Builders aren’t designers and designers aren’t builders. Let’s discuss why both occupations are necessary to your new build and/or renovation.
Am I the only one who thinks Channel 9 is trying to cash in on traffic from House Rules? It baffled me why two TV channels would air two renovating shows at the same time. Why couldn’t Channel 9 be fair and let Channel 7 get good viewing for their show House Rules?
I think it’s a bit cheeky that Channel 9 has produced a new show using previous House Rules contestants to make Reno Rumble and air it at the same time as Channel 7’s House Rules. It’s greedy. But that’s TV and life.
I usually watch the reveals when it comes to renovating shows because I can’t stand the antics of the teams or the bitchiness. Highly stressful renovations can bring out the worst in people and I don’t think it makes for good TV.
Anyway, last week I did get caught watching an episode of Reno Rumble thinking the reveals would be on that night but they weren’t. I kept watching and found it interesting to see how well the The Block contestants (red team) worked much better together than the previous House Rules contestants (blue team).
I caught onto the drama between Carly and the builder Aiden about the choice of chandelier in the main bathroom.
The brief was to create a contemporary coastal home for the client and Carly chose a shell chandelier for the bathroom which I personally thought looked tacky and so did the builder Aiden. He told Leighton (Carly’s husband) what he thought of the chandelier and Carly became furious. I’m not sure if it was because of the timeframe or whether it was because she didn’t appreciate the builder’s opinion, but one thing I have learned as a tradie, is to listen to your builder and take their advice seriously.
One of the contestants said builders aren’t designers and I agree to an extent.
Builders know what can and can’t be done. Often they will be more practical than style focused, BUT, you need to give them credit for bringing up an issue if they think an alternative could be better.
Plumbers aren’t designers either, but we can tell you if what you want done can work or not. There were times when a client would tell us where they wanted their bathroom or kitchen and we would have to do a design and construct. The more experienced a plumber or builder, the more on the ball they are in regards to design.
Of course, they won’t necessarily be able to forecast a new trend but they can recommend trends that are current.
So the next time you visualize a design and get your builder to build it, listen to their advice and don’t go on the offence if they make a suggestion.
In the end the second chandelier Carly purchased worked better in the bathroom and was well received by the judges. It’s important to meet a brief and try something new, but it’s also good to be level headed and listen to other suggestions.
