A successful interior design project requires a balance between creativity and practicality, and this is where the relationship between interior designers and contractors is crucial. As interior designers, we bring artistic vision and attention to detail, while contractors bring their technical expertise and execution. With a strong contractor or builder relationship, we can turn ideas into reality, and deliver projects on time and within budget that exceed our clients’ expectations.
The Benefits of Working With a Contractor
When you have a strong contractor relationship, you’ll unlock a range of benefits that contribute to the success of a project. Including items such as:
- Double checking measurements before ordering
- They are your eyes on the job site each day
- They can confirm or answer your questions beyond your scope of knowledge- say structural, electrical, plumbing, etc.
- You can get referrals from them
- Projects get completed faster with good contractor communication
Strategies for Building and Maintaining Contractor Relationships
Identifying reliable contractors who align with your project requirements and share your commitment to quality and communication is vital. Finding a reputable contractor can be hard. Look at past projects when you had a good contractor experience and contact them. Ask past clients who they have used that they had a good relationship with. Ask other designers for a referral.
With a new contractor relationship, start small. See how a smaller project goes before jumping into a big one. Set communication and job site expectations, this is how you avoid finger-pointing. If all goes well, expand the size of the project you work together on.
Why Contractors Like Working With Designers
We do our job so they can do theirs. Contractors don’t want to weigh in on colors and designs– just as much as we don’t want to demo kitchens and install tile. When we are on the project, they can get their job done faster. Not to mention we are detailed with what we want so they know what is expected. That means fewer questions for the homeowner during the project. The contractor gives his teams your directions and designs and the work gets done. This is less on his/her shoulders and they can get it done and onto the next job.
How to Overcome Challenges in Contractor Relationships
As with any collaborative effort, challenges will come up along the way. The most important thing is to set clear guidelines for the project and establish communication expectations.
By setting clear expectations, you minimize the chance that things will go wrong. Of course, it does happen, I showed up at a job site once and the tile backsplash was running horizontally instead of vertically as I had designed. I called the contractor who then worked it out with his tile guy. Because I had called for it to be vertical originally, it had to be taken out and replaced- but the contractor covered it. We lost a day, but since it had been communicated, but lost in the shuffle it wasn’t my issue to pay for.
Building a strong working relationship with contractors can help you make more money and give you another tool to utilize when working on projects with clients.
Need more support navigating contractor relationships for your interior design business? When you join MYDB, you learn to Manage Your Design Business with personalized one on one support where we work through your challenges together. Join now!
