Design Ideas vs Real-World Build Limits

People often look at design and think something along the lines of, “Yeah. I could do that.” 

But then, when they give it a go, they realize that they, in fact, cannot do that.

But yeah, it’s no wonder people feel overconfident considering all the social media they’re being fed each and every day. 

You see walls disappearing and apartments being transformed into open-concept living. They see bathrooms being renovated and suddenly looking bigger and super premium just because of new (bigger) tiles, a few waterproof LED lights around the place, and a walk-in shower instead of the traditional bathtub. Then you see that same open-concept living room from earlier with a massive skylight letting all the daylight into the room that you could wish for. 

And you think to yourself, “Hmm, this doesn’t look too difficult to do. I should probably DIY that.”

And yeah. That happens A LOT. 

But these same people don’t realize that bearing walls can’t just be hammered down, or you’d endanger the entire building. Or they don’t think about how you can’t replace all the main plumbing lines just like that. I mean, it’s so easy, right? You just move them over there, and that’s it. And before you know it, your budget is spent, and you’re nowhere near being done. 

And the issue isn’t someone making a mistake somewhere, but trying to make something happen when the building simply wasn’t meant for it.

How State Rules & Regulations Can Affect What Gets (And Doesn’t Get) Built

Across the U.S., states’ expectations for continued education (CE) for contractors vary. There are some states that ask for fewer hours that cover a wide range of topics, while others require more time or focus on specific areas.

But why should YOU care about all that? 

Well, it’s because contractors aren’t working under identical conditions in all states, what’s routine here might involve extra steps there. So if you see a video where someone explains how to do a certain procedure, step by step, and then you do it the same way, you might actually be breaking the law without realizing it.

Here’s a quick example:

Residential contractors in Georgia follow a set structure to stay in line with local expectations, which is why you have Georgia residential-basic CE (up to standard). 

Florida, on the other hand, expects more hours, while California tends to place more focus on rules and details on compliance. So, you see, it all varies quite a bit. 

You’ll feel these differences during a project because they can change timelines. Also, some ideas are easier to approve in one state than another. 

Common Points of Friction on Real Projects

Once the real work starts, there are a few issues that seem to cause trouble in pretty much every project. 

Nothing dramatic, though; it all has to do with what happens when plans meet reality. 

Materials

When you go and do a bit of research on materials, you quickly realize that not all material performs the same because of all the daily use, moisture, heat, movement, and weight they’re supposed to endure.

And then you find out that this particular finish won’t hold up in your environment, or not on that wall, because it’s too cold during winter. The material you want will poorly handle the freeze-thaw cycles during winter or the super-strong heat during summer. 

And this leads people to shuffle materials around mid-project. Not ideal, and this can quickly exhaust your budget because you’re not under pressure to find a similar type of finish, but you’re severely limited in choices, so you overpay (sometimes even for lower quality). 

Not ideal. This is why expertise and knowledge about materials are so important. You can choose the right materials at the planning stage, from the get-go, and there’s no need to change anything, because the initial choices are perfect.

Layout

Open layouts and structural changes might sound and look simple. But they’re not. There’s a reason why you’ve got experts specializing in these things. 

There are lots of structural components that you can’t move, and you aren’t allowed to touch them (e.g., beams, supports, pillars, wires, plumbing, etc.) This all limits the changes you can make – and which walls you can ‘open’.

None of this is obvious until the work begins, so… Yeah. Real fun. 

At some point, you have to accept the fact that the layout has to be adjusted to the building, not the other way around. 

Budgeting

Budgets have to be planned carefully.  People usually (especially if they aren’t very experienced with this) won’t account for various things that simply can’t be skipped. And then when they do realize that they have extra expenses, they get frustrated because the budget has already been blown, and the work hasn’t even really started yet. But you’re already at a point where you can’t really stop anymore. So, they commit. 

Labor, tweaks, possible changes of material, required steps, it all adds time and cost that you don’t see at the beginning. 

It’s not necessarily poor planning that makes the budget grow, but work that’s more complex than expected. 

Conclusion

There comes a moment when pretty much every project goes from an idea to a negotiation. 

And it’s not your standard between people negotiation. No, no. It’s between what the building allows and what you want.

And that’s what usually happens when you take a Pinterest idea and try transferring it into real life (especially if you have zero experience).

And no, we aren’t trying to be negative here. In fact, GO FOR IT! But know that there ARE limits. And use that as a guide. Don’t just abandon a great idea. See if there’s a workaround (or multiple, and then pick the best one).

Once you start thinking that way, that gap between your design idea and the real-world limitations won’t be a barrier anymore. But more of something interesting. A challenge.

And as Barney Stinsen famously says, “Challenge ACCEPTED!”