Hi Reader,
Recently someone asked me, “What has changed in construction since you got started 40 years ago?”
A lot has changed, but I think the biggest thing is that things have gotten way more complicated because there are way more decisions and choices — in every part of your renovation project.
Flooring is a great example.
It used to be: Do you want hardwood, linoleum, or carpet? Hardwood was the high end, then you had linoleum or carpet.
That was it. Those were your choices.
Then laminate came along and that transformed the flooring world. If you’re making a flooring decision today, you’re looking at acrylics, vinyls, ceramics, stone, wood, engineered wood, engineered stone, engineered everything. The whole funnel has exploded.
This is a challenge that every single trade is facing. There are no exceptions.
The sheer volume of stuff to sift through, to look at, to select from, has exploded by probably a factor of 1000%, and I'm not exaggerating.
Case in point: In my little world of cabinetry, we used to have a catalog for handles — cabinet handles — that was 20 pages long. Those were all your options.
Today, we have catalogs from suppliers that will be hundreds of pages each. And so you have literally thousands, if not tens of thousands, of handles to choose from now.
In some ways, that’s great! But there’s a downside, too: Choices require decisions, and decisions require time and research.
This is part of the reason why I push so hard to make sure you have a solid plan for your reno before you start swinging a hammer.
Choice is wonderful. Too much choice is overwhelming. Planning allows you to make your choices at your own pace.
Next week, we’ll chat about the other thing that has changed over the last 40 years: the rise of HGTV.
Until then, have a great weekend!
Gerald
P.S. Feeling overwhelmed by too much choice in your own reno? When you’re ready, my new 1:1 consult session is a great way to find some clarity and get unstuck.