2. Flexible Schedules
Working with an A+ rated design build firm three years ago, it was customary to have to wait up to six months to get your project started. With today’s larger available labor force, scheduling is more open and flexible for most remodelers. You should be able to get your whole home remodel done more quickly and at just the right time of year that works for you.

3. Homeowner Attitudes
A renewed focus on value and quality has homeowners making different choices when it comes to a whole home remodel. They are reevaluating the relative value of working with an architect and a series of contractors vs. working with a “one-stop” design build firm. Many are also seeing the advantage in adding square footage to their homes now while costs are lower, instead of just upgrading a kitchen or living area.

4. Quality Survives
The downturn in the economy has weeded out most of the poor performing contractors. The good, strong ones have for the most part survived. Your chances of finding an excellent quality contractor to work with are higher now than they were a few years ago. Still, you should always do your homework. Make sure you thoroughly research a design build firm before you sign a contract. Look for companies that offer educational seminars where you can meet the team in person. Clear and compelling information on their website, along with a portfolio of work you find appealing, is also essential. Always get (and check!) references from past clients who had similar work done by the firm.

Do a little research and you will find that there is incredible value to be had right now when considering a whole home remodel!

Before you meet with your designer to talk color, it’s a good idea to do some research on your own to find inspiration and ideas. Here are some places to start:

Benjamin Moore: Personal Color Viewer
This interactive tool is a fun way to experiment with color and visualize what different hues will look like in your home. Choose from an array of room photos and then instantly apply color from hundreds of swatch choices.

HGTV Designers’ Portfolio
There’s a lot of great content on the HGTV site when you are planning your whole home remodel. We love this particular function, which allows you to browse photos by the color of a room. You’ll find hundreds of inspiring photos in a variety of styles.

Frazee Paints: ColorLife
At the Frazee Paints color chooser page, you will find ColorLife, where you can explore an amazing amount of information about the world of color, including color analyses, trends, design ideas, the “color of the day,” and a virtual decorator (registration required.)

Pratt and Lambert Paints: Personality Quizzes
These simple quizzes (one for the interior and one for the exterior) ask you a series of questions about personal preferences. After you submit your answers, you are given a suggested color palette that “matches” your personality.

Choosing a color palette should be one of the most enjoyable phases of a whole home remodel, but there are so many options it may sometimes seem overwhelming. Take the time to assess your current home’s aesthetic – what do you love and what don’t you love? Do you want a subtle change or something dramatically different? What mood do you want to create in your home? How would you like visitors to describe your home? Do you have important pieces of art or home furnishings that you want to complement with color?

Explore all of the possibilities and open your imagination to the trends and products available today. With your ideas captured and the help of a professional designer, you will create a home where every room welcomes you, your family and guests with color that expresses your personal vision and lifestyle.

1. What is my current lifestyle like and how would I like to change my home to adapt to it?
Life transitions, such as children leaving home for college or new babies on the way are often the impetus for a whole home remodel. Empty nesters may want to consider simplifying their homes by streamlining space planning, or they may decide to add some small luxuries to their environment, such as wine coolers, beer dispensers, or other kitchen and dining upgrades to enhance a higher level of entertaining. Expanding families obviously need more room and may want to think about ways to transform their space to be more child-friendly.

2. What are my short and long term goals and needs for the space?
This is a consideration particularly for those who may be buying a home as an investment and do not plan to stay in the house for a long time. It’s important to plan for both the increase in retail value of your home’s eventual sale and for the enjoyment of the space while you live there.

3. What do I wish I had in my home?
A visit to a friend’s or neighbor’s home can sometimes set us to day dreaming about how our own environment could change. As you consider your own home remodel, think about visits to other people’s homes, especially those that were recently remodeled, and make notes about what you liked and didn’t like about those spaces.

4. What do I absolutely hate about my current home?
Well, “hate” is a strong word, but sometimes it needs to be said! Are you living with a decades-old kitchen that isn’t even ironically stylish? Is your closet space about half what it needs to be? Have you been tolerating a fluorescent recess from the seventies? Remember to catalog these annoyances as you plan for the new home you will love.

5. Do I need more space? If so, how much?
This is where a design professional can really be helpful. Space planning is an essential aspect of a successful whole home remodel. Maybe you need more space, but maybe you just need a better configuration of the space you already have. Working together with a professional designer, you can assess and plan accordingly.

6. How much do I plan to invest?
It is important to be realistic about how much a whole home remodel will cost. Have your checklist prepared from considering and answering the questions above and then talk to your contractor. Together, you can determine if your desires match up realistically with your budget.

A whole home remodel is an exciting project to undertake! Being prepared leads to the best end result.

You Are Invited:
What: Jackson Design & Remodeling Open House
When: June 5th, 1pm to 5pm
Where: Scripps Ranch (address will be provided to those who RSVP)
Wine & Food | Music by Javid & Naoko New Flamenco

RSVP by June 1, 2010
858.356.5410 or 800.861.3103
www.JacksonDesignandRemodeling.com/OpenHouse
All guests can enter to win a Restoration Hardware Gift Card.

If you appreciate innovative home design, you do not want to miss this exclusive event!

1. Consider working with a Landscape Architect. A Registered Landscape Architect helps you achieve visual and functional unity between your home and its natural surroundings. Trained to consider both the artistic and technical aspects of landscape design, landscape architects bring a depth of knowledge and experience to your project that ensures consistency in quality with the rest of your property. If you have invested in your home’s interior, you want to be sure that the exterior does it justice. The quality and aesthetics of your landscaping should preview what a visitor will find upon entering your front door. Working with a professional, you will be able to develop a vision that can then be executed with careful planning.

2. Design for Your Lifestyle: Do you want your outdoor area to be a peaceful oasis where you will spend the majority of time alone or with a few intimate friends? Would you like an environment that is ideally suited to entertaining large parties? Do you plan to do a lot of outdoor cooking and entertaining? Is the level of maintenance important to you? These are good questions to ask yourself as you begin to visualize how you would like your landscaping designed. While your outdoor area is a critical element of your home’s value and appeal, it is ultimately a space where you and your visitors should feel comfortable and relaxed, so think about what really matters to you as you consider the design.

3. Sense and Sensibility: Landscaping requires a delicate balance of the practical and the ideal. Greenery must survive and thrive in your climate and the overall design should be planned to accommodate a  practical level of maintenance. The landscaping design should complement the exterior and interior of your home in structure and aesthetics. Optimum results will capture the essence of the relationship between you, your home and your natural surroundings.

Well-designed landscapes are living works of art that improve with age as they adapt to their environment. Be sure to give as much attention to the outdoor area of your home as you do to the interior, and consider working with a San Diego Landscape Architect to achieve your ideal vision.

1. Expertise: Architects are licensed professionals who have undergone rigorous education, internships and exams. The role of an architect is not just to design buildings. Through the design, the architect must also protect the health, safety and welfare of the general public and the users of the buildings. Therefore, like medical doctors, one must have a license granted by a U.S. state or territory in order to refer to oneself as an “architect.” (source: AIA – American Institute of Architects)

2. Perspective: A home remodel is a complex fusion of planning, design and construction. Architects are able to see the many aspects of a remodel – the homeowner’s needs, space and materials requirements, budgets, timetables and permits – and develop the best possible solutions.

3. Vision: An architect can help you clearly define your project – its scope, features, purpose and functionality – and achieve your goals both functionally and aesthetically. The architectural design discipline includes organizational and technical expertise; it also requires the intangible aspects of emotion, psychology and artistry. Giving the responsibility of designing your new home to a draftsman or design consultant can often lead to inappropriate, inaccurate and uninspired design solutions. An architect helps you express your own very personal vision.

4. Value: Because an architect is able to forecast how new construction ties into your existing home’s structural and technical systems and ensures that construction documents are prepared efficiently and accurately, you avoid any costly mistakes during the transition from concept to reality. Architects are also trained to capture energy savings and improve the overall efficiency of your home. The enduring marketability of good design contributes to your home’s value.

When you work with a design build remodeling firm with architects on staff, you access a team of designers, architects and construction professionals that share the expertise to make your remodel more inspiring and less stressful during every phase. Working with an architect can make the difference between “new” space and “dream” space.

1. Choose Your Remodeler Wisely: The first step is to find a remodeler you can trust. The contractor should be properly licensed and insured, and should be able to provide several references for work similar in scale to what you need. How you feel about the people you meet with also matters quite a bit. Remember, especially with a whole home remodel, you will be working with these people in your home for several months.  You can learn more about what to look for in a contractor here.

2. What About Design and Build?: You may have heard the term “design and build” while researching your whole home remodel. A design and build firm is responsible for both the design and construction of your home. Instead of having to find an architect, a designer, and a construction contractor, you work with just one company. Especially when you are remodeling your entire home, this can be a wise choice that will bring peace of mind as your project progresses. There is plenty to think about and take care of during your whole home remodel – the last thing you want to be doing is handling multiple contacts and contracts.

3. Know What You Want: When you’re remodeling your whole home, it’s vital that the elements all work together, and fit with your existing structure. You probably have some ideas about how you want your new home to function and look. Get your thoughts down on paper, gather some examples from home magazines, and let your contractor know what you want before you get started. Working with a contractor who has a design team on staff can be very helpful in this area.

4. Understand How Much a Whole Home Remodel Costs: A whole home remodel is a major undertaking. This is not the time to shop on price alone – you’re looking for reliability and proven skills. But, you also want to get good value for your investment. If you are getting comparison bids and they vary significantly, ask questions and take a closer look. If the parameters have been established correctly, prices should not be that different. Make sure that the bid includes everything that will be required for your remodel – from start to finish – and ask questions about how the contractor will handle any unanticipated changes during the remodel.

5. Be Patient: There’s no avoiding the fact that a major project like a whole home remodel take time. Be prepared, and depending on the level of construction involved, think about the option of living somewhere else while your home is being remodeled.

6. Have Fun and Enjoy the Process! If you have chosen the right contractor and done your homework, the process of remodeling your home really can be stress-free and rewarding. Take time to be creative, enjoy the journey from vision to completion, and learn something new about remodeling along the way.