Helping design and building businesses during this crisis offers advantages for homeowners
By Becky Harris March 21, 2020

You may have been planning to start a home project or remodel this spring and are wondering what to do now that people are being urged or told to stay at home. The coronavirus crisis makes it hard to imagine hiring a designer, shopping for your home or meeting with home pros to talk about a project. But one silver lining of this crisis cloud is that it may be one of most optimal times to do so.

You can stay safely isolated at home and still get started on a project and support the design and construction pros who are such an integral part of our community. If you were already planning a project, or if spending so much time at home has you thinking of improvements you’d like to make, here are some suggestions that will help you improve your home while you support these small businesses.

1. Set Up a Virtual Consult

“Keeping people employed helps the overall economy,” architect Jonathan Kuhn says. And during this crisis, an advantage for homeowners is that many pros have more time on their hands than they normally would — no commutes, site visits, show houses or markets are keeping them from working on your project. Fill that time with a virtual consultation.

If you haven’t yet found a pro to work with, you can start by searching the Houzz pro directory for an architect, designer or remodeler whose style, location and specialties match your needs.

Then it’s as simple as using FaceTime or Skype to give pros a tour of your space. You can answer their style and function questionnaires, share inspiration photos in Houzz ideabooks and get to know each other without having to meet in person.

See Schroeder Design/Build’s plan for Virtual Consultations.

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