Let’s talk today about the TIME variable, one of the crucial issues in this sector. I had already talked about the possibility of dividing the work into several phases, and this time we will understand how long before it is necessary to hire an architect and start thinking about the project before intervening.
the famous two months earlier
Personally, I always advise my clients to start the design process together at least TWO MONTHS BEFORE the desired start of work.
Why?
Two months is the ideal time to design and perfecting every choice, every product and every order. This is the simple and short answer.
In fact, taking a look at the necessary steps to renovate the house, as I wrote to you some time ago, before starting the work it is necessary to carry out surveys and inspections, to study well the needs of customers, to propose aesthetic and technical solutions and translate them into graphic drawings and technical specifications, choose products with the right budget such as doors, taps, bathroom fixtures, etc. This package also includes the confrontation with the client and the modification of the documents in accordance with his choices (otherwise we would work without asking him!). All this – generally at least 6 documents – is sent to the companies for the request for a quote, and the company that makes the best price is chosen based also on its reliability/experience
For a good start with the work, with clear ideas about what is done and how, at what price and by whom, you can understand that two months is the ideal time. I add: also and above all, to give you the opportunity to decide well and serenely.
what happens with shorter times?
Let’s say you found the home of your life in record time, which you didn’t even think was possible; or it is necessary to leave the current home immediately and move in as soon as possible for various reasons etc:
it is not the ideal situation, and if you have a choice, I suggest not to follow it, but an architect will obviously do everything to accommodate you.
It is not in fact that we do not want to dedicate enough time to it, or there is a lack of interest in the assignment, quite the contrary. It is precisely because of the professional approach and the sense of responsibility that distinguishes many professionals, that a certain timing is suggested to guarantee a given result.
For a correct realization of what you want, in a fixed budget, the documents mentioned above are still necessary and must still be produced. Add to these the decisional time, the management times of the construction teams while they have already started some works: reducing the design time will create safe slowdowns in the construction phase – in addition to the fact that a customer will feel the pressure of having to decide soon without feeling fully serene about their choices. Sanitary ware and taps, doors, windows – all that are third-party orders external to the company – may not arrive on site at the right time, causing delays.
Moral of the story: shortening the initial times does not lead to any time savings.
in conclusion
If it is necessary to act quickly, a professional will do everything to meet you, guiding you in the choices to be made with a certain speed, and trying to get the work done in the best possible way. However, in this case, it is necessary to take into account the moments of stand-by and slowdowns in the continuation of the works.
Do not be under the illusion that reducing the time prior to the start of the work can reduce the total time, because in reality it is the opposite.