5 Tasks We Don’t Do
Boundaries, we know a lot of people hate that term right now. Others naturally want to be rule breakers, we get it, rules are meant to be broken sometimes, keyword sometimes. But, in order to maintain structure in a business you have to have a process, company standards, or whatever you want to call it so you can produce the best of the best for your clients. here are a few no-no’s that we set with our clients before they’re officially our clients…
1. Purchase appliances
this reason for this is simple, warranties. It makes the most sense for the warranties to be under the clients name so we aren’t playing middle women to the service/repair teams because the ice machine isn’t making ice. (yes mine is currently broken, and I am just a little bit bitter because the warranty is under the previous owners name)
2. stamp drawings for permit
while our skillset allows us to create drawings for permitting, only licensed architect and licensed contractor can stamp drawings for permitting. It doesn’t matter what degree or certification an interior designer has, its not an option for us to stamp drawing in Massachusetts.
3. manage general contractors
when we bring in G.C.s on a project, it often means we need permitting and more than a handful of subs to complete a project. A big portion of the G.C.s role is to manage the sub-contractors schedules, we’ve found theirs no need for us to manage them. Instead we work closely with the GC and their subs to maintain design intent and general conformity throughout the project. If a project only requires paint, electrical, and a little carpentry/handyman work then we manage this all in house. When it involves demo crews, dumpsters, permits, framers, drywall, etc we have work with a G.C. to bring in their crews so we can better utilize our time designing!
4. text with clients
this is a hard pass for us, and sometimes a red flag that things have gotten out of control! texts like ‘we’re running late’ or needing to reschedule last minute is totally fine. But, discussing design details on a whim and having multiple communication platforms lacks organization. We don’t want any details slipping through the cracks because we are getting messagings from all angles! We love to streamline the design process as much as possible for maximum efficiency!
5. push unwanted designs
we have a 9 step process and love a pragmatic and transparent design approach, but sometimes out clients need a couple of extra steps (aka design meetings) to really fall in love with a design or decide what they’re really trying to achieve. While we loveee a decisive client more than anything, we also understand that this is an investment into your home and lifestyle and not everyone is able to make decisions quickly. We would rather add an extra meeting or two so a client can ‘sit with it’ in order to fall in love with the design. It’s your home, and when the design project is done, you’re the one living in it, so make sure it’s something you love!