knowledge

Design Frequently Asked Questions

Building a custom home can be an intimidating and overwhelming experience, but that’s where our Design Team steps in. They act as a liaison between your Pinterest boards and magazine clippings to the execution of your dream home. This means everything from shopping show rooms with you to preparing inspired looks that fit within your budget, tracking decisions and changes, and pacing you through the many exciting choices you get to make.

The Maillot Homes Lead Interior Designer, Jessica Moody, answered some Frequently Asked Questions from new clients when it comes to designing their new home.

How do I know if everything I’m selecting will go together?

The best part of working with a Design Expert is that they will have a full understanding of your vision and the big picture of the project. While you follow your curiosity and interests, they’ll step in with guidance and advice. You’ll be making decisions together, every step of the way.

We use Flat Lays that take small physical samples of the materials used within and on the exterior of your home so you can touch, feel, and pair options. This will give you a sense of the atmosphere and textures of your future home.

Throughout your custom home building process, you will also receive renderings. These are 3D images of your home that show how your selections work within the floor plan of your home.

All these tools will give you a full picture of what to expect. Of course, nothing quite prepares our clients for the awe of seeing their home in person for the first time.

How will I remember everything I chose?

Building a custom home can take 18 months to 2 years to build! We divide your decision making into small chunks to reduce overwhelm and decision fatigue. This means it can be a long time between making a choice and seeing the final product. Our Design Team will document each choice, change and keep a record that you can revisit any time. Our Design Team will also keep you on track so your home build schedule does not fall behind!

How do I stay on budget?

If our clients fall in love with a certain detail that is outside their price range, there are multiple options for moving forward. The first one is to splurge! If the detail is that important our Design Team will work to find other areas to save money or cut back in order to make the dream a reality. The other option is for our Design Team to find something with the exact look but at a price that does fall within the budget.

A great example would be the difference between porcelain and ceramic tiles. Porcelain tiles are high quality tiles that are great to use in wet locations. Ceramic tiles are less durable but still great to use on walls, with a wide variety of colours, and less expensive.

How much time do I need to spend on this? 

As much as you want! Our Design Team can work around your schedule to allow for the smoothest and most enjoyable process possible. Every client has different interests. If you love to shop, we’d love to go with you! If you want to decide based off of a limited selection we’ve pre-combed through, we’re happy to do that as well.

This feels so big, where do I start?

It is big! Building your dream home is important. We promise to listen and give you our best every step of the way.

You can start by visiting our Pinterest or Custom Home Gallery to get inspired and start narrowing down the vision you have for your new home.

The next step would be to reach out so we can build a connection.

We’ll be here every step of the way answering questions and guiding you through one choice at a time, until you step through the front door of your astounding new home.