Progress is Slow

Turns out the new opening I am adding to the dining room from the new kitchen is going through a bearing wall and in a part that is a sheer wall. This means that in addition to the wall supporting weight, there are panels that were added that protect the structure from the effects of wind and earthquake loads on the structure.  Probably explains why there wasn’t a doorway in that location in the first place…. And justifies my reason for wanting to put one there.  To me the additional cost is worth making the space much more functional.

So it looks like there will be added costs for the work of a structural engineer in order to get my plans permitted. Fortunately because the house is fairly new, the original engineer for the property was located and will be making the drawings and instructions to the builders which eliminates some costs and exploratory work that may have been necessary for an older structure.

Not surprising –this is going to add at least a week to two weeks to my timeline.

In the meantime, I’ve created some renderings of what I hope the end result will resemble.

Ready, Set….. Wait

How timely were recent posts on http://www.houzz.com/ (a very inspirational web magazine I’ve come to enjoy weekly).  One was titled Tell Us: Why Did You Fall in Love With Your House?.  The first thing that came to my mind regarding our home was “the possiblilities.”  The second was Staying Put: How to Improve the Home You Have.  That is exactly my plan.

I’ve been preparing over the past year for a remodel to the house we’ve just purchased.  Our intention (I should say my intention –because my husband is completely content with things just the way they are) was always to remodel the kitchen since day one.  I recently had a refrigerator guy over for some warranty repair work to whom I mentioned we were remodeling the kitchen… Like my husband, he commented:  ”Well what’s wrong with this kitchen?  It seems perfectly nice!”  Well on the outside I suppose it does… from the too-tall counter tops clad with chipping granite tiles, to the lovely (birch?) builder-grade cabinets with totally inaccessible blind corner cabinets and a layout that works for nobody… Yes I suppose I could live with this designer’s nightmare if I had to.  But FINALLY –I don’t!

We bought a nearly new house with good bones and decent curb appeal so that we could be confident that money would be available to put towards the remodel instead of making repairs.

The primary remodel plan is for my dream kitchen.  Because… after all I am a kitchen designer.  Over my adult years (of which there are many!) I have designed countless spaces and dream kitchens for other people.  But for whatever reason, my own dreams were always delegated to the back burner.  In time I came to feel the best way for plans NOT to come to fruition was to put a design on paper.  That’s as far as I got.  Beautiful designs and renderings of the spaces I occupied but never got the chance to build either due to finances or life situations that made it impossible.

So now the time has come. The plans are on the paper and low and behold –my dreams have not been squashed once again.  In fact, the plans are at the city planning department awaiting whatever demands to make changes and adjustments said planning department will impose in order to grant me a building permit.

In the meantime, I’ve been turning the internet inside out searching and finding ungodly deals on appliances and fixtures.  There are many sources out there if you spend the time looking.  I’ve found all of the appliances at greatly discounted prices. Most are new but  some were floor model and ‘open box’ items from surplus wholesalers.  Some are without a full year’s warranty as they were registered with the manufacturer by stores that put them on display, but never used… others will have the full year’s warranty.  Some are simply ‘last year’s model’ but are perfect in every other way. None are “scratch and dents” but are new and functioning perfectly.  All in all, I’ve managed to save almost 44 percent on the appliance package over retail!  In the end, the overall project is predicted to be about 48 percent less than “retail” …at least that’s how it looks on my spreadsheet. Ok… that’s how I’m selling it to my husband anyway.  I have high hopes that we will stay pretty close to budget.   (Yeah I know –Doesn’t everybody?!)

Not everything is discounted, but I’ve spent some money in some areas on a few things I just had to have.  Like the pendant lights that are made from antique seltzer bottles and the antiqued and embossed metal tiles (like those that go in a Victorian tin ceiling) that will be the back splash.  I’ve had some discussions with my cabinet guy about some of my ‘extravagant’ choices as well.

I should note that over the many years of dreaming and planning –my ideas have changed.  A lot.  I’m a different person than I was in my 20′s, 30′s and –well let’s not get into counting decades. Technology has had a great influence on my choices as has the economy.   This remodel (that involves about a third of the nearly 2000 square feet of living space) is going to cost (even at the “value engineered” price) about double the purchase price of my entire first house!

Even over the year of planning this remodel, I’ve made huge changes to the plans.  We were originally going to add on, but realized quickly that our budget wouldn’t support it and… like the plan reviewer at the planning department noted:  ”This looks like you are empty nesters.”  Yes indeed,  we need better use of the space we have.  Not more of it.

We’re not quite empty nesters yet, but that’s just a matter of time.  We still have one more bedroom than we need that’s going to be turned into a hobby-laundry room.  The new gourmet kitchen will be way overbuilt for the neighborhood.  Probably not a great idea if increasing the resale value of the home were the primary goal.  But it’s not.  This is intended to be our last house… last move.  FOREVER.

So it looks like we’ll be ordering cabinets next week which should arrive in about six weeks.     The permit should be issued anywhere from three to five weeks.  My contractor should be ready to start work in about five weeks.  Except for the (2) garbage disposals all of the appliances and fixtures have been purchased. We will be without a kitchen for about a month.

In the meantime –I’m trying really hard not to second guess my choices or my plan.  We designers are a pain in the ass to work with when it comes to making changes.  Knowing this, I’m trying really hard to be on my best behavior.  My good friend and contractor Dave will be certain to put me in my place if I get out of line.

I’ll post befores and afters on the progress of the remodel once we get started.  But now?  We wait…

Dear Cabinet Dealer

I’ve heard a lot of debate lately on blog sites and trade magazines like LinkedIn, K+BB and KBDN over whether to charge clients retainers and design fees or not. It seems that in this economy, many cabinet dealerships do not do so because they are afraid of loosing projects to competitors who don’t. Even worse, competitors are willing to reimburse clients for the retainers you’ve charged just to steal their business (and your plans) away.

Whether you choose to openly charge clients directly for design or bury the costs in product prices, design expenses are being addressed somewhere in order to make your business profitable. Like it or not, design is a key component in the process of selling cabinetry and it is a cost of doing business that can’t be ignored.  Should you choose not to address design expense with your clients, you can expect the following:

1. The quote for your cabinets will likely be higher than those of your competitors who separate design and product quotes. Clients are “shopping” more than ever before due to the economy and internet savvy. Clients do not just “know” when your quote for cabinets includes the cost of doing business and the competitive quote is just for product because you haven’t spelled it out.
2. Your closing ratio will be significantly diminished because clients have no vested interest in the design process and will happily take your drawings and quotes to competitors. When you don’t charge for design, it sends a message that it is without value. So why should they respect your work or that of your design staff? You don’t.
3. You will have difficulty maintaining design staff, particularly those who are “commission only” because they will be spinning their wheels creating designs and quotes just to see them go to the competition. If they are salaried, you will have little justification to keep them employed when they can’t close sales.
4. Your company’s reputation suffers when your focus is entirely on the bottom line and not the quality of your services. If you are not giving sufficient care to the very-detailed process of designing kitchens and baths, you can expect the eventual backlash from mistakes. Clients are more likely to share their bad experiences than good ones with everyone they know.

So if you are not currently charging a retainer or design fee but would like to give it a try, how do you determine what to charge? There are a few ways:

1. Do a little market research and see what and how others are charging in your market area.  Attend a local NKBA meeting (you don’t have to be a member to attend, but it cost a little more) and ask some of the other attendees.  You might also join some social network sites like LinkedIn and Facebook or user’s group sites like those available for 20-20 Design, Chief Architect’s “Chieftalk” or Google Sketchup where there are several discussions among industry colleagues on the topic.
2. Determine your actual design expense. If you’ve been in business for awhile, you’ll have some basis to determine the average time it takes to create the design and quote –including time spent at measuring appointments, at the drawing table or computer drafting plans (which might include outsourcing design services to someone like me), materials and resources used to create presentations, etc. Don’t forget to estimate typical change orders within the design process from the initial presentation to the time an order gets placed.
3. Decide which process will work best for your business model. There are several ways to charge retainers or design fees. Some charge a flat fee, some charge a percentage of the estimated price of the project and others use a sliding scale that is relative to the size of the project. Some fees are based on the relationship with the client such as might be differentiated between builders with whom they’ve built a relationship with and homeowners that they expect to work with one time only. You might discover that design is not just a cost of doing business but might actually be a profit center.

How do you protect your work from going to your competitors? In this highly competitive marketplace, you need to ensure your work is not compromised even when clients are paying you a retainer or design fee. Along with charging fees, there are usually agreements created with verbiage that is intended to prohibit clients from sharing your work with competitors. This is not to be confused with intellectual property rights for designers which are implied. Even so, most people are not aware of such laws and assume that once they have your paperwork in their hands it’s theirs to do with as they wish. It’s easy for clients to overlook the small print and give your drawings and quotes to competitors –especially when they are offering to pay for them. So it is necessary to determine a deposit on the retainer that should be collected before any work is done or any drawings or quotes are given out. This deposit should be large enough to make ‘selling’ your work prohibitive.

While collecting a deposit might scare off some potential clients, you will ultimately find that it is a great “qualifying tool.” By eliminating or reducing time spent with look y-loos, you and your staff will have the extra time and resources you need to concentrate on developing new business, supervise existing projects, and taking care of your existing clients. Thus, you can ensure greater attention to details and eliminate costly mistakes, wasted time and resources.

Now is the perfect time to kick off the New Year with a way of doing business that is profitable and rewarding. Start taking a serious look at your design services. Si se puede!

Change Is In The Air

As summer has faded into fall, there is a chill in the air –even here in the Central California coast area– signifying a time for change. As 2011 nears it’s close, I’ve decided it’s the time to revamp my virtual showroom and begin anew with the launch of my new and improved website: http://pamdesigns.net/.

PamDesigns is still a kitchen and bath design service and the web address is still the same. The look is updated to show my more recent work and has been moved to WordPress.com. to incorporate this blog. My business model has changed also. I’ve narrowed the scope of the service offering to modular cabinet dealers only. I’ve also changed the way I charge to a “box count” system from the “linear foot” system I used in the past. The intent is to make it easier for those who will be using the service as it is geared toward modular cabinetry.

So stop by http://pamdesigns.net/ and have a look. I’m still tweaking a few things (or rather my web designer Jason is) so be aware there are still some updates to be made. But generally, the new and improved PamDesigns.net is live and ready to go!

Missoni Madness at Target

When I opened up Facebook for the first time yesterday, the first 10 or so posts I read were all about Missoni for Target.  Yesterday morning crowds were lined up around the block at Target stores across the country (even in my little town) to purchase Missoni items.  Yes I’d seen the Target commercials of the over-the-top op art flowers and zig-zag patterns everywhere.  Actually, the first thing that came to my mind were the 1970′s polyester pantsuits (pimpwear for men), hand crocheted afghans my mom made,  avocado refrigerators, orange shag carpet and Ford Pintos.  Pllllleeeeaase don’t make me go back! (Not one of my favorite decades.) I thought maybe, just maybe, the era was put to rest when Mike Myers’ Austin Powers made us cringe and laugh out loud in the 90′s, but OOOOh no.  We apparently loved it all the more. 

So what is the attraction here? Is it the sexy Italian name that sounds like an expensive sports car? Is it the bright colors and geometric patterns?  The retro appeal?  The Target prices vs. runway fashions that look nearly the same as those from Milan that line the racks of Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus?

Well I have to admit looking at the Missoni Home Collection, there is a  fresh new sophisticated look that is more in tune with our current aesthetic…. What was it Sarah Reep said at KBIS about what appeals to Gen Y?  Traditional with a modern kick… Not their mom’s traditional.  Oh who am I kidding? Nobody… It’s the price!  We’re in a recession people.

I did as I Tweeted that I was going to do… went to my local Target here in Santa Maria, California.  We’re pretty ‘small town’ but even our shelves are bare the day after the NEW Black Friday (as coined this morning on The Today Show).  The only remaining items seemed to be garments in the children’s and tween’s sections.  Surprising to me because these fashions looked as though they would appeal most to that group… who seriously need to work on their lobbying skills with the parents.  I have to say, Target is not the cheapest source for ANYTHING when compared to other discount department stores, though when you look at the “original” Missoni –where a dress can easily retail for $1,500  –forty bucks at Target seems frivolous… that is unless you’re 12 I guess.  I did think there was a clear difference between the two Missoni dresses worn on the Today Show this morning… The Target version looked cheaper to me.

Still, this overnight purchasing explosion of the line both at all of Target’s stores and its online store is a phenomenon not seen before.  Unless you are living in a cave, you know that their website was so overwhelmed with hits that it crashed… big time.  So is it that everybody just wants a “Missoni thing?”

I believe it is a sign of our times and a really, really good marketing strategy by Team Target and Missoni.  When you add up a few other “never befores,” it just makes sense.  Never before in the history of bad economies have those who are not wealthy had the same access that is instantaneous and far-reaching as the wealthy… via the internet… for quick online, impulsive purchasing.  This probably explains the postings on ebay and Craigslist across the nation that are expanding exponentially…. for Missoni items purchased at Target.  What is odd is that they are being listed for as much as three times their original list price. Much of these items were purchased by resellers with this original intention… though many others joined this group when they discovered the value of their newly purchased treasures.  Why not sell a back pack you just paid $39 for $150… on Craigslist for free.  This bike was listed on Craigslist for $1,500 (I read in a Chicago Tribune article).

Target’s Missoni Line is a limited time offer… We don’t even know if they will be restocking their shelves for the holidays.  Considering the massive success of this sales campaign… well it’s anybody’s guess.  They wouldn’t say when asked on the Today Show.

I’m still convinced much has to do with timing and the economy.  Target has collaborated with other high-end design houses without noticeable success.  Martha Stewart has become a household name in connection with her lines sold with K-Mart, Sears and the Home Depot…  Though I’ve never heard of people lining up around the block to get a can of paint from Depot or a set of sheets from K-Mart.

So what do you think?  Do you (did you) like Missoni knits and fashions?  Historically, famous for their fabrics and fashions, they are now making everything from hair clips to bicycles, throw pillows to skimpy lingerie.  Perhaps that is ONE of the keys to their success with Target… Their signature designs are on samplings of everything –small and large, for every age and gender demographic.

Is this a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon in the world of retail marketing, or is it the wave of the future?  Time will tell.

Eugene Tour Of Homes

I just returned from a week and a half vacation to Oregon where I visited friends and family in Eugene.  I also had the opportunity to attend the annual Eugene Tour of Homes that is without question the best real estate tour I’ve ever found.  While many things have changed in the town I called home for more than ten years while I attended college and beginning my career as an interior designer, the tour has remained a consistent mainstay of the area.  It’s always been free to attend and I’m guessing always will be even though some of the homes are exquisitely decorated and staged.

There aren’t as many homes on the tour as there once was –clearly a reflection of the economy.  Though I was not disappointed in what I saw as there were beautiful examples of design details and quality that I’ve come to expect over the years.  As in years past there were homes that ranged from moderate priced starter homes to exclusive custom fantasy estates.  There were single family homes and townhouses. All are new construction.

I had the opportunity to meet my long-time Twitter friend, Jordan Iverson, who is a design-build contractor and realtor there and had two lovely projects on display.  One was a custom home on acreage in the south hills of Eugene and the other was a townhouse near the downtown core and UO Campus.  Clearly aimed at the Gen Y demographic, these homes were cutting-edge modern.  

In Sync With Your Kitchen Sink?

If you’re overdue for a new one –in fact the whole darn kitchen is in need of updating– I’ve got the scoop on just about everything you’ll want to know (NEED to know) about the process for remodeling it.  Today is launch day for Kelly’s Kitchen Sync a new book written by my friend and fellow “Blogger 19″ buddy Kelly Morisseau.  This well-written book is an easy read (only 210 pages) containing all sorts of insider information about the processes, budgeting, pitfalls, products –yes and even the joy and satisfaction– that can result in a well-planned and executed kitchen remodel.  Having read the book from cover to cover, I couldn’t think of anything she left out.  However, this is not the type of book you really read from beginning to end because you’ll be drawn to the parts that relate to the stage that your project is in at the moment–though you’ll want to once you get started because there isn’t one part of your project that she doesn’t have relative information for.  Hopefully you don’t read a resolution to a mistake that’s already been made!

If this is so, it’s probably because you got started on your remodel long before this book came out and you have a team of professionals that also haven’t read this book yet.  This is not to say that there aren’t a whole slew of great professionals at your disposal, but I (being one of them) learned a great deal from reading Kelly’s book.  Kelly has more experience in the field of kitchen and bath design than any person I know as she is a second-generation designer who grew up with it before beginning a career that has spanned 25 years of professional practice.  She has attained the highest certification available by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) as a “Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer”, and she has also earned professional certification for the State of California as a “Certified Interior Designer.”  Neither of these designations come without a whole lot of book learnin’ and experience. So I guess you could say that “This girl knows her stuff!” is an understatement.  Qualifications not withstanding, Kelly has written the book with humor, and thoughtful light heartedness that is a reflection of her personality and character.  (More reasons that define the readability of this book.)

There are many, many topics in the book that will give you a basis for discussion (even if after the fact) with your “project team” (designer, contractor, countertop fabricator, tile guy, appliance dealer, and spouse) regarding the planning, details, costs, project team and products you will use or have used in your project.  Even if you are just at the ‘dreaming’ stage, Kelly has offered a great deal of insight into what you can glean from the myriad of resources that are available to the consumer today including the internet, design and DIY shows on cable, showrooms, and well-meaning friends and relatives who want to share their advice and experiences.

This is the book I hope every client I ever have will read (and every client I’ve ever had could have read) before embarking on a project.  I’m a strong believer that the best client is the one that is informed.  But getting the right information is tough these days with so much out there that misses the mark or is misleading.  My dad always said:  “Don’t believe everything you see on TV.”  Well multiply that a hundred fold nowadays with the internet, cable TV and glossy magazines that bend the truth to meet their objectives.

So join me at Kelly’s virtual book launch party at http://kitchensync.typepad.com/ where you can follow her blog and keep up-to-date with the latest kitchen and bath info as well as other musing that pass below her radar. (She’s also introduced me to the world of Steam Punk –but that’s another story.)  Kelly’s Kitchen Sync is just $19.95 –an investment that could save you thousands in do-overs and mistakes.  It will only be available online at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Kellys-Kitchen-Sync-remodeling-award-winning/dp/0982873204/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307666959&sr=1-1, Barnes and Noble, Borders, and Chapters in Canada.  I’ve come to know Kelly.  She’s the real deal.  When she’s not off writing books and blogs or judging design competitions, she actually designs real kitchens for real people in the San Francisco Bay Area.