So, your client is ready to build their dream house. It’s sure to be an emotional rollercoaster, but you can prepare them to ride out the ups and downs. To help you do this, we’re sharing four strategies from an architect and builder based in New Jersey. 

Mahmoud “Mike” Elayan of ECS Homes and Dan D’Agostino, AIA, of Plan Architecture have helped more than a few clients realize their home dreams. Here's how they manage client expectations. 

D’Agostino often kicks off the design process by asking the client, “We’ve finished your project, you walk in the front door, what do you see? What do you feel?” Often, the client doesn’t have a response, and that’s where the real work begins. Understanding their needs is the initial task, but it’s also an ongoing one. 

When a moment comes that the reality of the project isn't matching the client’s vision, “emotional Armageddon” as Elayan calls it, they take a two-pronged approach. First, they remind the clients that “we’re doing the best we can with the information you provided” and second, asking, “How can we get this right?” This question puts the ball back in the client’s court so there’s a “better chance of giving them exactly what they want,” Elayan said. "It's never take it or leave it.”  

In Elayan’s experience, rare is the client who’s willing to buy everything top of the line, even though that’s what their inspiration photos show. When it comes to counseling clients through tough decisions about where to spend and where to save, D’Agostino thinks more like a builder exercising his influence to advocate for the building envelope. He tells clients that while countertops and flooring can be changed out later, siding, trim, and windows are essential to the integrity of the building.

In turn, Elayan is a builder who thinks more like an architect coming up with cost-effective solutions that preserve the design intent. For example, he and D’Agostino used a PVC sheet to create a custom trim detail that saved the client from spending thousands of dollars on $5 brackets. It was such a successful innovation that their siding contractor now uses the detail regularly on all sorts of projects. 

“It’s a daunting process, but when [the client] is mentally prepared for what’s to come, it can be very fun,” Elayan said in summary.