The Renovation Issue: Decisions, decisions
Credit to Author: Mary Beth Roberts| Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2019 13:30:37 +0000
While there is a wide range of reasons to renovate a home—enhancing functionality, adding space or elevating the luxe factor are some—the decision to proceed is only the first of many.
Every renovation requires a positive relationship between client and contractor, so selecting the right contractor is crucial. Ron Rapp, CEO of Homebuilders Association Vancouver, suggests the contractor be a member of an industry association and advises all the work should be included in a properly executed contract.
“Anyone considering a renovation of any serious scope and/or scale should ensure they are working with a qualified professional,” he adds.
Cheri Stefanucci of Abstract Homes and Renovations agrees that a good relationship is key to a smooth project.
“This is not a one-day event. You need to trust and feel confident and comfortable with your contractor,” she says. Getting referrals from friends or asking people in the neighbourhood who have recently had work done on their homes are good ways to find a contractor, she adds.
Rapp says the typical issue in budgeting for a renovation is expecting too much for too little.
This bathroom reno by Abstract Homes features Avorio di Segesta Italian marble tiles, a new tub and a shower with a seamless glass enclosure. One of the best features is unseen—underfloor heating throughout the bathroom floor including in the shower.
“Any renovation carries an element of risk—you don’t know what you have until after you have it,” he says. “Unsound structure, bad wiring, bad plumbing and insects [infestations] often become a reality after the project has started. If something needs to be fixed before it’s improved—and this is not an uncommon occurrence with renovations—it is a good idea to establish a contingency fund to deal with the unexpected.”
Mike Richter, co-founder and president of Troico Home Solutions, says good quality drawings are essential to keep renovations on track.
“In many cases a homeowner sees a quote for the design component and wants to cut it because they think they don’t need that help,” he says.
But drawings are the foundation of the planning process and an interior designer’s work on issues such as lighting design, layout and material selection is essential, says Richter. He notes that while accurate and comprehensive drawings and a materials specification sheet are valuable for the contractor, they also protect the homeowner and ensure expectations are met.
Tina McCabe, principal designer at McCabe Design & Interiors, says the renovations that reveal the greatest potential of a home and come in on budget are those where the interior designer is involved from the very beginning.
This elegant ensuite bathroom by Troico Home Solutions features double sinks in a custom vanity with grain-matched flat-cut walnut cabinetry.
The key to a successful renovation is knowing the client’s budget and then redesigning a space to meet it, she says. “It makes no sense to vault ceilings, design a very large kitchen with extensive custom cabinetry and custom storage if it’s not in the client’s budget.”
Derick RodRozen of RodRozen Designs says with kitchens being the focal point of many homes, some of the most asked-for renos are larger islands and prep spaces. “This allows space for the family to gather around and is also a place for homeowners to use while hosting parties or preparing food,” he says. “Larger islands also allow the homeowners to incorporate larger basin sinks that make it easier for prep and washing.”
Nancy Vornbrock, owner and lead designer of NNV Designs says most homeowners are aiming for a contemporary look for their new kitchen. “White kitchens are always popular, but natural wood finishes like walnut are now being seen in many designs, and mixing metals is still a strong trend,” she says.
Other items topping homeowners’ wish lists include: a clean look that requires designers to find storage space for countertop appliances; opening up the kitchen to the outdoors wherever possible; and adding extra storage in small kitchens, says Vornbrock.
The backsplash is a ‘wow factor’ in this kitchen by RodRozen Designs.
Bathrooms are the other room most often slated for an update.
Customizing a bathroom is every homeowner’s dream, says RodRozen. But while homeowners like a clean minimalist finish to their bathrooms, it is also important to add decorative elements to the room. “This can be done through stunning faucets or uniquely finished tub fillers that really add that ‘wow factor’ to the room,” he says. “Using custom-built vanities gives the homeowner the choice of building and utilizing the space to its capacity.”
Meanwhile, Richter says, homeowners increasingly want to remove a tub and replace it with a large—and luxurious—walk-in shower, but he advises homeowners to keep one tub in a home.
McCabe says it’s important for the designer to effectively guide the homeowner through the many phases, steps and choices of materials to execute their plan.
“Sometimes a homeowner will try to execute a plan on their own and when a particular finishing material hasn’t been chosen in time for the contractor, a compromise choice is selected that unfortunately affects the whole outcome. Each choice and finishing material must be carefully selected to be in harmony with one another. There should be no ‘that was a miss’ results,” she says.
The posts and trusses were retained in this kitchen that was opened up to take advantage of ocean views. The Lecanche range in the new centre island is the focal point of the kitchen.
Lori Steeves, founder and creative director of Simply Home Decorating, says many homeowners are so focused on the reno itself they often forget their old furniture is likely not going to fit in the new space. “You don’t want to spend money and create the permanent [structures]—like a fireplace and built-in cabinetry—around something temporary, like furniture.”
If the plan doesn’t include how the room will be furnished at the renovation stage, the result could be a space that doesn’t work.
Steeves says deciding on the actual budget during the planning stage is not always necessary. What is important is determining the ideal layout and how the room will be used. “Too many times I’ve seen people end up with a room that can’t be laid out to achieve the function they want,” she says.
Derick RodRozen, interior designer for RodRozen Designs, shares these tips for kitchen and bathroom renos.
In the kitchen, integrated and custom-panelled appliances create a uniform and seamless look with the adjacent cabinetry—especially in an open-concept living space. Larger appliances, such as double-door refrigerators or tall wine fridges, can be strategically “hidden” as part of the millwork so they are not a visual obstruction to the design flow.
In bathrooms, energy-efficient faucets and toilets reduce water usage while LED lighting reduces the amount of energy used throughout the home. An increasing number of homeowners are choosing high-tech toilets that automatically open and close, with many preferring the bidet/washlet option.
There was a long wish list for this renovation. The homeowners wanted an adult entertainment-oriented basement including a large-screen TV, custom bar, walk-in wine cellar and pool table. Tina McCabe’s design required moving two windows to enable the wine cellar to span the back wall while also creating a large and functional bar. Goldcon Construction was the contractor for the space that won the 2019 Award for Best Renovated Room at the Ovation Awards.
The provincial government introduced the BC Energy Step Code to create a graduated process to arrive at an energy performance standard for new home construction that would be net zero ready by 2032.
Homebuilders Association Vancouver CEO Ron Rapp explains the code is named to describe the five steps or tiers of performance that homes are to meet over a period of time. This will allow industry, suppliers, and regulatory authorities to adapt to the requirements of each step and perfect those techniques before moving to the next one.
Rapp says it is still unclear what threshold a municipality would use to determine when the Step Code would be applied to renovations. He notes Step One is to create a tighter house with a reduced number of air changes per hour. The only way to achieve this is with the procedures and techniques used to affect the air and vapour barriers and requires access to the wall assembly and addressing all wall, roof and floor interfaces. “A tall order when you only want to enlarge the kitchen or add a bathroom,” he says.
He suggests the best advice is to share your intentions early on with your local building official to determine the municipality’s expectations.
Nancy Vornbrock, owner and lead designer of NNV Designs, has this advice for homeowners contemplating kitchen renos.
Avoid too many appliances in a kitchen—they take up valuable storage space. A refrigerator/freezer, a cooktop, double wall ovens, a steam oven and an under-counter beverage fridge may be too much for a small kitchen where space is at a premium.
Opting for a clean and minimalist look is a popular choice. However, while taking a backsplash to the ceiling and having no upper cabinets creates a beautiful look, it reduces the storage space. Consider adding open shelves to maintain the look while maximizing the space.
Tina McCabe, principal designer at McCabe Design & Interiors, has these tips for working with an interior designer.
Make classic, timeless decisions and choices whatever your style. If a trend piece is a must, commit to items that can be changed out later, such as kitchen hardware or pendant lighting, rather than a non-classic kitchen cabinet colour.
Some clients have a very clear vision for the redesign of their home, and the designer needs to be in sync with that vision. More often than not, though, part of the challenge of a designer is to gracefully move a homeowner away from what they are comfortable with to a plan that initially may seem outside their comfort zone, but in the end is representative of their dream home.