The Nguyen Project

Blueprint Review:

There were 2 very large items that stood out to me when looking at the blueprint that had been deemed “approved to build with”. 1- The size of the pantry was undersized for the price point of the home and 2- the location for the hallway to the master bedroom area was  t e r r i b l e.  I don’t say that lightly. When I look at a blueprint, I imagine myself standing in the home and with enough experience, I know what is or isn’t a good idea. I‘m by no means saying I can catch everything but because I look at things from a finishing and design standpoint and I‘ve seen it enough times, I do tend to catch quite a few things. Why do I care so much? Because homes are often times the largest investment a family will make and also, because they are homes…not just houses. 

Unfortunately for these homeowners, I was in a limited capacity as to what I could/could not assist with in regards to advocating for them since I was not working independently at the time. This meant that without additional financial costs for architectural plan adjustments and engineering stamp fees *again* they were stuck with what would’ve been a structural adjustment, moving the pantry wall. However, I was very happy that the builder allowed them to redline the blueprint to make the hall to the master bedroom move further away from the front door entry location. You can hear me speak more about this in the video walkthrough that I completed of this home. It‘s located at the bottom of this blog post.

The Build Journey:

As with any custom home, specifications change throughout. This is due to a number of different things but the  b i g g e s t.  reason for this specific project and most other custom builds, is because they aren’t properly reviewed with clients prior to the bidding process taking place. What does this mean? Well, it means that your builder has put together information to send out to the trades and subcontractors based off of their “standard specifications” (this is why spec houses are referred to as spec houses). Umm, English please. It means that how your home is being built is very subjective to whatever your builder has or has not thought it should be and/or they‘re written based off of their budget that you‘ve said you‘re trying to stick to. So, this is my builder‘s fault? No. That‘s not what I‘m saying at all. To put it quite frankly, they aren‘t paid to hand hold you and make sure you understand the words written. Each person has a different level of understanding and if they had to take the time to make sure that everyone knew what they were talking about then you‘d need to be paying them for an education + the build. 

Could‘ve, Would‘ve, Should‘ve:

End of the day - let‘s lay the cards on the table and I‘ll tell you some things that took place that could‘ve been prevented, things I would‘ve done differently if I was hired to design and consult on behalf of the clients and lastly, things that should‘ve been thought through a bit more. All of this in hopes that it will help someone else out there.

Could‘ve Been Prevented:

- The amount of change orders completed on items that went over budget due to selections the client made. This tends to happen because either the client doesn‘t know what they‘re getting OR they‘ve given an all in budget that isn‘t real. Meaning, they have and plan to spend more money than what they initially say but don‘t say it out of fear of being taken advantage of. How could this have been prevented? By utilizing my preliminary planning services! 

Would‘ve Done Differently:

- The pantry size and functionality, 100%. It‘s so important to think through certain areas of the home. Square footage doesn‘t count if it isn‘t functional!

- Additional electrical throughout. With this staircase being open from the 2nd story to the basement, I absolutely think it would‘ve been a great investment to do stair lighting. Another area that I would‘ve added lighting to is in the 1/2 bath on the main level. The only lighting in there is the vanity light and the size of the light to the size of the room doesn‘t provide enough illuminated space for my personal opinion - lighting can definitely be a very personal decision as far as brightness, etc. But when in doubt, add a LED Disc light! Why? Because you won‘t want the headache of making that sort of adjustment after all is said and done. 

- Lastly— detailing out the finishes for the „wine room“ under the lower level stair area. This is one of those items that was overlooked/not discussed in full detail. And again, with the preliminary services that I provide, overlooking something like this would not have happened. Why is it such a big deal that it wasn‘t completely designed and detailed out from the beginning? Time & Money. When you don‘t take the time in the beginning to think through - all the things - you are left with reactive decision making. This often means that it‘s either past the point of when the work should‘ve taken place and it can‘t take place or if it can take place, it‘s more costly because it wasn‘t done in the correct construction order of operations. 

Should‘ve Done Differently:

These items are somewhat subjective but nonetheless, items that I myself notice in homes when looking to see if finishes maintain consistency throughout and match with the price point of a home as well as items that previous clients have pointed out.

- The Exterior Stucco on the Garage Area - Extending it down closer to the concrete on the driveway as opposed to having the gap of space. This is an item that I could‘ve assisted with during a site visit service that I provide - which means that at a few different check in points, I visit the job site and check for different things to either think through with my clients to verify that they‘re okay or make sure to document them as an outstanding „punch list“ item and communicate it with the builder/team.  

- Using decora light switches and upgrading floor vents in the main area to custom wood vents or black/metal vents after moving in. I know this may seem knit picky. But I promise you, once you see it - you can‘t unsee it. Good news is, you can easily tackle upgrading these on your own after moving in - bad news is, you can‘t upgrade to the custom wood floor vents after the fact. 

- Upgraded the interior fireplace in the main living area - This is commonly overlooked. Especially with all of the other items competing for your attention. However, if you are someone looking for a fireplace to produce some heat or assist with a certain overall design aesthetic, this is something that simply cannot be missed! This is an area that should be discussed on the front end and designed at blueprint stage to make sure that budgetary needs are accounted for and also so that proper framing and gas/electric hookup can be completed. 

THAT‘S A WRAP! 

Holy smokes, if you‘ve made it this far - I appreciate your patience and willingness to trust that I put valued information in my post. I hope some of it was helpful. Be sure to drop a line in the comments below with something you hadn’t thought of before or a question that you might have. 

Until next time,

Megan