I found it would be cheaper to just move to a house that had more of what I wanted and needed. That's not much help is it  |
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ckeene
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Feb 16, 2020 13:09:37 GMT
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Post by ckeene on Jan 23, 2022 19:26:54 GMT
Yes, our last house was a fixer upper and we hired a designer because the whole thing was overwhelming. There are designers who do e-design (via zoom) these days, but I don’t know much about it but that it is a much more affordable option. My advice is to search on Instagram for designers in your area who’s aesthetic you like and interview a few of them. You want to make sure they really understand your vision and your priority of aging in place.
We are really opinionated and she was able to combine what we both wanted. We had many ideas going in, but she was amazing in the parts we weren’t so good at (Tile! Why is there so many options for tile?). I know our house wouldn’t have been half as amazing if we had tried it ourselves.
There is definitely an order to things and we learned so much via working with a designer. We’ve moved to a smaller home and feel confident we can tackle this project with what we learned via our experience. But if we can’t, we will reach out to a designer in our new area.
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,630
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Jan 23, 2022 19:30:32 GMT
Only to help with paint colors. It was worth the money to me because I'm challenged in this area.
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Post by mom on Jan 23, 2022 19:33:35 GMT
DH is working with a realtor to get his late parents' house ready to put on the market. After meeting with her, he came home saying our house is a hodgepodge and isn't cohesive. He is correct and I've been trying to tell him that for months. We remodeled our kitchen this past summer and I started a notebook afterwards of the things we need to do to bring the house up to the 2020s. Frankly, we haven't really invested anything substantial into its interior appearance in about 15 years. DH wants to replace the doors (our house is 50 years old and the doors are original) and baseboards. But, we need to remodel all 3 bathrooms and replace the flooring. I want to redecorate our 4 small bedrooms and we will need to redecorate the master bedroom when we remodel the master bath. And, I want our home to be suited for aging in place since we are now in our sixties. Needless to say, the scope of what needs to be done is more than I can handle on my own. DH is trying to jump the gun on the doors and baseboards, so he clearly doesn't understand that certain projects need to be done before others. TLDR is I think we need to hire an interior designer to guide us through the process of making our home more functional an cohesive. Have you ever hired one? How much did you have them do? How did you come up with a budget? How did you find them? Any advice and guidance would be appreciated. I am a designer. To be honest, if you are doing this to resell the home vs you moving into yourself, *I* would not pay for a designer. It won't be cheap (upwards of $50/hr and I get that amount wether I am on site working with a contractor or if I am sitting at home sourcing products). Do you have a friend who would be willing to help you narrow down what you like? Honestly you don't need to redo everything (you won't get all the money back you invest in it) -- you just need to update it enough to sell. 9 times out of 10, when you sell a home the new owners are not going to keep most of the changes you make anyway. I would find an agent that is willing to help you make a detailed list of what needs to be done. They will know what design choices will make the home most valuable. They can also help you find a good contractor that can do the work. As far as budget, you need to only spend what you absolutely have to sell it. Not a dime more so you can maximize profits. Again, your agent can tell you what a good ball park % of the home value that you should be expecting to spend. |
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Post by Delta Dawn on Jan 23, 2022 19:38:22 GMT
We did our kitchen a year ago with a designer. She was awesome and she and I both picked the same things. We both loved the counter tops we chose and decided to paint our fir doors in the kitchen and added 5 more. I love the kitchen. Our designer brought her own staff of carpenters, painters and tiler and they got the job done. Our kitchen is beautiful. We also remodelled two bathrooms by ourselves and they look great. My counter top is very small and I keep an ice maker on it so I don’t have to come upstairs to get water all the time. We are done decorating because we are tired and we love our townhouse.
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Post by hennybutton on Jan 23, 2022 19:38:43 GMT
After pricing repairs and replacements I found it would be cheaper to just move to a house that had more of what I wanted and needed. That's not much help is it My husband keeps saying that. But, in our area there are very few new homes and those are selling for twice as much as we could sell our house for. If we buy a used house, we'd still have to do the same things we need to do to our house. Even a brand new house needs furniture, window coverings, and landscaping. Seriously, we looked at some model homes nearby that statrted at 2.2 million. The had about the same square footage as ours, but 4 bedrooms compared to 5 and no living rooms. The kitchen cabinets seemed to be really cheap, but the salesperson told us those were the upgraded cabinets. I think if we got one of those houses with the finishes shown, they'd be 3 million. Honestly, how does anyone afford buying a house these days? We certainly wouldn't be able to. |
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Post by hennybutton on Jan 23, 2022 19:48:56 GMT
I am a designer. To be honest, if you are doing this to resell the home vs you moving into yourself, *I* would not pay for a designer. It won't be cheap (upwards of $50/hr and I get that amount wether I am on site working with a contractor or if I am sitting at home sourcing products). Do you have a friend who would be willing to help you narrow down what you like? Honestly you don't need to redo everything (you won't get all the money back you invest in it) -- you just need to update it enough to sell. 9 times out of 10, when you sell a home the new owners are not going to keep most of the changes you make anyway. I would find an agent that is willing to help you make a detailed list of what needs to be done. They will know what design choices will make the home most valuable. They can also help you find a good contractor that can do the work. As far as budget, you need to only spend what you absolutely have to sell it. Not a dime more so you can maximize profits. Again, your agent can tell you what a good ball park % of the home value that you should be expecting to spend. We are planning to stay in our house as long as possible. Houses are too expensive here. The house we're selling is DH's parents' house. For that one, the main concern is reducing 55 years worth of cigarette smell out. No remodeling involved. For our house, I'm mostly concerned with functionality. I've got some ideas for the decor, but really need help with the process. I would want the designer to manage the contractors. |
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Post by hennybutton on Jan 23, 2022 19:51:17 GMT
Only to help with paint colors. It was worth the money to me because I'm challenged in this area. I got a color consultation with a designer after we repiped the house 5 years ago. I love the colors we picked. |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jan 23, 2022 20:00:07 GMT
I could write a book on this. Older home (1958) that we've owned for 30 years. We started doing upgrades/remodeling in 2013 (front of house) and 2017 (master bath/bedroom). An interior designer/space planner was used for both of those remodels. 2020 was spent doing landscaping/hardscaping and replacing entire sewer system. In hindsight I would do one of two things: either bulldoze it or sell/move.
My advice is to go through your house with a notebook and write down every little thing that needs to be done, room by room. Look at that list realistically and see what are must haves vs wants. If you are going to put any major money into the house, you need to make sure that the roofing, electrical, plumbing, sewer and windows are up to date. Otherwise you are just putting lipstick on a pig. If you are totally realistic from the get go, you may decide that it's worth moving.
If you decide to go forward (especially if you want to remove walls), then I actually recommend bringing in an architect. Not every interior designer is the best at space planning. Ours was good, but she did have some limitations that have made me regret not bringing in an architect for the planning stages.
We have spent a minor fortune updating all the basics I listed above, as well as remodeling. Yet we are still not completely done. There is a bedroom that needs to be redone (DH's office and probably won't happen for a long time), as well as the old dining room. That will be addressed this year. We also hope to redo one wall of the kitchen to address some space issues that bringing in an architect might have avoided. Whether we do that will depend on cost. It works as is, but is not optimum and won't help with resale. We are still on the fence about retirement so not sure if we will stay here or not. One note I'll make is that we did not cut corners on finishes etc, because we were remodeling to live here vs selling.
Good luck with your decision! If you have any specific questions, please feel free to pm me here.
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Post by mom on Jan 23, 2022 20:01:26 GMT
I am a designer. To be honest, if you are doing this to resell the home vs you moving into yourself, *I* would not pay for a designer. It won't be cheap (upwards of $50/hr and I get that amount wether I am on site working with a contractor or if I am sitting at home sourcing products). Do you have a friend who would be willing to help you narrow down what you like? Honestly you don't need to redo everything (you won't get all the money back you invest in it) -- you just need to update it enough to sell. 9 times out of 10, when you sell a home the new owners are not going to keep most of the changes you make anyway. I would find an agent that is willing to help you make a detailed list of what needs to be done. They will know what design choices will make the home most valuable. They can also help you find a good contractor that can do the work. As far as budget, you need to only spend what you absolutely have to sell it. Not a dime more so you can maximize profits. Again, your agent can tell you what a good ball park % of the home value that you should be expecting to spend. We are planning to stay in our house as long as possible. Houses are too expensive here. The house we're selling is DH's parents' house. For that one, the main concern is reducing 55 years worth of cigarette smell out. No remodeling involved. For our house, I'm mostly concerned with functionality. I've got some ideas for the decor, but really need help with the process. I would want the designer to manage the contractors. Ahh ok. I totally misread your OP and thought you were wanting the designer to help remodel their home and sell it. |
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Post by birdy on Jan 23, 2022 20:05:42 GMT
Yes and no... I've had an interior designer for years. Lucky me - it's my mom!!! At one point, about 20 years ago, we built a home in a very snobby neighborhood. The neighbors were all trying to out do each other. We didn't like the neighborhood and decided to move after 2 years there. Apparently they were all nosey and came through one of our realtors open houses because a few of them remarked how beautifully decorated our home was! So I casually replied, "Yeah, I have an interior decorator." Their jaws hit the floor! It was so fun1
My mom has helped with everything from decorating accessories, paint choices, furniture choices, color schemes, and even a huge gut job of our main level kitchen, dining room and living room where we removed walls and put in other walls.
I've learned a lot from her over the years, but she's still my go to for everything...dont ever trust my own judgement 100%.
They can be pricey (she charges $60 per hour) but they are well worth it!
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by mich5481 on Jan 23, 2022 20:09:13 GMT
The house we're selling is DH's parents' house. For that one, the main concern is reducing 55 years worth of cigarette smell out. No remodeling involved. Good luck with that. When I was house hunting years ago, I didn't even make it into the entry of a former smoker's house before I told the realtor nope. They had repainted, new flooring, cleaned the ducts, etc, and I could still smell the smoke as soon as I opened the front door. |
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Post by ntsf on Jan 23, 2022 20:26:09 GMT
we used one when we remodeled our condo. she really mostly did staging, but the pandemic left her at loose ends. she helped with picking out materials, arranging for art to be hung, design features that were worth it or not.. cause she had been in many many expensive second homes in area.
we are thinking of totally remodeling our old home.. but I am likely to look at a design/build firm, as I am looking at doing foundation and major systems.
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Post by hennybutton on Jan 23, 2022 20:26:35 GMT
The house we're selling is DH's parents' house. For that one, the main concern is reducing 55 years worth of cigarette smell out. No remodeling involved. Good luck with that. When I was house hunting years ago, I didn't even make it into the entry of a former smoker's house before I told the realtor nope. They had repainted, new flooring, cleaned the ducts, etc, and I could still smell the smoke as soon as I opened the front door. I'd be the same way if I were buying a house. |
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sassyangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,456
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Post by sassyangel on Jan 23, 2022 20:41:45 GMT
After pricing repairs and replacements I found it would be cheaper to just move to a house that had more of what I wanted and needed. That's not much help is it Me too. My house was built in 1932. The costs of bringing 90 year old plumbing up to modern standards alone was terrifying.  Cheaper to demo and rebuild, nearly. 🥴 |
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jan 23, 2022 20:43:02 GMT
Word of mouth is always the best way to find someone like this - we used one years ago with very mixed results. She wasn't great at listening and it extremely frustrating as at the time I had two very young kids and some of her ideas were just not practical.
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Post by hennybutton on Jan 23, 2022 20:49:17 GMT
I could write a book on this. Older home (1958) that we've owned for 30 years. We started doing upgrades/remodeling in 2013 (front of house) and 2017 (master bath/bedroom). An interior designer/space planner was used for both of those remodels. 2020 was spent doing landscaping/hardscaping and replacing entire sewer system. In hindsight I would do one of two things: either bulldoze it or sell/move. My advice is to go through your house with a notebook and write down every little thing that needs to be done, room by room. Look at that list realistically and see what are must haves vs wants. If you are going to put any major money into the house, you need to make sure that the roofing, electrical, plumbing, sewer and windows are up to date. Otherwise you are just putting lipstick on a pig. If you are totally realistic from the get go, you may decide that it's worth moving. If you decide to go forward (especially if you want to remove walls), then I actually recommend bringing in an architect. Not every interior designer is the best at space planning. Ours was good, but she did have some limitations that have made me regret not bringing in an architect for the planning stages. We have spent a minor fortune updating all the basics I listed above, as well as remodeling. Yet we are still not completely done. There is a bedroom that needs to be redone (DH's office and probably won't happen for a long time), as well as the old dining room. That will be addressed this year. We also hope to redo one wall of the kitchen to address some space issues that bringing in an architect might have avoided. Whether we do that will depend on cost. It works as is, but is not optimum and won't help with resale. We are still on the fence about retirement so not sure if we will stay here or not. One note I'll make is that we did not cut corners on finishes etc, because we were remodeling to live here vs selling. Good luck with your decision! If you have any specific questions, please feel free to pm me here. We've been pretty diligent about keeping up with the mechanics of the house. We replaced our pipes five years ago, our roof is good, and we replaced the HVAC and tented for termites within the last 18 months. I think our electrical is fine, we never have any trouble with it. I'm sure there will be a few surprises, but probably nothing major. I have a notebook going and have been saving a lot of ideas on Houzz. |
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Post by peasapie on Jan 23, 2022 20:49:26 GMT
My friend is a interior designer, and I feel fortunate that she often helps me.
People find her via Instagram, I believe. Also there are local shops where she has a professional account and who refer her to potential clients. Her clients usually have a sense of what they want, as well as a budget amount, and she tries to work within their budget.
You should look for samples of their work to see if their design style is something that resonates with you. Some people just do better with certain styles, and it’s important to work with someone who matches yours.
I agree you should wait to do any work until you hire someone.
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Gennifer
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,009
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Post by Gennifer on Jan 23, 2022 21:52:50 GMT
I admittedly have absolutely no idea what an interior designer costs, because I’ve never priced one. In my head, it’s in the same realm as flying first class… it would be cool, but it’s not something “regular” people do. So, no, I never have, and I can’t actually think of anyone I know who has. I buy a couch when I need a couch. I repaint when I’m sick of a color and feel like a change. I change up decor and artwork more often. I guess I just figure that, as long as I love something, it will work with other things I love. 🤞🏻🤞🏻 But mom is never invited to my house. 😜 |
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Post by mom on Jan 23, 2022 22:48:12 GMT
I admittedly have absolutely no idea what an interior designer costs, because I’ve never priced one. In my head, it’s in the same realm as flying first class… it would be cool, but it’s not something “regular” people do. So, no, I never have, and I can’t actually think of anyone I know who has. I buy a couch when I need a couch. I repaint when I’m sick of a color and feel like a change. I change up decor and artwork more often. I guess I just figure that, as long as I love something, it will work with other things I love. 🤞🏻🤞🏻 But mom is never invited to my house. 😜 ROFL gee thanks!  |
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Gennifer
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,009
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Post by Gennifer on Jan 23, 2022 23:03:39 GMT
But mom is never invited to my house. 😜 ROFL gee thanks! Girl, I don’t need a pro looking at my hot mess! We’ll hang at a restaurant. 😘 |
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Post by mom on Jan 23, 2022 23:05:06 GMT
ROFL gee thanks!  Girl, I don’t need a pro looking at my hot mess! We’ll hang at a restaurant. 😘 Whatever. I have seen your Instagram and your house is fabulous! You've got a great eye. |
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Post by hennybutton on Jan 23, 2022 23:09:21 GMT
I admittedly have absolutely no idea what an interior designer costs, because I’ve never priced one. In my head, it’s in the same realm as flying first class… it would be cool, but it’s not something “regular” people do. So, no, I never have, and I can’t actually think of anyone I know who has. I buy a couch when I need a couch. I repaint when I’m sick of a color and feel like a change. I change up decor and artwork more often. I guess I just figure that, as long as I love something, it will work with other things I love. 🤞🏻🤞🏻 But mom is never invited to my house. 😜 If all I wass doing was decorating, I'd be fine. I've always done pretty much what you do for the past 30 years. We've remodeled our kitchen twice and our bathrooms once just using contractors and picking out the materials ourselves. But what we want to do now will involve some space planning aand some structural work. There's a lot of moving pieces. I think we need a designer now to help us prioritize and to help us with our budget. From what I've researched so far, it seems like the process is a lot like you see on "Love It ot List It" on HGTV. On that show, the homeowners give the designer a budget and list of what they want done in their home. She lets them know how much of their wishlist the budget will cover. If some unforeseen expense comes up, she asks the homeowners to reasses their priorities and/or add to the budget. That's what I need. |
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Deleted
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Jun 2, 2024 7:52:07 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2022 23:19:24 GMT
The house we're selling is DH's parents' house. For that one, the main concern is reducing 55 years worth of cigarette smell out. No remodeling involved. Good luck with that. When I was house hunting years ago, I didn't even make it into the entry of a former smoker's house before I told the realtor nope. They had repainted, new flooring, cleaned the ducts, etc, and I could still smell the smoke as soon as I opened the front door. Yes, lots of killz primer, activated charcoal, and scrubbing. |
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Post by 950nancy on Jan 23, 2022 23:49:06 GMT
When we put our house up for sale, we had a consultant come in to help us declutter (decrap?) the house for pictures. That is as close as we've gotten to an interior designer. We are currently in the process of a 20' x 20' kitchen redo and a designer might have been nice, but I am really particular about not having certain things that are popular right now. I am open to different looks and colors, and I feel like I can find my happy on my own (and take into consideration DH's ideas too). It probably just takes a lot longer to do it on my own. I guess it really doesn't matter too much, because just waiting for cabinets to be manufactured is now 16+ weeks.
I'd say if you have more money than time, a designer would be awesome to try out though.
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mlana
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by mlana on Jan 23, 2022 23:49:36 GMT
Years ago,in our previous home, we had a Home Depot designer come to the house and help me figure out what I wanted to do in regards to window coverings and paint/wallpaper. There was no charge if we bought a certain amount of product from HD within a certain time frame, which we did. The designer’s advice was great, and the tips and tricks she shared were pure gold.
For example, she suggested we paint with tinted Shieldz before wallpapering, to both give us a background that wouldn’t show tur the wallpaper and to make removal easy. Ten years later, the wallpaper was still firmly attached when we decided to repaint the house prior to selling. We followed the directions for removing it -lift one of the top layer corners, remove the vinyl layer, wet the paper under layer and peel it off - and it was SOOOeasy. we actually didn’t have to repaint at all as the paint beneath the wallpaper was in excellent condition.
But, I had a friend who remodeled an older home. Her husband refused to hire a decorator to help them layout the kitchen or laundry room,or to set the order of when certain tasks were done.As a result, she ended up with cabinets she couldn’t open fully, no room around her dryer for folding clothes, and she had to repaint an area 3 times as it got damaged each more supplies were brought in. Her master closet was also a huge mess that did not work at all.
Her one request, a large soaking tub, didn’t happen as her husband made the shower, his preferred water source, too large.
It took her 5 years and an bathroom addition, before everything was fixed to her specifications. She did hire a designer to get everything done that time.
So, yes,I would hire a designer and consider it $$ well spent.
Marcy
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Post by 950nancy on Jan 23, 2022 23:51:56 GMT
Good luck with that. When I was house hunting years ago, I didn't even make it into the entry of a former smoker's house before I told the realtor nope. They had repainted, new flooring, cleaned the ducts, etc, and I could still smell the smoke as soon as I opened the front door. Yes, lots of killz primer, activated charcoal, and scrubbing. I was videoing our first walk through of the house we purchased and my husband walked in and said, "Oh, this smells like old people." It was all wood floors, so it must have been the furniture/window coverings that they rented because when we did the final walk-through before we closed the smell was gone. Cigarette smoke would have a big nope. I can't stand the smell of that or perfume. It gives me a headache. |
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janeinbama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,176
Location: Alabama
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Post by janeinbama on Jan 24, 2022 1:36:07 GMT
Yes, I have used the same designer the last 15 years in 2 different houses. She will do all or just pick out paint colors. It helps me to confirm what I would "think" I want. I love it towards the end of the project when she brings her step ladder, tool belt and tape measure to hang pictures. Good Luck with your future projects.
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Jan 24, 2022 3:43:11 GMT
I never have, nor would I, because I don't like a perfectly put together room or home.
My style is more casual, romantic, cute, eclectic, mix and match colors and patterns....with a tiny bit of industrial.
I prefer to decorate and make my home my own style and reflective of me.
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