possible and what's not. They'll document the design process through meeting notes and drawings. They'll show you more than one solution and help you to decide what fits you best, and the best pros will be able to help you accomplish all of this creatively. Design pros can help you choose a builder, and keep an eye on the construction process.

And you don't necessarily have to engage a design professional for a full range of services. Most will be happy to work up a few preliminary sketches for you, or even just consult with you for a couple of hours.

Before long, you'll find the whole process much less daunting, maybe even exciting. You'll be making informed decisions, and looking forward to construction. Your friends and family will be able to point out with pride the ideas of theirs that you found a way to incorporate into your design. Your kids will appreciate the rooms you designed just the way t

So you're outgrowing your house, or the kids are leaving you with an empty nest, or you wake up one morning and realize that your carpet and paint are twenty years old. You want to know what makes the most sense for you and your family - how do you decide whether to redecorate, remodel, build new, or move? When you start thinking about your home design, remodeling, or redecorating project, you'll probably find that everyone from your kids to your mailman has ideas about what you should or shouldn't do. Everybody just wants to help, but their opinions conflict and you're not sure who really knows what they're talking about. But you're eager for some advice, since the design process is new to you and you don't want to make mistakes.

A Little Market Research An experienced real estate agent is a great source of information as you begin to form the first thoughts about your project. If you're leaning towards remodeling, a good agent can tell you about neighborhood trends and clue you in to what's going on in your area - is money being spent on remodeling, or are people moving away? Maybe you live in a "hot" area and your house has appreciated dramatically - do you stay there or do you cash out?

If you're thinking you'd like to build a new home, a well-informed real estate agent can quickly narrow down your property choices, saving you a lot of time. He might also know about lots that haven't come on to the market yet - and might be just what you're looking for.

Most far-sighted agents will be happy to consult with you at this point whether or not you're planning on buying a house or a lot; be sure to choose someone who knows your area very well.

Get Organized Before you jump into the deep end of this pool, get organized - that's the key to sorting through the advice you're hearing, and to managing the hundreds of decisions you'll have to make for even a small redecorating project. A good place to start is with a design notebook, a three-ring binder filled with manila pocket folders, each one labeled with a room in the house or a design task you want to accomplish. Into these pockets go paint chips, magazine clippings, photos, and notes scribbled from conversations with friends. The design notebook becomes a record of your decisions and helps you explain to others what you're trying to do.

With your impeccably organized design notebook in hand, you'll find - as if by magic - that the advice of your confidants becomes much more focused and clear. Suddenly their comments will start to help you (rather than add to your confusion) and you'll be able to ask their opinions on specific choices you've made.

Making Plans Now you've got a pretty good idea what you need, but what form should it take? Your neighbors have suggested adding a room on the first floor; your uncle (the part-time carpenter) thinks you ought to tear off the roof and add a second floor; your boss insists that finishing off the basement is the cheapest way to go; your niece (who's taking evening classes in interior design) is sure that new furniture and window treatments will do the trick, and you'd like to look into building a new home. How do you make sense of all the possibilities?

The design process is all about making choices, often about subjects you're not very familiar with. Design professionals (architects and interior designers) are trained to help you organize your ideas and sort through all of your choices in addition to their "traditional" design tasks. They can review the factors that influence your decisions and show you what's possible and what's not. They'll document the design process through meeting notes and drawings. They'll show you more than one solution and help you to decide what fits you best, and the best pros will be able to help you accomplish all of this creatively. Design pros can help you choose a builder, and keep an eye on the construction process.

And you don't necessarily have to engage a design professional for a full range of services. Most will be happy to work up a few preliminary sketches for you, or even just consult with you for a couple of hours.

Before long, you'll find the whole process much less daunting, maybe even exciting. You'll be making informed decisions, and looking forward to construction. Your friends and family will be able to point out with pride the ideas of theirs that you found a way to incorporate into your design. Your kids will appreciate the rooms you designed just the way t

s about your project. If you're leaning towards remodeling, a good agent can tell you about neighborhood trends and clue you in to what's going on in your area - is money being spent on remodeling, or are people moving away? Maybe you live in a "hot" area and your house has appreciated dramatically - do you stay there or do you cash out?

If you're thinking you'd like to build a new home, a well-informed real estate agent can quickly narrow down your property choices, saving you a lot of time. He might also know about lots that haven't come on to the market yet - and might be just what you're looking for.

Most far-sighted agents will be happy to consult with you at this point whether or not you're planning on buying a house or a lot; be sure to choose someone who knows your area very well.

Get Organized Before you jump into the deep end of this pool, get organized - that's the key to sorting through the advice you're hearing, and to managing the hundreds of decisions you'll have to make for even a small redecorating project. A good place to start is with a design notebook, a three-ring binder filled with manila pocket folders, each one labeled with a room in the house or a design task you want to accomplish. Into these pockets go paint chips, magazine clippings, photos, and notes scribbled from conversations with friends. The design notebook becomes a record of your decisions and helps you explain to others what you're trying to do.

With your impeccably organized design notebook in hand, you'll find - as if by magic - that the advice of your confidants becomes much more focused and clear. Suddenly their comments will start to help you (rather than add to your confusion) and you'll be able to ask their opinions on specific choices you've made.

Making Plans Now you've got a pretty good idea what you need, but what form should it take? Your neighbors have suggested adding a room on the first floor; your uncle (the part-time carpenter) thinks you ought to tear off the roof and add a second floor; your boss insists that finishing off the basement is the cheapest way to go; your niece (who's taking evening classes in interior design) is sure that new furniture and window treatments will do the trick, and you'd like to look into building a new home. How do you make sense of all the possibilities?

The design process is all about making choices, often about subjects you're not very familiar with. Design professionals (architects and interior designers) are trained to help you organize your ideas and sort through all of your choices in addition to their "traditional" design tasks. They can review the factors that influence your decisions and show you what's possible and what's not. They'll document the design process through meeting notes and drawings. They'll show you more than one solution and help you to decide what fits you best, and the best pros will be able to help you accomplish all of this creatively. Design pros can help you choose a builder, and keep an eye on the construction process.

And you don't necessarily have to engage a design professional for a full range of services. Most will be happy to work up a few preliminary sketches for you, or even just consult with you for a couple of hours.

Before long, you'll find the whole process much less daunting, maybe even exciting. You'll be making informed decisions, and looking forward to construction. Your friends and family will be able to point out with pride the ideas of theirs that you found a way to incorporate into your design. Your kids will appreciate the rooms you designed just the way t

to sorting through the advice you're hearing, and to managing the hundreds of decisions you'll have to make for even a small redecorating project. A good place to start is with a design notebook, a three-ring binder filled with manila pocket folders, each one labeled with a room in the house or a design task you want to accomplish. Into these pockets go paint chips, magazine clippings, photos, and notes scribbled from conversations with friends. The design notebook becomes a record of your decisions and helps you explain to others what you're trying to do.

With your impeccably organized design notebook in hand, you'll find - as if by magic - that the advice of your confidants becomes much more focused and clear. Suddenly their comments will start to help you (rather than add to your confusion) and you'll be able to ask their opinions on specific choices you've made.

Making Plans Now you've got a pretty good idea what you need, but what form should it take? Your neighbors have suggested adding a room on the first floor; your uncle (the part-time carpenter) thinks you ought to tear off the roof and add a second floor; your boss insists that finishing off the basement is the cheapest way to go; your niece (who's taking evening classes in interior design) is sure that new furniture and window treatments will do the trick, and you'd like to look into building a new home. How do you make sense of all the possibilities?

The design process is all about making choices, often about subjects you're not very familiar with. Design professionals (architects and interior designers) are trained to help you organize your ideas and sort through all of your choices in addition to their "traditional" design tasks. They can review the factors that influence your decisions and show you what's possible and what's not. They'll document the design process through meeting notes and drawings. They'll show you more than one solution and help you to decide what fits you best, and the best pros will be able to help you accomplish all of this creatively. Design pros can help you choose a builder, and keep an eye on the construction process.

And you don't necessarily have to engage a design professional for a full range of services. Most will be happy to work up a few preliminary sketches for you, or even just consult with you for a couple of hours.

Before long, you'll find the whole process much less daunting, maybe even exciting. You'll be making informed decisions, and looking forward to construction. Your friends and family will be able to point out with pride the ideas of theirs that you found a way to incorporate into your design. Your kids will appreciate the rooms you designed just the way t

ng>Now you've got a pretty good idea what you need, but what form should it take? Your neighbors have suggested adding a room on the first floor; your uncle (the part-time carpenter) thinks you ought to tear off the roof and add a second floor; your boss insists that finishing off the basement is the cheapest way to go; your niece (who's taking evening classes in interior design) is sure that new furniture and window treatments will do the trick, and you'd like to look into building a new home. How do you make sense of all the possibilities?

The design process is all about making choices, often about subjects you're not very familiar with. Design professionals (architects and interior designers) are trained to help you organize your ideas and sort through all of your choices in addition to their "traditional" design tasks. They can review the factors that influence your decisions and show you what's possible and what's not. They'll document the design process through meeting notes and drawings. They'll show you more than one solution and help you to decide what fits you best, and the best pros will be able to help you accomplish all of this creatively. Design pros can help you choose a builder, and keep an eye on the construction process.

And you don't necessarily have to engage a design professional for a full range of services. Most will be happy to work up a few preliminary sketches for you, or even just consult with you for a couple of hours.

Before long, you'll find the whole process much less daunting, maybe even exciting. You'll be making informed decisions, and looking forward to construction. Your friends and family will be able to point out with pride the ideas of theirs that you found a way to incorporate into your design. Your kids will appreciate the rooms you designed just the way t

possible and what's not. They'll document the design process through meeting notes and drawings. They'll show you more than one solution and help you to decide what fits you best, and the best pros will be able to help you accomplish all of this creatively. Design pros can help you choose a builder, and keep an eye on the construction process.

And you don't necessarily have to engage a design professional for a full range of services. Most will be happy to work up a few preliminary sketches for you, or even just consult with you for a couple of hours.

Before long, you'll find the whole process much less daunting, maybe even exciting. You'll be making informed decisions, and looking forward to construction. Your friends and family will be able to point out with pride the ideas of theirs that you found a way to incorporate into your design. Your kids will appreciate the rooms you designed just the way they wanted, and even the mailman will remind you of how he suggested the location for the mailbox.