Bringing a Design to Life

What is a designer's role during construction? Isn't the "design" technically done? And the contractor's job begins? Well, yes and no. The designer's role during construction is to oversee the implementation of the design. The contractor's primary role is doing the very important job of safely installing materials according to the manufacturers’ instructions and the project plan. There are a lot of moving pieces during construction and installation. Decisions need to be made on site that no set of plans could address. And contractors, while skilled in material installation (and thankfully, so!), does not possess the overall design vision.

One way to minimize these errors is with clear and constant communication, coupled with on-site presence. Written communication in an email can get lost during on-site application. Or despite best intentions, sometimes the design is ignored, especially if the required installation is unique, more complicated, time-consuming or demands greater skill (precise measuring, preparation, etc). The presence of a designer at major installations can make a difference in construction.

I know a custom home builder who has refined their process to include written directions and pictures placed outside of each bathroom on-site to clarify tile selections and the layout of hard finishes.

I’ve also seen a designer who, for her own renovation, wrote directly on the walls to indicate what was staying and what was to be demolished. 

My own renovation mishaps include floor tile installed in a straight pattern instead of on the diagonal (a difficult issue to rectify after the fact) and wood blinds installed a full foot below their intended height (a much easier fix). These issues could have easily been avoided if I’d taken my own advice and been on-site when the work was planned. But we can’t always be everywhere at once. Suffice it to say, we’re human and mistakes happen. While most of the time things go right in a renovation, at some point, something almost always goes wrong.

Determine your availability during the construction process and decide your tolerance for mistakes and miscommunication so you can plan accordingly.