Like Eberle, and his company’s detailed Product Selection Information Guide, most remodeling companies have vendors that they regularly work with, and may even have preferred product lines from each of those suppliers. So although homeowners may initially see an array of 200 pedestal sinks from 50 different manufacturers, in sitting down with a designer, the choices are already whittled down to just a handful of styles from two or three vendors.
“If the client just doesn’t know where they’re going or is making a decision I feel won’t ultimately work with the design, it’s easy to give them a bit of direction by way of your own product knowledge,” Nelson says. “If they know they want stainless steel appliances, I can suggest two or three product suites and explain the different features and benefits of each. I try to stay current with all the products out there so I’m familiar with many, and we keep catalogs from manufacturers we trust, which helps us make recommendations about what are the best choices for that particular client’s needs, style, and budget.”
Sau agrees. “The first thing I tell clients is to bring in pictures from magazines and books, or even of friends’ homes, so I can get some initial feedback on what their tastes are,” she says. “Then we can make appointments with the appropriate vendors. I’m not going to bring clients 1,000 options for a product category or spend weeks taking them to every store in Charlotte. They’ll get three or four choices to pick from because I’ve already figured out what their tastes are.”
Though they may not be aware of it, most of Jeremy Fare’s clients have already made product selections by the time they approach him about a project. “Over the years, we’ve developed a ‘look’ that has really become our brand and that differentiates us from other builders and remodelers,” says the president of Woodward Rhodes, in Atlanta. “People can walk into a spec remodel that we’ve done or a custom remodel and recognize it as a Woodward Rhodes home. A lot of the houses in our area were built primarily from 1900 to 1930, so although we’ve never put together the same design twice, we do try to stick with similar finishes that give a timeless look and feel.”
Fare says the company hasn’t gone so far as to put together product “packages,” but it does work deliberately to ensure that fixtures and finishes are consistent throughout the home. “When we’re shopping for light fixtures for example, we’ll take the floor plan with us and go room by room,” he says. “All the fixtures might have an antique-brass finish, but they could be from different manufacturers. That way, we get the consistency of finish and even of style without specifically matching all the items.”
Controlling the number of choices clients have during the selection process can be a great way to accelerate the initial phases of a remodel, but it doesn’t eliminate the individuality or distinctiveness of each particular project. Especially with high-end clients, homeowners frequently want to incorporate favorite pieces of art or items they’ve purchased in their travels into the design scheme.
“It’s always amazing to me how two customers might choose the same basic combination of products, but because there are so many variances with regard to colors and finishes and other details, the final project always looks different in each setting,” Eberle says. Indeed, although homeowners and remodelers may all be working from the same million-item pool of remodeling puzzle pieces, chances are none of them will ever complete the same puzzle twice.
