The most attractive aspect of a DIY, or Do It Yourself, is cost savings.  Sometimes it’s a necessity, but there are a few things to consider before making that commitment.  Hiring a professional architect, builder, interior designer, and tradesperson most often saves money in the long run.

When ready to build their dream home, people hire an architect to create their dream. Sometimes, they act as the general contractor managing tradespeople or they build it themselves.   This might look great on paper and they know there will be headaches, but they expect to be able to deal with that.

Does design stop at the blueprint or should it continue through to the end of construction?  How crucial is it that a designer is readily available and on site to make sure all goes smoothly?  All trades need to work together as a collaborative team to coordinate forms, shapes, colors, textures, and all finishes.

What happens when design changes need to be made quickly and there are cost-over-runs?   An untrained and inexperienced person will make their best guess, usually on the fly.  This can cause a warp in consistency of materials and colors.  Oops.  Now what?  The budget is so tight.

It’s difficult for an inexperienced person to be the designer and to see the whole picture at once.  Tradespeople are not trained to look at the big picture or consider aesthetics so they are often no help.   A DIY can easily cut corners reducing quality of home.  A professional will make the home both aesthetically pleasing as well as functional.

Another important aspect to consider is scheduling.  Coordinating tradespeople and communication between all is tricky.   The DIY client is at a disadvantage and has less leverage in scheduling or in price negotiations.  They don’t know if they are getting a good deal or not.  A professional has a reliable team in place making them first priority in scheduling and pricing knowing that future business is at stake.

Will the dream be a beautiful oasis or a regret that a professional should have been hired?   Flaws will annoy you, be noticed by everyone, and lower the value of your home if you need to resell.  Decorating is easy to redo.  Fixing building mistakes are costly and time-consuming.

Stanton Architects, Inc. provides both design and build for the utmost in service.  Contact the office at 815-741-0510 to get started on your dream build.