We recently purchased a home that had been flooded during Harvey. The previous owner removed all damage and did the remedial work and so now we pretty much have a clean slate to work with including all new flooring, cabinetry, finishings, etc. We are going to remove the fireplace and knock out a wall between the formal dining room and living room. We will most likely also raise some ceilings and re-arrange the lay-out in the master bathroom. This is going to be a complete remodel and a major project.

My thoughts are to first work with a home designer and decide exactly what we want to do and to try and decide as much as possible up front. We would then produce a Request for Proposal type of document that I could provide to several contractors to obtain competitive bids. What type of designer help should I seek? I don't necessarily believe that I need an architect, but maybe we do. Is this what an interior designer / interior decorator does? I know some of the remodeling companies offer design services, but my concern is that once I go through the process to have them develop the design, I would pretty much be locked into using them for the actual remodeling.

With respect, I am not interested in opinions on the integrity of the home or repeat flooding or the remedial work done post-flood or anything of that nature. The home had 15" of water in it. The water was there for around 2 days and we have records / pictures of the remedial work that was done immediately after the water receded. The home is 50 years old and had never flooded prior to water being released from the dams. We completed very thorough due diligence during the inspection period and we feel very content on both the structural integrity of the home as well as the price we paid for it. I am really only looking for feedback on the remodeling process.

Thanks for any feedback you all may have!

A quality interior designer can help in design and also create the build documents. We used one for a major remodel we did on our home that was similar in scale to what you described, and though it's expensive (4 digits usually), it was worth it in the long run.

The designer we used was Herndon Design. She typically works with a specific contractor, but she may have expanded her client base by now. I am sure their are others...

I wouldn't hire a contractor who couldn't handle their own design issues. They should also have their own architect. My home flooded, and we had to do this too.

If you want to hire a designer, get someone who does more interior design, not structural stuff. The contractor should be able to handle the structural design.

It was much better to sit down with our contractor and move wall around, etc, on his computer, rather than hand that off to someone else. You will have enough communication gaps already without separating tasks even more.

Will you be purchasing flood insurance on this property before you spend 5 to 6 figures remodeling it ?

I t depends.

If you want to move load bearing walls and change the flow of the living areas you will need an architect and a structural engineer potentially. I would say if your moving roof lines the same you need architect and structural engineer.
If the layout is staying the same I'd go with a good interior designer.
I think you'll be glad you have a professional designer in lieu of letting a contractor that has an architect that works for him do the job. Let me know if you need any recommendations. I just did this at my house

Wiggletrace said:

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A quality interior designer can help in design and also create the build documents. We used one for a major remodel we did on our home that was similar in scale to what you described, and though it's expensive (4 digits usually), it was worth it in the long run.

The designer we used was Herndon Design. She typically works with a specific contractor, but she may have expanded her client base by now. I am sure their are others...

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Absolutely this! Especially if you're doing a kitchen, find someone whose work you like unless you'd rather study up (extensively) and plan it on your own. There's a huge difference in quality between kitchens contractor-designed vs. with an actual designer. Too many little things to go through them all but they all add up.

I'd also have them do your bathrooms if you're looking for something nice. Don't forget prewiring for speakers, outlets, and whatever else you'd like to do since it sounds like lots of walls are going to be open!

JP76 said:

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Will you be purchasing flood insurance on this property before you spend 5 to 6 figures remodeling it ?

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FIFY, unless OP lives in a tiny house.

Whitestone does incredible remodels. Give them a call.

https://whitestonebuilders.com/contact/

Whitestone looking for some cash flow with all of their property holdings and new builds. I noticed they just recently added "renovations" to all of their signs.

When you're looking for tile and granite installations and bathroom work, will you think of me? My boyfriend owns his own installation company out of Austin but it's expanding to B/CS because I'm here. He's extremely detail oriented and has been in the business for over 18 years.

MAS444 said:

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Whitestone looking for some cash flow with all of their property holdings and new builds. I noticed they just recently added "renovations" to all of their signs.

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They added it because they have been doing it for quite a while without marketing. And with so many remodels available, they decided to market for it as well. Has nothing to do with cash flow. They do great work.

I agree...they have done great work.