The Process

The first time we come to meet with you in your home, we want to truly understand your wants and needs.

This is day one.

We may need weeks or months of communication and planning before we commence construction, but that first meeting is our first chance to learn about you. 

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We always want to know if we are a good fit for your project, and if your project is a good fit for us.

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After our initial consultation, we will get back to you within a week with ballpark budgets and ranges for design, scheduling, project management, and performance. 

Up to this point, no consultation fee will be required. 

​​You can also check out our Blog for what to expect along the way.

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Once you've had a chance to review our 'What to Expect' page and consider the budget numbers and scheduling estimates, we will expect to hear from you on whether or not you want to move forward with us. Please reach out, even if it's a "no" or "not right now". We can take it, and would like to hear your feedback.

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If you choose to move forward with us, we will request a Consultation/Planning fee that will be based on the scope of the project. This fee will typically be between 7% and 10% of the overall project cost. 

This will be credited towards the Design Team Services line item, and will cover the cost of producing a full project rundown/bid as well as most, if not all, of the initial planning and design cost for the project. 

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We will be proactive to set up further meetings on site to plan out and go over the details for each phase and produce an initial design package for your review.

We will also present you with a selections spreadsheet at this phase to give you parameters and timelines for selecting various finish out items, as well as a payment schedule.​

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​Our goal through the planning process is to avoid bottlenecks or slowdowns during the project by strategizing about staging items as they come in and scheduling to commence the project once we have confidence that we have a good chance to have obtained the remaining items when we need them.

I won't even qualify this statement with the standard "you never know what will come up", or... "shipping is so unpredictable". You can count on something being delayed. That's why we take a hard line on waiting to commence the project. This is one of our non-negotiables. 

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We'll also want to discuss things like security... how do you want us to access your property?

Do we need to have a plan to keep your pets indoors?

How can we keep the construction debris and dust to a minimum with the use of air scrubbers and partition walls?

How will we protect your flooring and furniture?

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Our first day on the job may not look like demo day on HGTV. Its a whole lot of floor protection board, plastic sheeting, and tape. 

​Depending on the scope of the project, we  may get pretty deep into the dismantling process, so things may still get a bit noisy. Probably won't see any sledge hammers around though. ​

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Since we've worked hard through the planning phase, the work can move fairly smoothly from trade to trade.

You may be surprised how quickly things will start to take shape, but we definitely don't believe in rushing the process.

There will be phases where things seem to move more slowly, but it's for good reason. 

An example could be prepping for a flooring install to avoid point load deflection, or waiting between coats for drywall mud to cure. These thing take time, but it is well worth the wait in the long run. 

Another slowdown can occur between countertop templating and install, but often there are things we can do to stay productive on the job. 

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Throughout the duration of the project you will receive weekly email updates on your selections budgets and any scheduling changes. Look for 'Next Week with DRDB' in your inbox.

 

 

 

 

We have a 'punch list as we go' policy at Drawing Room. 

This means that we will take the initiative to clean up, touch up, and finish up, at every phase of the project.

We will also schedule regular walk-throughs with you to give you the chance to address concerns as they come up, or just ask us about the process. 

We will have a final walk through before accepting the final payment and make sure that we have honored our contract and principles. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​