School has started back up, the air is becoming crisp in the mornings, fall is near. Before we know it the holidays will be here.
And so as we begin to plan out and envision our holidays, the question starts to become a popular question this time of year - "Can this be done by Christmas?!"
To answer that accurately, we first need to know a few details about the project: what kind of project is this - is it a remodel of your entire main level or a kitchen gut job? Is it a room furnishing transformation, or just a quick room touch up? To what extent is the scope of work? Do you already have a plan ready to implement, or are you coming to us with an empty canvas?
There are several factors to consider before knowing if your project can be done by Christmas, but among the most important to consider is the scope of work needing to be done.
If your project is just a quick touch up - maybe you need a single room painted and help selecting a new rug, then it's safe to say at this point in the year it can easily be achievable by Christmas.
However, if your project is more along the lines of a remodel or an entire room furnishing transformation, then we're really going to be cutting it tight if not going over into the new year. Just one small snag in the project, one single week of delays can throw the project off track and off the mark of "Done by Christmas"
To break it down a bit further, typical "Room Transformations" which includes mostly all new furnishings and slight aesthetically changes to finishes (think new paint color, new carpet or floors, possibly a built in cabinet) can take on average14 - 20 weeks to complete.
"Wow!" you might think to yourself, that sounds like a really long lead time. But considering everything that goes into the project; the conceptual phase, preparing presentations, budgeting, approvals, implementation, processing orders, receiving orders, handling any product damages, lining up and managing any skilled trades, and finally install day - that all takes quite a bit of coordination and waiting on schedules and lead time.
In summary we always advise our clients to never go into a project with a hard deadline, unless you have given the proper amount of time to execute. Managing realistic expectations is a large part of a designers job and for a designer to make a promise they cannot keep is only going to set everyone up for failure and disappointment. Trust me when I say, there is no worse feeling that a designer will experience than letting their client down, no one wants that to happen!
All things good things and quality work is well worth the wait, even if it can't all happen before the hubby's 40th birthday next month. Set yourself up for a successful project by making sure you talk about realistic lead times and project workflows with your designer!
