The Balance of Input: Navigating Your Role in Home Construction

How Involved Do I Really Need To Be In The Design Process? Can I Just Show Up At The End And Say, “Nice Work”?

Are you unsure about how involved you should be in your home construction project? We dive into the intricate balance of client participation in design and renovation. This episode challenges the common misconception that you must either micromanage every detail or completely disconnect from the process.

Our expert hosts break down different styles of client involvement—from hands-on, detail-oriented approaches to more laid-back expectations, where the design team takes the reins while you observe at a distance. Our discussion includes key insights on establishing clear communication right from the start, ensuring that your aesthetic preferences guide the project effectively, without compromising timelines or overall quality. 

Utilizing advanced tools, clients can stay plugged into their projects remotely, making it easier to manage busy lives while still feeling engaged. We also ponder the media’s influence, asking if you can hope for a perfect HGTV-like reveal even if you take a backseat. 

Tune in to understand just how much—you can—and should—be part of your home's design journey. Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave us a review to help us continue to bring valuable insights to our audience!

To learn more about StreamHome Construction visit:
https://www.YourStreamHome.com
StreamHome Construction
719-644-6777

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Stream Home Construction Podcast,
where we take your project fromconception to completion.
Hosted by Licensed GeneralContractor Alex Kozley, we cover
everything from accessorydwelling units to commercial
construction in the greaterColorado Springs area.
Whether you're dreaming of anew ADU, planning an office
upgrade or tackling a majorrenovation project, we've got

(00:26):
the expertise to guide youthrough it.
Let's get building.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Thinking about handling over the blueprints and
disappear until they arerevealed?
We get it, but just how muchinput should you have in the
design process?
Or the blueprints and disappearuntil they are revealed?
We get it, but just how muchinput should you have in the
design process?
Let's talk about where yourinvolvement matters most.
Welcome back everyone, tonyHill's co-host slash producer
back in the studio with AlexCozley.

(00:59):
Alex, how's it going?

Speaker 3 (01:01):
I'm doing great, and yourself, tony, awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
So, alex, how involved do I really need to be
in the design process?
Can I just show up and hit anend and say nice work.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
Yeah, it's a great question.
It's one of the most commonquestions we get.
I think every client we workfor asks that same exact
question and the short answer wealways give them is you can be
involved as much or as little asyou want.
Some clients love to behands-on.
You know they want to pickevery material, review, every
drawing be a part of everydecision.
That's great if that's how youlike to be involved in the
project.

(01:32):
Others prefer to give us theirvision, set their budget and
trust our team to execute, onlychecking in at key milestones,
which works great for us as well.
The beauty of working with us asa design build team is that we
adapt your preferred level ofinvolvement.
Our process is built to keepyou informed and comfortable,
whether that means regularcheck-ins and deep dives into

(01:52):
details or just big pictureupdates as we go.
And, that said, the mostimportant thing is that we start
with a clear understanding ofwhat the client wants, their
goals, your must-haves and anydeal-breakers.
Make sure that we're startingout the project on the same foot
, so to speak.
We guide our clients throughkey decisions early, so there's

(02:14):
no surprises later, but once wehave that foundation in place,
if you'd rather sit back and letus handle the details.
You can absolutely do that and,yes, you can't show up at the
end and say, nice work, becausewe prioritize our customer
service and the ultimate productis going to be excellent,
whether you're there watching usor whether you just come at the

(02:35):
end to collect it.
The same thing really applies toour construction process.
We work with many clients thatare out of town, out of state or
even out of country while we'reconstructing their project.
Our suite of software toolsallows us to stay connected with
clients in different parts ofthe world and parts of the
country and the state Remotely.
They can view progress on theirproject via daily logs which

(02:59):
show photos of progress logseveryone that was on the site as
if there was any delays.
So we have a lot of tools inplace that help a client can
stay plugged in with ourprojects, but not necessarily be
there every day, but just kindof checking in at their leisure.
So that's one other way in boththe construction and the
pre-construction process where aclient can stay involved, but
not necessarily, you know,checking in with us in person

(03:22):
regularly, you know checking inwith us in person regularly.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
If I disappear until the end, will I still get to
feel like I was on HGTV show, orwill my house?

Speaker 3 (03:37):
just have a mystery theme.
That's great, that's funny.
If you disappear, we'llprobably have some other
questions we're going to need tofigure out, like call the
police, nurse, anyone knowswhere you are.
But I get the spirit of thequestion that if you're just not
paying attention to what we'redoing, how are things going to
turn out?
And that kind of harkens backto my previous answer, where
we're committed to deliveringexcellently on a project.

(04:00):
And if we're lacking informationand we need to make some
decisions on our own at timesand it's clear from the client
that that's going to beacceptable, we will do that.
Keep things moving forward,because not only is a beautiful
product a great sign of successfor our clients, but also
sticking to our timeline andbudget are also really important
.
So you know, if we feel theneed to keep a project moving,

(04:20):
even though we may not have allthe feedback from a client, you
know we can do that.
But again, the principle isthat we're not cutting corners.
We're building and designingyour project the same, whether
you're there watching or not,because we're committed to that
quality and we're committed todeliver an excellent product
regardless of the circumstancesthat we're in.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
So is there a Goldilocks level of involvement
Not too much, not too little,but just right.

Speaker 3 (04:49):
I would say so.
We see, on the low involvementside, risk for a client is that
they might not get somethingthat they wanted, or might get
something that they didn't wantbecause they weren't involved
enough in some decision-makingand design processes.
On the other extreme, you canbe involved too much and the
most detrimental effectpotentially could be from that

(05:10):
is just slowing the project downand not giving it the room to
work.
A lot of times we have to workthrough an issue and we'd rather
work through it internally inour team and then bring it to
the client where, if a clientcomes in the middle of that
process when an error or anissue is discovered, it can
sometimes get convoluted becausethey might think there's a

(05:33):
major problem going on whereit's just a small issue that
needs to be figured out throughsome engineering or something
like that, and getting involvedand worked up potentially about
a situation can slow things down.
One thing that kind of ties thisall together, I'd say, is just
being able to have the wholeproject scope and check with the

(05:56):
client along at key milestonesduring the project scope so that
we make sure.
Ok, here's where we are.
At this point we need to atleast get your approval as much
or as little as you want to lookthrough it and dive into the
details, that's fine, but we doneed to get these key milestones
checked off in order to movethrough the process to the next
step.
So yeah, there is a goodGoldilocks level of involvement

(06:19):
and it probably gives us alittle room to do our work.
But don't give us so much roomthat we're kind of left
wondering what you want, whereyou want to go with the project
and make sure you're there forthose key decisions.

Speaker 2 (06:30):
Okay, If I let you guys make all the choices, am I
going to end up with a housefull of contractor favorite
beige.

Speaker 3 (06:40):
We're not typically set free and just designing
projects on our own.
Our clients are usually veryinvolved.
However, we obviously have alot of experience in designing
spaces and are familiar withmodern design trends and all
those things.
We even are designing somemodel ADUs now that will really
showcase some modern andtransitional type of designs

(07:01):
that we think are going to goreally well.
So, yeah, we're confident.
Our design team has lots andlots of experience and, whatever
you end up with, if we wereleft with all the decisions, I'm
confident that you would beleft with a beautiful,
ergonomical, functional space.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
Love it, Alex.
Catch you on the next episode.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
Have a great day, you too too.
Thanks, tony, we'll see you.
That's a wrap for this episodeof the stream home construction
podcast.
Ready to bring your vision tolife?
Snag a free on-siteconsultation by visiting our
website at wwwyourstreamhomecom,or call or text us at
719-644-6777.

(07:52):
Until next time, let's keepbuilding your residential and
commercial dream in the greaterColorado Springs area.