Listening to the language that counts

By Herb Lagois

Words! They have power in good ways and bad. They can define or they can baffle.

You say draft and I think a rough version of your document, but you mean cold air through a leaky window.

I say load and you think I mean what’s currently in the washing machine, but I mean structural weight.

You say pitch and I think you’re talking about an idea you want to sell me, but you mean the angle of the roof.

In renovation, words can be either logical or confusing. When we talk about “flow”, for example, does this mean the way water comes out of the taps or the way you walk through your home?

Same with words like “clarity”. Are we talking about the cleanliness of windows or clear understanding of a plan? Space: as in outer, or as in kitchen?

If I don’t understand you and you don’t understand me, we’re in trouble, especially when it comes to design and renovation.

The solution (not the liquid but the problem kind) is to ask questions, to understand, to listen, to make sure we’re talking about the same things.

In my early years in this business, I would have a space designed in my head before a homeowner and I were even a quarter of a way into the conversation. Suddenly it would dawn on me that I wasn’t understanding what “space” meant to the homeowner. Was it space for a growing family? Was it space for living in place some day? Was it space for larger furniture, or was it space that was just old and tired?

I learned to understand what were sometimes the undercurrents of a conversation. Maybe the deeper issue was that the home was an eyesore or dated or an embarrassment to the homeowners and they just didn’t want to invite people over. Maybe it was a physical thing: hallways too narrow, bedrooms too small, kitchens without adequate storage.

Two architectural buzzwords are “form” and “function”. But I’ve rarely used those words. Instead I’ve always had a clear vision about, say, how an addition would look and how it would tie into the existing home. Yes, it’s about form, but it’s much more than that. It’s about a way of life specific to homeowners’ needs.

Are people isolated in the kitchen and not able to visit with family and friends while they’re preparing a meal? Are things actually broken or unsafe? This is about function, but it, too, is more than that. It’s about solving problems.

A great design addresses people, their experiences, and the way they want to live. It’s our job as renovators to understand your needs, your problems, your experiences and wants. And then, once we fully grasp those, to develop a design that solves them in a way that makes sense for you and for your investment in your home.

There’s no point in coming up with an amazing design only to create a major letdown when you realize it’s simply not affordable or that it won’t work for you. I’ve been there early in my career, and it’s not a nice place for any of us.

These are hard, yet important, lessons, starting with shared and deeply understood words, concepts and conversations. We have learned them through long experience.

But how else would we get to this point, after more than four decades, of Perfecting the Art of Living^®?

Herb Lagois is the founder of Lagois·Build·Renovate.

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