What’s the value of a Good Design?
I’m amazed at the number of people around who are willing to invest tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars into improving their home without expecting to invest first in coming up with a good design.
Civil War veteran and former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. is known for many concise opinions including this one: *I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.” I believe what he was saying is that without thinking through a broad array of possibilities to come up with the solution, you shortchange yourself.
What I’ve discovered is that in the process of working through myriad possibilities that the final and best solution generally appears. The final and best solutions often appear simple in design, but they only end up that way after much thought and exploration of alternates has gone into it. This almost always involves some investment of time and thought by someone.
Whether it’s a new home or remodeling an existing one, of what value is a good design to you? Has your contractor or designer presented you with several different well thought out possibilities? Are your best interests being served by a quick off the shelf solution or by one that truly meets your needs in the best possible way? Do you expect to have the best outcome by receiving a “free” design or one that costs very little? In this day and age of supermarket slogans that tell you to pay less and expect more, it’s easy to understand where this mentality comes from. The other old slogan of “you get what you pay for” still rings true today. The cost of a free or poor design could end up being substantial especially if you end up unhappy and redoing it again.
Before you enter into your next home remodeling or build project with a contractor, be sure to explore what they bring to the table with their design services. In this day and age you should expect nothing less than several options to consider along with the ability to virtually experience your project.
If you are looking for a design/build or design/remodel contractor that can provide forward thinking designs that make sense and “wow” you in a virtual experience, consider contacting Pennings & Sons.
Value of a Good Design
