One of the most exciting phases of home restoration is choosing the fixtures and finishes that will take your dream home a step closer to reality.
Fixtures include plumbing and electrical items, such as faucets, lighting, outlets, switch covers, sinks, vanities, and even kitchen cabinets and appliances. Finishes include countertops, backsplash tile, flooring and wood trim.
In essence, it’s the inventory list that is created for every restoration project.
However, the buying process for finishes and fixtures is actually more complicated than merely choosing which products attract your eye. Clients often get caught up in the aesthetics of shopping: color, style, or fixture type. Before making those purchases, most homeowners don’t consider strict requirements, such as plumbing, electrical, structural or installment specifications.
Choosing and purchasing products without knowing if they are functionally compatible can cause trouble once the project begins. The frustrating ending: the client has to personally return the unused items to the distributor.
The solution: knowledge and education, before the first finishes and fixtures are chosen.
DBe offers a service providing a block of hours dedicated to the specific technical details of the finishes and fixtures clients want -- along with the actual costs.
With a firm price and advanced confirmation of the fixtures and finishes, the project comes out of the gate with the proper specs, along with the aesthetic choices that please the clients.
DBe designers will consider those choices and recommend a list of the best options: tile, plumbing/electrical fixtures, and more.
“We’ll make those purchases for the client,” says DBe founder Tambi Kat, “so that they can avoid these technical hazards. We’ll do the research so that the fixtures and finishes that are being selected and purchased are actually appropriate.”
Tambi adds that, of all the rooms involved in a restoration, kitchens and bathrooms are usually the most complicated, and where most of the fixture spending occurs. The rest of the property usually involves flooring, trim, doors and hardware.
The deliverable: a set of PDF documents featuring a visual image and cost of every desired fixture and finish. This consolidation makes it easy for the client to make final (and educated) selections.
The chosen inventory is clearly summarized in an easy-to-understand fixtures/finishes agreement. This is distinct from the traditional construction contract, which is usually confined to the cost of construction, labor, rough construction materials, and the installation of the finished package.
A typical construction contract could include a catch-all line item with an umbrella name of “fixtures/finishes” or “general allowances.” However, this billing is often not itemized or described in detail, leaving the client in the dark as to which items and services were included.
A DBe product purchasing contract, on the other hand, itemizes every fixtures/finishes purchase in detail. The transparency of separate agreement benefits and protects the client; Tambi says that the service has been educating homeowners for almost a decade, saving them time and money.
With a DBe fixtures/finishes purchasing contract, clients always know exactly what they are buying and paying for, and that the items they choose will work seamlessly into the restoration.