With travel not an option during COVID lockdowns, many home owners have decided to create their own piece of paradise right at home. This has created a boom in the construction industry. We thought it would be great to share how Simply Design and Simply Renovate are navigating this boom while maintaining safe practices to keep you and your “bubble” safe!
The renovation industry is booming…
As a result, anyone worth hiring is booking projects months in advance. Stock is also an issue. The supply chain is affected and many items are out of stock, back-ordered or no longer available. This is where you as the consumer will need planning and patience.
Another challenge to the whole renovation process is distancing protocols. This also slows things down. Where before we may have had the electrician working at the same time as the general labour on a job-site, now the job-site is left open to only one trade/team at a time. This can make some days less productive if one team really only needs a couple of hours. Lastly, there is the risk of illness that brings your projects to a stand-still if COVID symptoms are reported and a 14 day shut-down must happen.
We come into your home safely…
When choosing anyone to be part of your home renovation, choosing people who are mindful and compliant with COVID guidelines and recommendations is important. We take every precaution to ensure a safe and successful renovation for you and your family.
Interior Design Consulting; only one client per day…
When coming into your home, I don’t perform more than one in-home consultation per day to ensure safety. My items are wiped down after the visit. I wear a mask, enter your home with sanitized hands and maintain distance as best we can for the meeting.
Some key reasons why working with an Interior designer will make a renovation simpler and safer during COVID:
-Finding the right materials is tricky. We know what to ask, who to ask and how to easily source out alternatives.
-Finding what you want for the materials and finishes requires travel with many stops along the way. Rather than you having to visit multiple places searching for the right thing, let us do it for you. In many cases we already know exactly where to find it.
-You don’t have to go out. We can bring the shopping and samples to you.
-You’ll be supporting local. Instead of shopping online from big-box stores, we have a network of local suppliers who we are proud to support.
-As always, an Interior Designer will help you get the results you want!
Renovation Process; the entire Simply Renovate Team comes sanitized and masked.
All renovations are moving a bit slower than they used to. Fewer people are working at a time to ensure distancing protocols can be met. Collecting materials, with suppliers struggling with stock and at times only offering curb-side pick-up during province wide shut-downs, requires extra time and planning. Not all box store websites are as user friendly as one would expect, and calling in or emailing an order can require patience as suppliers are inundated with many calls from contractors and home owners.
Being a few steps ahead and ordering materials several days, if not weeks, before needed helps keep things flowing. We at Simply Design and Simply Renovate are ordering all custom items 10-12 weeks before we need them and any stock items, 1-3 weeks before we need them.
Steps you want to ensure are taken by your contractor and their team when inviting them into your home:
-Masks are worn at all times, especially when in any non-renovation areas. (Except to eat and drink in a designated area.)
-Regular check-list is done to go over symptoms and confirm nobody is experiencing symptoms that could be COVID related (ex: regular temperature checks).
-Wipe down touch-points often and at end of each day as they are leaving.
Fixing up your home is a rewarding way to invest your hard earned money. Working with a designer can help ensure you make wise decisions, get the best value, and tick off the boxes on your wish list for both #FunctionAndStyle. Choosing a design-build team can help seamlessly take your vision to reality. And most importantly today, ensuring you choose a team that can navigate what is now the “new normal” will help keep #RenovationsMadeSimple