Custom home design is a collaborative process between designers and clients. While we strive to keep it running as smoothly as possible, it’s normal to experience a few bumps along the way.
For us, it’s not about how many challenges we face but how we approach them and, ultimately, solve them. If you’re considering building a new home or at the very beginning stages of designing a home, we hope this blog helps you better understand the process and get the home you’ve been dreaming of!
5 Home Design Challenges & Our Solutions
There can be a wide variety of issues designers and clients face during the home design process. These are the most common we have experienced over our 21+ years in business.
1. Clients That Start with Other Designers
What it is: When a client starts with another designer or builder but transitions to working with us, challenges can arise. Clients may leave their initial home designer for many reasons, including not feeling as if it’s the right fit or consistently not liking the design direction.
Why it’s a challenge: Having a difficult experience with another designer can leave clients feeling jaded. They may not fully trust a new designer yet or aren’t ready to be vulnerable—and rightly so. Because they aren’t fully invested in the relationship with their new designer, they may not be willing to answer the hard questions that will deliver a home that’s truly perfect for them.
How we solve it: One of the things we’re known for at Ellergodt Design is our team. We have excellent team members who care about each and every client they meet. In fact, we care so much about how we treat our clients that we have policies around how to take care of them to ensure they feel like they can trust us.
The result is honest and open communication, transparency about every step of the design process, and, in many cases, long-lasting relationships.
2. An Interest in Trends Rather than Custom Home Design
What it is: It’s easy to get caught up in home design trends you see on TV, social media, or what your neighbour is doing. Trends change with the seasons, and while many are appealing, not all are the right fit for your lifestyle, your property, and your needs.
For example, say you saw a designer add an intricate plant wall to a home. You love how it looks; however, you know you don’t have the time or energy to keep a plant wall alive, which means it’s not the right fit for your lifestyle. Regardless of this, you push for this to be included in your home design because it’s a current trend.
Why it’s a challenge: Custom home design means designing a custom home for you—with your lifestyle, current needs, future needs, and style preferences at the forefront of the design. If this important factor is pushed to the back for the sake of being trendy, you won’t get the true value of hiring a custom home designer—or a home made uniquely for you!
How we solve it: Social media can be a great place to find inspiration, but we encourage our clients to accept a little pushback from designers to help them find a home design that’s ideal for their lifestyles.
3. Clients Who Don’t See Design as a Priority
What it is: Not everyone who comes to us looking for home design sees the design part as a priority. For some, price and speed are critical instead of enjoying the fun and collaborative design process.
Why it’s a challenge: We understand that sometimes, people don’t really understand what custom home design is. Those interested in costs and speed may not see where the value lies in our unique approach, the time we take to get to know our clients, and the care we put into designing each and every home feature around their lives.
How we solve it: While speed and cost are important factors to consider, it’s on us to explain the value of custom home design—and that’s what we aim to impress upon clients through our design questionnaire and in every conversation we have.
4. Room Wants vs. Square Footage Reality
What it is: While some clients come to use not knowing anything they’d like to include in their home design, some have it all mapped out—including how many rooms and components they’d like and where they’re located.
On occasion, a client will sketch out their house on graph paper, not taking into account the space each room or component will require. Sure, it’s possible to draw any kind of home on paper without measuring! But once the real square footage of their lot is taken into account, some of those features won’t fit.
Why it’s a challenge: Clients may feel disappointed that the home they’ve been planning out isn’t feasible.
How we solve it: This challenge is best solved by compromise. While we do our best to include all components our client wants (as it makes sense for their lot), it’s often up to them to determine what they can live without.
For example, their lot’s square footage will have room for a walk-in closet or an en-suite bathroom, but not both. It’s up to them to choose what’s more important.
5. Helping a Client Create Their Own Design Criteria
What it is: While some clients have been dreaming of designing a custom home their entire lives and know exactly what they want it to look like, others don’t.
Why it’s a challenge: While not knowing what you want your home to look like doesn’t mean you won’t get a home that’s uniquely designed for you, it is considerably harder to create a design without understanding your style or feature preferences.
This means the overall process may take longer and be more complicated, and the design becomes a living document we keep editing.
How we solve it: Listening and relationship building is really important on our side. We put a strong emphasis on getting to know the client throughout the relationship process, as the better we know you, the easier it will be to design a home that suits you.
Let’s Overcome Obstacles Together!
Challenges are common, but it’s how we solve them together that matters! If you’re looking for a collaborative, friendly, and transparent team to help design your custom home, give us a call.
We’re excited to meet you and take the first step on your home design journey together.