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January is tough. It’s rainy and gray and unfortunately, home remodeling doesn’t really kick the winter blues like a trip to Hawaii would. But we’ve pulled on our work pants once again, making a little progress and crossing things off the list. The barn door track is painted and installed! We contemplated keeping the galvanized […]
Last weekend we completed the final to-do on the kitchen – installing the undercabinet lighting. We wanted something minimal, yet effective. Luckily, we found both these things in an LED system from ET2 Contemporary Lighting. Techy! Commonly referred to as LED tape, this thin strip has an adhesive backing so installation is literally peel and stick. The trickiest […]
This weekend was pretty low-key for us – lots of driving around, buying supplies and finalizing the design for the barn doors. There was also some quality TV time…we just finished season two of Mad Men and its got us thinking about some Sterling & Cooper-esque door colors for chezerbey. Other things: 1. Bailey McZerbey is a weird dog. But I […]
Most of our undertakings here at chezerbey follow a typical design process. First we brainstorm ideas and sketch things out on paper. Then we test out those ideas in SketchUp. When we’re happy with the design, we detail it out in AutoCad (not always necessary, but it was for a detailed assembly like the loft ladder). Since […]
We’ll show the process photos later this week, but for now – the mostly finished loft ladder! (The wood pieces are just dry fitted now, they’ll be removed and taken down to the basement to get finished this week.) It took three of us (thanks Audrey!) to get the steel portion inside and into place, […]
An architect is a qualified professional that not only designs your home or remodel but acts as your advocate throughout the entire process. A good architect will listen, they’ll be honest about how much things cost and how long things take and they’ll use their years of expertise to navigate an onerous permitting process, help vet potential contractors and be there for you during construction. If you don’t have an architect, that work is either done by you or the builder and compromises and sacrifices will inevitably happen.
This depends largely on the size and scope of the project and where you’re located. In some jurisdictions it’s easy and straightforward to get a permit, in others it can take 6 months to a year or longer. We usually advise clients to budget 3 -6 months for design for smaller projects and 12 months for larger projects. Permitting timelines can extend those estimates. Construction can take 4-6 months for small remodels or 16-18 months for custom homes.
Absolutely! We love to see what clients like (or don’t like!) and we’re used to gleaning the important info from all sorts of media – photos, sketches, diagrams – we’ve seen it all!
Maybe – this really depends on the housing market and how much time you have before you make an offer. It also depends on the property itself. If you’re looking at a house with a steep slope, we may advise that a geotechnical and structural engineer make their own evaluation. This can add more time based on people’s ability. We can usually make some basic recommendations based on our knowledge of the local codes, but it’s not a replacement for a more thorough feasibility study. If possible, we usually recommend that people make an offer contingent on a more thorough analysis. What we don’t want to do is give you a rosier outlook only to find that there were some unexpected issues with the property.
Depending on the scope of the project, phasing can be a practical approach. However, we usually advise that homeowners do everything in one phase if possible – this not only takes less time but simplifies the permitting process and is a more appealing process to contractors. When you phase a project, you have repeat mobilization costs that create a more expensive project in the end than doing it all at once. We’re happy to talk through phasing options though as each project is unique and sometimes it does make sense.
Yes! For us, interior design is an integral part of our process. We enjoy working with homeowners to think about their homes holistically and have extensive experience in all aspects of the design process.
In our experience, successful projects have homeowners that are engaged but trust us and the process. They ask questions and are clear communicators. They make timely decisions and speak up if something doesn’t feel right. They’re transparent about budget and schedule constraints so there aren’t missed expectations.
Say hello. Tell us about your project.