THE COVID CONUNDRUM. TO RENOVATE? OR NOT?

This one goes out to all our clients, tradies and suppliers. Or anyone currently in the construction industry or part of the supply chain, especially small businesses.

Anyone who has renovated or worked a day in this industry in the last 12mths deserves a big ol’ high five. A fist pump. A hug. A round of tequila shots and a few therapy sessions. Just breath it in, hold for 4, then exhale people. Everything will be ok in the end.

We're all a bit tired of hearing it but we know our worlds have been changed by it and old covi-baby is here to stay. This pandemic has blown the construction industry apart! Shivers, 2022 has been a year.

A year that has felt like the Christmas rush since we all came back from our summer holiday in January. A year that has had me writing poetry about our home interiors projects! Seriously, what is going on.

Of course we are all incredibly grateful for the building boom that came off the back of the world going into lockdown and everyone realising that where and how you live matters.

But it hasn't come without challenges.

In an industry that has a bit of a reputation for deadlines and budgets not always going to plan, juggling the s**t storm that arrived on our small shores has made sticking to a schedule and budget a thousand times more challenging. This year we've faced;

·       purchasing restrictions,

·       price increases,

·       supply issues on appliances,

·       price increases,

·       drawer runners out of stock,

·       more price increases.

·       Plywood from Russia? ermmmm no thanks.

·       No framing timber,

·       no plumbing fittings,

·       depleted raw materials,

·       just about everything out of stock or on back order.

·       (Let's not even mention the ports and where containers of stock have ended up and lets definitely not mention GIB and the lengths that some companies have gone to get their hot little hands on the stuff.)

Not only have we had to deal with supply issues, we have also had to factor in catching covid and the spreader effect that it has had on employees and their families. How on earth do you try to keep everything on track and everyone happy with covid making its way around everyone, infecting every surface?

What. A. Nightmare. (Just being honest).

At Hello Home Interiors we've tried to plan ahead and pre purchase the best we can. But what we've found works best is being upfront and honest with people.

We are all human and we are all trying our best as we love what we do and we're dedicated to delivering a well polished end result.

And that is what we are doing. From what I can see, everyone I work alongside is doing their very best with the information and resources we have. We might have had to handle;

·       10,000 more emails and 50,000 more phone calls (small exaggeration),

·       juggling the gib situation,

·       juggling plaster puzzle work around the gib situation,

·       working around the sink or taps being out of stock,

·       changing the cladding due to a 42 week wait,

·       and had some really tough conversations around budgets and timelines.

But everyone we work with in the home design industry seems to be gritty, determined and really passionate about what they do.

Why would you after my spiel above? Well, why would you not?

It's fair to say that after multiple lockdowns, working from home scenarios and isolation periods most would agree that the place you call home matters.

How we occupy our spaces and how they make us feel is important. And in this climate working with an interior designer and a team of trusted trades is a no brainer.

We've all heard the horror stories. And unfortunately, during a boom plenty of people (cowboys) see the opportunity to make some quick cash at the expense of you, the client.

If good design that's built for longevity is what you are after, working with a professional interior designer is valuable. We work closely with all of our suppliers to ensure that what we are specifying and designing is within our clients reach both financially and in availability.

I am not going to lie, we’ve had some projects go severely pear shaped over the last two years and we’ve had to re-invent our entire business plan to accommodate how covid has changed our world.  It’s been really tough having to tell people that what we thought we could achieve for ‘x’ amount of dollars is now unachievable due to x, y, and z.

One client had this to say about the pricing coming through for their project,

We knew costs would be higher due to COVID, but we would love a chat.

We have access to a world of products that the general joe blogs are not aware of, at trade prices, the beauty of being an expert in your area I guess.

We’ve built good relationships over the years with our suppliers and trades and because of this we are looked after and respected in this realm.

In the search for GIB for a project heading into construction one of our trusted builders provided an alternative solution,

GIB is like gold dust here at the moment. For the [xxx] project we have come up with a solution; we can source 3600x1200 sheets and we will lay these horizontally and adjust all the fixings to suit. 

With our partnerships you are likely to achieve your desired result working with a professional than trying to go it alone to save a few bucks.  We’ve spent years working together so can problem solve creatively and all have a mutual respect for each others’ area of expertise.

We all understand what the end goal and vision is and we can all use our super powers to realise this.

Find yourself an interior designer that you click with, you’re going to spend a lot of time together!

At Hello Home Interiors we work through the design phase with you and we are a bit of a one stop shop.  We can design and specify everything from the kitchen joinery, down to what type of carpet, door stops, spatial layout, lighting, colour scheme, artwork and plants would make your home cohesive – beauty you live in.

A client review – ☆☆☆☆☆

We found using a designer helped us to bring everything together. And we were able to get quality builders, electricians and joiners through [the Hello Home Interiors] network.

We have a team of expert trades to execute our designs and we also love being involved in the construction phase too!

So we are there on site (not every day) eating pies with the tradies (I love a good generalisation, it’s not always like that).  When we are involved in this process it means that we are all on the same page and working towards a common goal, making your home the only place you want to be.