Truth about the Renovation Industry

Whenever we need to renovation our dream house, the first thing that comes into our mind is to approach an interior design firm. Never do we know in most cases, the first person we usually approach is the sales designer. No doubt that their sales preach is vibrant and makes you feel that you can save tons of money by engaging their services but their technical detailing and knowledge is definitely way inferior than a certified interior designer, much less a contractor.

Variations

Many interior design firms do not own their own factory. So many of them will preach their ideas to you, hoping that you'll close the deal with them and once you have agreed to work with them; the final quotation has been signed, the woodwork will be subcontracted out. As subcontractors usually mean a blurred shift in responsibilities and when anything goes wrong, there will be an increased fee quotation for the go-between.

Mark-up

As mentioned on the get go, many interior design firms do not own a factory.

So for higher profit margin, the fabrication can be sub-contracted to our neighboring country where it costs significantly lesser. The higher the number of down-line, the higher the mark-ups.

Possible problems encounter

1. Coordination issues - It will be a challenge to guarantee clients the quality of handiwork when they are not in-charge of hiring qualified workers. So whenever there is an error occur, it's either the interior designer cover up the cost for a new fabrication or the customer have to cough out addition cash on top of their invoice.

2. Perception vs Reality - Whatever color or design that is being proposed to you, always bear in mind that it might not turn out the same in real. I'll give you a good example. For a curved surface, it is not possible to plaster a laminate over it (indicated in the black arrow below). So for such instance, paintwork will be used as a substitution thus, the contrast between the laminate and the paint will not be the same.

An example of a platform

All in all, if you are someone who is particular and wants certainty about the outcome and quality at an affordable rate; something that can last you over many decades without having to spend additional cost on maintenance/ renewal, always approach a certified interior designer/ a contractor for the most accurate advice!