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Posted almost 6 years ago

Streamline your Renovations with a Style Guide: 6 Steps

When embarking on a renovation project there are many factors to consider, and so many choices to make it can seem overwhelming, not to mention time consuming.  That's why you need a style guide. 

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Long a staple of journalism students and professional brand managers, a style guide will help your renovations (and maintenance) run more smoothly, and result in a better product. 

WHY YOU NEED A STYLE GUIDE

  • DEFINE THE LOOK AND FEEL.  At a macro level, your renovations should reflect the character of the property.  Giving this some thought will help guide your product selections. Traditional vs modern, urban vs country will pare down the choice on many products.
  • DEFINE THE SCOPE OF WORK.  In reviewing what will be repaired or replaced down to the last detail, you will have defined what professional(s) you need, and the associated scope of work.  This will help to avoid oversights and delays while waiting for a trades person to finish off over-looked details. Adding an appliance like a dishwasher or microwave?  Think backwards to the wiring and get an electrician on schedule. 
  • LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE.  By considering every element of a renovation, your contractor won't be left guessing which vanity to purchase or if you wanted chrome or brass trim. 
  • EFFICIENCY.  As the project owner, a style guide allows you to make your plans once, and leverage this across units or properties.  For your contractors, that means fewer trips to the store for forgotten or incorrect items. 
  • VALUE.  By noting colors, model numbers, and other specifics later repairs can be easier to arrange since the repair person can skip a trip to the unit to find this basic information.

6 STEPS TO MAKING AND USING A STYLE GUIDE

1. CHOOSE A PLATFORM. I started with a simple Word document, but keeping track of information across team members was tedious and confusing.  Now, I utilize Google Keep to quickly and easily share information across the appropriate team members.   The style guides looked like this for my last remodel in my Keep account.

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2. DIVIDE AND CONQUER.  I have broken the project down primarily by zone, with universal spec's for paint, flooring, and other finishes that flow between rooms contained within their own lists.  In this way, I can focus on one room, like the kitchen, and consider all the details from appliances to sink, to paint, to tile.   

3. GET DETAILED.  As you can see above, I specified everything for this kitchen remodel - from the paint color to the faucet. The ability to add photos and hyperlinks, ensures that the right materials can be easily ordered - from the vendor of your choice.  Not only does this leave nothing to surprise, but materials can be selected and ordered by any team member.  It also allows us to keep using materials that work, and avoid those that don't - regardless of who orders or installs the material. 

4. DELEGATE.  Now that the list is complete, it can be shared with the appropriate team members, and everyone is on the same page.  The lists can be accessed by mobile devices - making it easy for tradespeople to find and purchase the right materials wherever they are.  

5. MONITOR.  Any changes made by team members are tracked.  I can see notes and additions made by others, as well as tasks that have been checked as completed.  This can be a real time saver.  I no longer need to call my contractors to check their work progress - I can easily review the status of everyone's work by reviewing my Keep lists.  This assumes you trust your team, and doesn't negate phone conversations and in-person status checks, but it's a great way to communicate day to day. 

6. ARCHIVE.  Now that the remodel is finished, product details don't disappear with the discarded paint cans and appliance boxes.  When future maintenance is required, nearly every detail of the unit is here - oftentimes negating a preliminary trip to the unit by the repair person.  This makes repairs faster, less expensive, and less intrusive to the tenant.  Moreover, knowing product details makes it easier to keep using great products on future projects, and failing products more easily avoided. 

Creating a style guide is an upfront investment in time and attention that will make renovating and maintaining your property easier and more efficient. 



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