BEHIND THE SCENES OF HOME IMPROVEMENT SHOWS
We can all picture the scene. We’ve watched the home renovation happening throughout the show and now it is the the final big reveal. The featured family walk into the room and cry / gasp / are overwhelmed by the splendour of the perfectly styled home with everything they dreamed of perfectly in place. There are often tears of joy, much hugging of the TV presenter and a general feeling of elation that their home has been transformed.
It's as if they have not seen the project as its been evolving, like they did not know what any of it was going to look like. Is this really how it works? Do you meet your designer once, they say hi and then the finished home is revealed to you?
Of course not. That is TV, not real life. Let’s dispel some myths!
MYTH 1 : THE BIG REVEAL!
Let's be clear about the 'surprise' element we see on TV makeover shows and state it is absolutely not the reality of working with an Interior Designer. We aim to make every day you spend in your new home exciting and magical, not just the first time you see it. You will have been working with us through our process for many months before we are at the build stage. You will have gone through several of our phases and will have signed off and approved every element of the layout and design.
First we will have worked through our Spatial Planning phase with you, working out the best layout and furniture placements for your home. This stage ensures every inch of space 'works hard' for you and that each room has a purpose and a function.
Next we will work on the Design Phase which starts with a fun and informative style meeting with you to really get to know what makes you happy. To bring our ideas to life you will have seen visuals, samples and mood-boards. Sometimes we even go and try out some of the bigger ticket items for you to find the perfect squishiness of sofa.
Now it's time to get into the details. We do all Technical Design work. Detailing all joinery, electrics, plumbing, soft furnishings, building, glazing, tiling.....you name it we will have created a set of instructions and pricing for every single element of the build. The last thing we need are surprises once the build starts, so we make clear plans.
We are ready to go now, right? Let's get building! Not quite. What is it they say? 'Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance', well we took note. We make sure we have managed all procurement before the team start so there are no missing items or delays causing the schedule to slip. We order everything and have it stored in our warehouse to keep the site clear and the job on track.
Back to that 'surprise' element of the TV show. As much as it makes good TV it simply is not the reality.
We do however like to make sure there is some element of reveal - its the fun part! While we are Staging & Styling we ask you to leave us to it, and we give you just a touch of TV magic when you return to see your perfectly styled space for the first time.
MYTH #2: TRADES ARE ALL THERE TOGETHER RUSHING TO FINISH
In TV world, before the big reveal we see the build team all running around each other until who knows what time in the morning to 'get this project done'. They are working to a forced timeline for when the homeowners get back from their weekend break / holiday / time in hospital. It adds drama and it is fun to watch as the decorator clears away the dust sheet and runs out of the back door just as the owner opens the front door... but it is 100% not real!
So, what happens in the real world? There is an enormous amount of prep time long before the team are on site, and that level of preparation is true for the on site team too. There are so many different trades and specialities involved in your renovation and they all need a plan of action, and a realistic schedule. A typical job includes:
Decoration | Window Treatment | Upholstery | Flooring | Stonemasonry | General Build | Electrics | Plumbing | Joinery | Carpentry | Tiling | Glazing | Soft Furnishings | Furniture Suppliers | AND OFTEN MORE!
Organising all of these people to have their products ready for installation at the correct time for the project plan involves a huge amount of preparation and communication between all parties. The crew size you see on TV is certainly not unrealistic. There are many hands involved in making the designs we have created come to life, but they are absolutely not all there on the last day, finishing all their work in a cramped and stressful building site as you walk in the front door.
Instead, what you will find, is there are usually a small dedicated team on site working to the overall project schedule. They will be working their usual business hours with overtime here and there as the project needs it. The site manager is overseeing it all and making sure each team have finished their task on time and the job is ready for the next team to start.
Let’s take a simple kitchen Peninsula as an example:
The general builder marks out the room and makes sure position of the island is correct and any drainage / ventilation tracks and routes are in place.
The kitchen manufacturer delivers the units.
The marked out position is checked with rough unit placement by the joinery team & site manager checks technical drawings and refines any positions if required.
The plumbing team route & fit the water supply and drainage for the dishwasher / sink / taps / boiling water taps.
The electrical team fit the correct voltage feeds to the correct position for the dishwasher / hob / boiling water tap / sockets / over island lighting.
The joinery team fit the units in place, whilst doing so they are checking that everything from stages 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 are correct and work with the units in place (if not, we go back through the phases to fix it before moving on).
The stonemason visits and takes a template with units in place confirming all cut outs and holes for sinks / hobs / taps / socket boxes etc....
The joiner continues and fits finishings and kitchen details whilst stone is being manufactured.
Stone fitter returns and fits the templated stone.
Plumber returns and fits the dishwasher/sink/taps/boiling water taps.
Decorator arrives and decorates the room.
Electrician returns and fits all sockets / appliances / lighting.
Joiner returns and makes all adjustments to mechanisms, straightens all doors, adds soft close mechanisms to drawers etc…
All teams return and complete any snagging flagged by site manager.
Interior design team arrive and stage and style.
This example is played out hundreds of times through your home with each specialism coming in to complete their part of the job. It is like a huge domino effect with each part needing the one before and the one after to work for the big reveal at the end.
I realise this perhaps isn't as exciting as those TV shows, but honestly, I am certain as soon as the film crew leave, the kitchen doors fall straight off. The work we are doing for you is not for TV, it is for your real life, so we make sure it is done properly and it is work that will last and last for years to come.
MYTH #3: A TINY BUDGET CAN ACHIEVE BIG THINGS
Now to bust another myth, and one that really is a bugbear of mine - the money.
TV shows like to be relatable and so they make sure the costs sound achievable. To do this they do not include the charges for the labour or specialist fees. When they share the project budget of say £30,000 that would be just to buy the fitted furniture and NOT create the room you are seeing. It is so misleading to do this, it makes us as a profession look like we are hugely expensive, but we are in fact just realistic.
We often joke with our clients that they will need to take a deep breath and grab a glass of wine before taking a look at the costed out project estimate. Mostly this is because the media has told them they can build an entire two story extension and kit it out for £20K, but it is also because if you have ever embarked on a project yourself you will not have costed up every single element in one scary chart! Yes you'd have perhaps tallied up the builders cost plus the kitchen, but you probably didn't then add the cost for the paint, cutlery, vases, flowers fruit bowls, chopping boards etc. They would just be sundries you would buy when you were out shopping.
Our estimates are just as detailed as the technical drawings and designs we do. We include everything, the boring stuff you may forget is costed up. If you are tiling a wall you'll need grout, fitting a beautiful chandelier you'll need light bulbs. The number will indeed look scary, but it is realistic. It is based on a quality finish and based on years of experience knowing that you need the sundry items to make the spaces work. A door with no hinges just doesn't cut it!
This is not to say the estimate is not malleable, there is always a way to make budgets stretch. We will work with you to chat through some options to decide where you want to spend and where you want to save. To some people the designer switches and sockets are much more important than the dovetail jointed handmade cabinetry or vice versa. We're here to make sure the design isn't impacted negatively and to guide and help you achieve your perfect home and sense of quiet luxury. After all, we live in the real world where budget is a defining factor.
I hope I have not ruined the magic of watching TV makeover shows for you. I have to admit is is a guilty pleasure of mine and I am forever shouting at the TV whilst watching a design unfold.
If you are starting to think about your project and are not sure how to go about it, when to get us involved or how long it will take, the best thing to do is to get an understanding of how things work, approximate timescales and investment levels. We have seen many renovations over the years and just as you'd pop to the dentist if you had an issue with your teeth you should do the same with us for your home.
If you would like some expert guidance designing and building your home, we would love to help. Reach out and let's get to know each other.
Until next time,
