I love doing room makeovers and, as I develop my design plan, I feel like I’m painting a masterpiece. Then, with everything in place to move forward, a budget is set that includes bringing all the elements together. And, that’s part of the beginning.
With planning almost complete, getting final approvals can turn into the end-of-endless changes. a new budget is reformulated to make adjustments to the plan — like “let’s not get that, let’s have it custom-built instead.” With an initial budget of $5,000, and changes that will exceed the budget, the client must decide to up the ante to accomodate higher costs.
I often wonder what the purpose of a budget is anyway if it keeps getting higher to compensate for higher costs as we go along? Personally, I prefer the client gets the best, and I want high standards for them. And, I would still try to find the best bargain and get a good deal without compromising quality, comfort, look or functionality.
Although I know that the planning phase often brings up these kind of challenges, I try very hard to get into the production phase, which usually faces new challenges. With schedules moved back and crew waiting to start, it can be a juggling act getting all the pieces to fall into place at the right time. And, all I need to do is get final budget approval to start my next act.
