One Dallas Interior Designer’s Argument in Favor of Scope Creep. (Yes, You Heard that Right.)

Interior designers are often their own worst client. Luckily, this has never been the case for me. I am a quick and confident decision maker — especially when it comes to anything design-related. In fact, I often joke that after moving to Dallas, I started Lark Interiors to save people from decision paralysis. Life is too short to spend weeks contemplating paint swatches, especially when a professional can pick the winner in less than five minutes.

So I wasn’t too nervous when we embarked upon a major renovation of our Dallas home. I took my own advice and planned the sh&t out of it. I preordered everything. We ended on-budget and (relatively) on-time. And I absolutely love my home. Truly. I walk out to breakfast every morning and smile at my kitchen like a love-sick teenager. I’m officially smitten.

So I should be totally regret free, right?

WRONG.

My Biggest Renovation Mistake was Not Doing More. (AKA - I Wish I Had Embraced Scope Creep)

We warn client’s about scope creep or “while-we-are-it” syndrome all the time. Scope creep is the thief of time and money. It is the bain of every contractor’s existence and the destroyer of a designer’s carefully laid plans. It is the One Ring - and it must be destroyed before it corrupts our clients.

Okay, I may have gotten a little carried away there… But, seriously, we treat it as enemy #1 in our industry.

But after my personal experience, I’ve decided that scope creep has gotten a bad rap. In fact, not giving into scope creep on my project is my #1 biggest regret when it comes to our renovation. Here are my arguments in favor of scope creep.

Reason #1: Grouping Projects Together is Less Expensive than Doing Them Separately

Yes. I know. House projects are expensive and money doesn’t grow on trees. A contractor’s estimate for any renovation is enough to make you choke on your Key Lime La Croix.

As a result, many people take on renovations in phases. They think “first we’ll do our kitchen, then in a couple of years we’ll do the bathroom,” and so on. The problem with that approach is that it actually ends up costing you more money in the long term.

Based on Dallas contractor estimates, breaking projects into pieces costs about 20%-25% more than doing them all at once.

And that estimate doesn’t even factor in inflation!

Think about it. For most renovations, you’ll need the same trades: electrician, plumber, painter, tile installer etc. Increasing the scope is like buying in bulk — trades often offer better deals for larger projects. It’s Econ 101: Efficiencies of Scale. Each trade can skip the hassle and hidden cost of extra trips, setting up and breaking down the work-site multiple times, and the downtime that comes from phasing a project out.

Reason #2: Grouping Projects Together Means They’ll Actually Get Done

It doesn’t matter how well-planned your renovation is or how good your contractor is, I guarantee you will be pushed to the brink of your sanity at least once or twice. (Probably thrice.)

Our personal project was a full gut. We overhauled the kitchen, replaced all windows and floors, renovated most of our bathrooms, created a laundry room, and did an 800 square foot addition. There was no way we could have lived in our home during the process. We would have been living in a tent with a camp stove and taking bucket showers (literally - our house was fully open to the elements for a good chunk of time.)

So we rented a small place near our home. I thought “small space - no problem! You’re talking to a former New Yorker. Small spaces are my JAM.”

I nearly divorced my entire family - including the kids and the dog - before it was over. Turns out, small spaces are no longer my jam.

So what’s the problem, you ask? We survived and I’ve already admitted how much I love our new space. Well, here’s the problem. We didn’t finish it. We still have one critical space to renovate. My bathroom. Here are the kids and guest bathrooms in my home:

And here’s my bathroom. I took this photo five minutes ago:

It is a 25-year-old horror show. The shower is so small that I have to use some very creative yoga skills to shave my legs. The tile is a major slipping hazard (just talk to my tailbone). And the shower water goes from freezing cold to scorching hot - with no in-between temperature. Not to mention the floorplan is terrible. I could practically roller skate in here, but only have room for about three pairs of shoes in the closet.

Here’s the kicker: I have a beautiful design drawn up for this room. BEAUTIFUL. We even have the money saved. But we can’t bring ourselves to pull the trigger. Why? Renovation PTSD. We know how hard it is. We lived through it. And we don’t want to live through it again.

My husband and I do a big annual financial review every December. And every December since the renovation, we’ve looked at our savings account and said “let’s do it. Let’s get the bathroom done.” And then, as soon as I start seriously calling my contractor friends, we get cold feet. We think about how we’ll have to sleep in our daughter’s room. We think about having to move everything out of our closet (again!) And we decide to live with it for just a little longer. At least I’ll get to continue to swear at the broken vanity drawers holding my underwear for a little bit longer.

Reason #3: You’ll Actually Get to Enjoy the Results

We get calls from people all the time who want to renovate their kitchen or bathroom in order to put their house on the market. It always makes us so sad — to spend all that money/hassle/time fixing up your home and never get to enjoy it? Bummer!

I do understand how it happens. Anyone that has sold a house has been there. You know you have to get your house ready for the public — so you finally do all those things you have been putting off/ignoring for years. You fix that annoying broken light switch. You patch up that hole in the garage drywall. You finish all the projects on the to-do list. And then you look at your house and think “why didn’t I do this earlier so I could enjoy it.”

So here’s my plea: if you are going to do it eventually, do it now. If you’d do it for the “public” do it for YOU. Then you’ll actually get to enjoy it.

So That’s My Advice: Embrace Scope Creep.

Rip that band-aid off and get it done all at once. It’ll be cheaper, cause less stress, and you’ll get to enjoy the space longer. Win. Win. Win.

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