• Your Role in the Building or Remodeling Process
• Personal Needs Inventory & Wish List
• Space Planning
• Accessibility & Universal Design
• Safety
• Principles of Good Design
• Finding & Defining Your Style

Your Role in the Building or Remodeling Process

How do you find the best person for your job?

• Recommendations from a friend or relative who has worked with a designer whose taste your admire, who brought the project in on budget, and with whom they had a good overall experience.
• Yellow Pages
• Better Business Bureau
• National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA)
• American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)

Various professionals you may choose to work:

• Interior Designer
• Certified Bath Designer/Certified Bath Remodeler
• Architect
• Contractor
• Specialty Subcontractors

Finding the Right Professional for the Job

• Keep in mind that hiring a licensed builder or subcontractor means that they have met state requirements to perform a certain service. It doesn't guarantee the quality of the job.
• Interview a number of prospects. Then, before deciding who to work with, ask yourself:
  • Does the designer and/or contractor listen well when you express your needs and wants?
  • Is he or she qualified to handle the project?
  • Do you feel you can work with this person?

Planning and Design Assistance

• Interior Designer - For best results take your ideas and rough plans to a professional designer. He or she will help you organize the layout, colors, fixtures, cabinets, floor and wall finishes for your room. A designer will either design the entire project or work as a consultant, providing ideas on how to make your plan work. The worst thing is a designer who tried to sell you a design scheme that is theirs, not yours. Mutual respect is very important.
• Certified Bath Designer/Certified Bath Remodeler - A certified bath designer or remodeler specializes in the design of bath spaces. He or she may work independently, for a kitchen and bath supplier, a home center, or a showroom. Like an interior designer, a certified bath designer or remodeler will help you organize the various aspects of your bath project.
• Architect - If you are building a new home, adding space or want to make structural changes, such as moving walls, work with an architect. Architects are also important if you plan major mechanical renovation, including electrical, plumbing or ventilation changes. An architect will translate your ideas into plans that you or a contractor can build from.

Construction Assistance

• Contractor - If you want to keep things simple and work with only one party, a general contractor is the way to go. General contractors, often listed as "Builders" in the Yellow Pages, will manage your entire project and oversee subcontractors. In hopes of securing your business, most contractors will provide you with plans and specifications for your project.
• Subcontractors - If you are remodeling, specialized trade contractors will do the parts of your project you choose not to do or aren't qualified to do.
  • Plumbing and heating contractors will install fixtures, as well as the water supplies and heating ducts.
  • Carpenters will frame the space, put in floors, and install cabinets.
  • Electricians will wire the space for lighting, outlets and any special electrical needs you may have relative to something like a whirlpool bath.