A Smooth Remodel

Decision Fatigue Syndrome isn’t a clinically recognized condition but perhaps it should be. S.E.A. Construction’s Petalyn Albert coined the term for that enveloping fog of tiredness that can descend on even the style-savviest homeowners during a remodel.

“Decision Fatigue Syndrome can occur anywhere between demolition and drywall,” Albert says.  She’s seen it hit people before they’ve even made their first decision.
?Here are just some of the early symptoms of decision-fatigue Albert identified:
1. You wonder which color chip you’ll hit with a flying dart.
2. You call Fido in to see which floor sample he’ll sit on first when he enters the room
3. You find yourself asking everyone their opinion; from the designer friend-of-a-friend who can get you a 99% discount, to the plumber on your job who confesses plainly that he’s color blind.

Although she can joke about it, Albert knows DFS can be a serious matter. Becoming overwhelmed can lead to an “I just don’t care anymore” frame of mind that can have adverse consequences for the project and everyone involved, notes Albert.  Her husband Steve Albert who founded S.E.A. Construction, a popular San Mateo-based firm, is a 22-year veteran of custom remodeling and renovation. His award winning team of in-house professionals has made it a priority to develop a deeper understanding of what their clients go through during a remodel and to offer extensive support and services in those areas.  

Isn’t DFS just part of doing a remodel? Yes, but it can be managed. Serial remodelers and professionals learn ways to cope. Even if you tackle a remodel only once or twice in your lifetime, Albert believes you can benefit from the wisdom of serial remodelers to make that once or twice in a lifetime project a better experience for you and your family.

The key step that pays dividends, according to Albert, is establishing your criteria for making decisions before you even make your first decision. “Without pre-set criteria, each decision takes more effort and energy than it needs to, hastening your journey to Numbs-Ville,” Albert said.
Start with the basics:
1. Where will quantity apply? e.g. Large floor areas? Field Tile? Number of sconces?
2. Where will quality apply? Touchable Cabinet hardware? Door locks? Italian Windows?
3. Where will sheer beauty apply? Designer color palette? Texture? Accents?
4. Which items/areas can you identify which will require a combination of two or all three of the above?

Now, here’s where the money comes in, Albert says. She offers a general guide when budgeting for your basics she calls “The 6 Q’s.” Keep in mind that the costs for each of the six “Q’s” can increase significantly when quantity, quality and beauty increase or combine with one another:
1) Quantity = $                  
2) Quantity + beauty = $$          
3) Quality = $$$              
4) Quality + quantity = $$$$             
5) Quality + beauty = $$$$$
6) Quality + beauty + quantity = $$$$$$

Criteria Part 1: Defining Questions for the 6 Q’s Albert’s corollary is that value typically equals price but price does not always equate to value. “When value doesn’t live up to price we feel cheated,” said Albert. “But if the price doesn’t live up to the value, we feel like we’ve won the lotto. Look for items you imagine carry a higher price than they actually do.”
• Before you looked at the tag, what do you estimate it would fetch?
• What did a similar item cost elsewhere?
• Is your sense of beauty excited?
• What about quality? How does your eye measure quality before you touch it?
• Did you instinctively assign a higher price tag to the item than it actually costs?

The Criteria Part 2: Defining Questions for including core values Always be prepared to ask why an item’s cost is so low or so high. If it’s higher than you expected think of it as an opportunity to further refine your educated eye. You are the only one who can decide if the reason justifies the price tag. On the other hand, if it is remarkably less expensive it is important to find out why.

“The answer will inform you,” Albert says. “But more than that, you may want to qualify the reason: Asking the ‘why’ question could save you from making an iffy choice you’d have to live with for years.”
• Does the way the item was acquired offends you?
• How do you feel about forced labor or exploitive methods of acquisition?
• Does acquisition require deforestation or endanger a species?

Our purchases today go a long way in creating the world we get tomorrow so if you have ethical “Not on my watch and not with my money.” sensibilities, you should be sure to enlist them as part of your criteria. One last word of advice from Albert: Be smart about asking other people’s opinions. They may launch into a lengthy explanation of what they like and how they would approach the project, potentially disagreeing with almost everything you and your team have done so far. If this tends to rattle you, then you need to be very selective about whose opinions you seek. It’s your project – own it. Make your decisions and stand by them. There may be no way to completely avoid Decision Fatigue Syndrome. But you can manage it so that you avoid becoming emotionally exhausted during your remodel.

And best of all, you can always count on S.E.A. Construction’s accomplished team and coalition of skilled experts to help you narrow down your choices and support you through that valley of Decision Fatigue.