A Competitive Interview is our alternative to traditional competitive bidding. Instead of contractors competing for your business with the lowest price, we both evaluate whether we're the right fit for each other. It's a mutual interview where we assess alignment in design aesthetic, communication style, values, and project approach before either of us commits to moving forward.
Most contractors visit to measure, take notes, and return with an estimate focused on price. Our Competitive Interview focuses on partnership potential. We'll discuss our process, show you our work, and both evaluate compatibility. No measuring, no pricing, no sales pressure— just genuine conversation about whether we should work together.
Because price without context is meaningless. A $75,000 kitchen could be amazing or disappointing depending on your expectations, the scope, and how it's executed. We've learned that discussing investment parameters only makes sense after we understand your vision, establish trust, and confirm we're aligned on approach and quality expectations.
That's fine, but please set those aside during our interview. We're not trying to beat anyone's price—we're trying to determine if our approach, quality, and service align with what you're truly seeking. Many clients discover that comparing our comprehensive process to basic estimates is like comparing different products entirely.
You'll meet key members of our team who would actually work on your project, including design team members and production leadership. This isn't just a sales representative—these are the craftspeople who would bring your vision to life. You'll get a real feel for who you'd be working with throughout your project.
Typically 60-90 minutes. We don't rush these conversations because they're foundational to everything that follows. We want both parties to feel confident about potential partnership before investing time in detailed project development.
Bring any inspiration photos, projects you like on our website portfolio pages, Pinterest boards, or magazine clippings that represent your vision. Most importantly, bring your questions about our process and honest thoughts about what you're seeking in a remodeling and building partner. Come prepared to share what's motivating your project and what success looks like to you.
Not initially during the Competitive Interview. This meeting is about determining fit and compatibility. However, if our conversation goes well and we both feel it's a good match, we can transition directly into the Discovery Consultation phase during the same meeting, where we'll thoroughly explore your space, project goals, and detailed requirements.
Then we'll both know that before investing significant time and energy. It's much better to discover misalignment early than to struggle through a project with incompatible expectations. We respect your time and ours, so honest evaluation benefits everyone.
We look for clients who value quality craftsmanship, appreciate clear communication, and understand that exceptional results require proper process and fair investment. We want to work with people who are excited about collaboration and trust our proven approach to creating beautiful spaces.
We'll schedule your Discovery Consultation—Step 2 in our process. During this in-depth meeting, we'll explore your project motivations, lifestyle needs, design preferences, investment parameters, and tour your space thoroughly. This leads to our budgetary guidance process and eventually a design agreement if everything continues to align.
We're evaluating alignment, not financial capacity. We work with clients across a wide investment range ($150K-$5M), and there's no "minimum" to qualify for our interview. We're more interested in whether our approach matches your expectations and whether we can create the results you're seeking within your parameters.
We prefer that all decision-makers participate in the Competitive Interview since it's about relationship building and alignment. If scheduling with everyone isn't possible, we can arrange a follow-up conversation, but the mutual evaluation works best when everyone is present.
Absolutely not. The Competitive Interview is purely evaluative. Neither party makes commitments during this meeting. If we both feel positive about potential partnership, we'll discuss next steps, but there's never pressure to decide immediately.
Usually within 24-48 hours. We'll both reflect on our conversation and contact you with our thoughts. We encourage you to take the same time to consider whether our approach, team, and process align with what you're seeking.
The beauty of our process is that investment discussions happen after we understand your complete vision and preferences. During our Discovery Consultation and Budgetary Guidance Process, we'll work together to align your goals with your investment comfort level. Many clients are surprised by the value and transparency our process provides.
Yes, if we don't believe we're the right fit. This might be due to timeline constraints, project scope outside our expertise, misaligned expectations about communication or process, or simply different visions for what the experience should be. We'd rather refer you to someone better suited than deliver a disappointing experience.
Competitive bidding often leads to corners being cut, change orders, communication problems, and disappointment. Our process ensures you get exactly what you're expecting, with transparent pricing, superior craftsmanship, and a stress-free experience. Most of our clients tell us they wish they'd found us first instead of going through the traditional bidding process with other contractors.