Don't Forget These 25 Things!

There are SO many things to think about during a design process, and then construction starts, and things get even crazier. It’s easy to forget things, and it’s easy to let things fall through the cracks - but making sure you don’t is a true differentiator. When you’ve got the details covered, your project not only looks better, it functions better and construction is easier, too.

The thing is, if you as owner or architect or designer don’t choose something, the GC will, and many times without consulting you. They’re trying to get the job done on time, and they’ll just pull from whatever they used on “the last one” whether it fits the goals/aesthetic of your project or not. It’s a major reason why so many projects look alike - the owner didn’t spec anything, so the GC goes to Home Depot and gets whatever is available. Not the way to make your project stand out, and definitely not an efficient use of the GC’s time!

Here at Runcible, we want to make projects that stand out for our clients. When we enter construction, our drawings get put to the test…and with every project, we hone our drawings, specs, and schedules to make the GC’s job easier [and ours, too!] We keep a running list of “oh sh*t we forgot that, don’t want to forget it on the next one” - and here’s an excerpt from that list.

I’m going to assume you’re already doing the right thing and specifying all the fixtures and major finishes already, and not leaving that til “later” and/or to the GC…if you’re not, well, get on it.

Ok, the list:

1. Window tempering - it’s easy to get this right in the usual locations, but there are some tricky/not commonly known spots where tempering is required

2. Switch plate covers - go screwless. Tiny detail, really elevates things.

3. Dimmers - don’t go fancy. Lutron Diva is fine.

4. Grout colors - choose this onsite with the tile in hand, in the proper lighting. Getting this wrong looks really bad and is really hard to fix.