Seasonal Project Planning: Why Fall Is the Best Time to Reimagine Your Summer Home

With Labor Day now a distant memory and the beginnings of that familiar chill in the air, many homeowners up and down the Delaware coast are closing up their vacation houses for the season. But while many will remain empty and quiet until next Memorial Day weekend, some will soon be bustling with the activity of renovation projects in anticipation of luxe summers to come.

Fall is the optimal time to start planning upgrades for your vacation space—as you come off of a full summer spent in your home away from home, the idiosyncrasies and pain points that have been getting under your skin all season are still fresh in your mind. Whether it’s a kitchen that’s too small for hosting, an outdated bathroom, a main floor that just doesn’t flow, or an underutilized outdoor space, investing in updates of any kind will promise a stellar summer next year.

If you begin the planning process now with a design-build firm like Douglas and Company, you’ll be enjoying your new space just as the beaches open up once again!

Our Design-Build Process

After an initial consultation, we kick off every one of our projects with a Design Services Agreement, which allows our team of expert designers, estimators, engineers, and selections professionals explore the project’s feasibility on site; create a series of drawings to develop the plan for the new space; work through the selections process to assist in accurate bidding; and develop a cost estimate for every phase of the project so there are never any surprises. Our goal is to use our collective expertise to provide you with the best possible project experience from beginning concepts to final touches.

Special Selections

With so many choices to make during a renovation project, it’s easy to feel quickly overwhelmed. But with the Douglas and Company team by your side, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy the process. We’ll supply you with detailed spreadsheets of every selection you’ll need to make, then we’ll schedule multiple design meetings to help you make the choices that will eventually add up to a stunning new space. For added assistance, we’ll be sure to send along our signature Design Inspiration packet, which will outline different design ideas and the choices you’ve already made along the way.

You can help us by sharing any Houzz, Pinterest or Instagram pages (or even cutouts from your favorite magazine!) so we can better understand your design aesthetic.

Clear Contracts

At Douglas and Company, we are happy to offer you two contract options: Fixed Cost or Cost-Plus. A Fixed Cost contract is great for smaller or more well-defined projects. We’ll create a budget up front based on quotes from our suppliers and subcontractors so you’ll know exactly what to expect from the start.

Because larger projects often come with more unknowns (hidden rot, unseen structural issues, and more), we like to use a Cost-Plus contract, which is essentially a time and materials contract, billed twice each month.

Before you sign on the dotted line, we are happy to answer any questions you may have about which contract is best for your project, and its details.

Understanding the Jobsite

Before construction begins, you’ll meet with your Production Manager, Project Manager and Selections Coordinator, who will be your point people for the duration of the project. They’ll go over the schedule, selections, and key dates before introducing you to BuilderTrend, the online project management software that will keep you in the loop with photos, daily logs, documents, and more. Our goal is to give you a clear picture of everything that is happening around your home without the stress of coordinating it all yourself. If you have any questions or concerns throughout this part of the process, your personal team will be there to help in any way they can.

Finishing Touches

We consider ourselves a truly full-service design-build company, which is why we are happy to offer our interior design services to give your home a beautiful, cohesive look in the style you love for the perfect finishing touch. If you would prefer to utilize your own interior designer, we are also glad to coordinate with them on selecting and sourcing those special materials and fixtures that will make your project truly shine.

By partnering with Douglas and Company, your dream vacation home could be a livable reality sooner than you think! Ready to get started? Use this link to schedule a consultation today.