From Concept to Keys, Step 1: Design & Discovery

Jaime Costilla ·

The First Step: A Plan You Actually Trust

Most remodels go sideways before a single hammer swings. The cause is almost always the same — fuzzy plans, soft numbers, and a contractor who is "happy to figure it out as we go." That is exactly how a $90,000 kitchen turns into a $140,000 fight.

At Vision Homes we start every project the opposite way: a structured discovery and design phase that produces a fixed scope, fixed schedule, and fixed price before we ask you to commit.

What Happens in the First 30 Days

Days 1–3: On-site walkthrough. A senior project manager visits your home, measures the relevant areas, takes detailed photos, and listens. We are looking for two things — what you want, and what your house will let us do without forcing structural surprises later.

Days 4–10: Concept design. Our in-house designer produces 2–3 layout concepts. Moving a wall on paper is free. Moving it after framing is $8,000 and three weeks. We push as many decisions as possible into this phase.

Days 11–20: Selections & specs. Cabinet style, countertop, tile, flooring, fixtures, paint. Every selection lands in your project specification document. No "TBD" line items.

Days 21–30: Engineering & fixed-price proposal. Structural engineer reviews any wall removals, additions, or new construction. We then issue a binding proposal — fixed price, fixed start date, fixed completion date.

Why This Saves You Money

Industry studies put change orders at 10–30% of the original contract on a typical remodel. On a $100,000 kitchen, that's $10,000–$30,000 of pain you didn't budget for, almost always blamed on "things we couldn't have predicted."

Most of the time, those things could have been predicted with a slower discovery phase. We move slow at the start so we can move fast — and stay on budget — once construction begins.

Decisions You'll Make in This Phase

  • Layout (open, semi-open, defined rooms)
  • Cabinet & countertop selections
  • Tile, flooring, paint
  • Plumbing & electrical fixtures
  • Lighting plan
  • Smart-home pre-wiring
  • Storage strategy
  • Aging-in-place considerations

Every selection is documented and signed. When the foreman hands the project to the trades, there is no guesswork.

Pro Tips From Barak and Jaime's 30+ Combined Years of Experience

  1. Bring inspiration photos — even 5 saved Pinterest pins clarify your taste faster than a 30-minute conversation.
  2. Decide who the decision-maker is. Spouses voting 1–1 is the #1 cause of schedule slippage.
  3. Pad your finish budget by 10% for the upgrades you'll fall in love with mid-project.
  4. Don't pick fixtures by photo alone — touch them in a showroom if possible.
  5. Ask your designer about life-cycle, not just sticker price. A $1,200 faucet you love beats a $200 faucet you tolerate for 15 years.

Ready to start your discovery phase? Book a free consultation and we'll spend 60 minutes mapping out your project — no sales pitch, no pressure.

Free consultation