Take back control of your home (and your life)

By Jacob Kirst

You begin your renovation journey with high hopes, inspired by the vision of a transformed space.

But somewhere along the way, things start to unravel.

Over the past 40 years, our Lagois team has met many homeowners at a familiar crossroads: what was supposed to be a $400,000 renovation turns into $600,000 or more.

The timeline keeps extending. Key design elements are stripped away. And every new conversation feels like a negotiation for the vision you had once been promised.

When you start to feel out of control

This happens not necessarily because builders set out to deceive, but because many jump straight to quoting without fully understanding the holistic view: for example, zoning implications; designated substances such as asbestos; structural realities; your short and long-term goals; expectations or detailed specifications.

From my experience, this is what happens:

• estimates built on guesswork instead of groundwork

• homes redesigned on the fly

• a cornered, confused, and financially stretched you.
  

It’s overwhelming. It’s disheartening. And it’s completely avoidable.

Why you need the right partner

We believe your renovation or custom home journey should begin with clarity, not commitment. That’s why every project starts with our Design Phase.

Before drawings begin, we as your partner take things slowly and seriously so we can ask:

• What are you really trying to achieve?

• How do you live? How should your home support your lifestyle?

• What are your long-term priorities, and what can be done in phases?

• What is your financial comfort zone, and how do we respect that from day one?

By investing time up front, we design with purpose, plan with intention, and price with accuracy. That means there are no surprises, no inflated change orders, and no lost trust halfway through.

We don’t throw out ballpark numbers. We build a roadmap that reflects your life, your goals, and your values.

Protecting what matters most

I always appreciate the concerns homeowners bring to the table. If I were planning a renovation or custom home, these are some of the things I would ask:

• How do I know I’m not being oversold?

• What if we uncover problems halfway through?

• What happens if costs spiral beyond what we can afford?

• What if schedules are delayed?

  
  

These are valid questions. Our answer isn’t just promises. It’s a proven process. As your advocate, we work alongside you, guiding every decision, flagging trade-offs and building trust through transparency.

It’s not about designing the most expensive project. It’s about crafting the right one, designed with foresight to adapt over time.

It starts with a conversation

We’ve seen what happens when homeowners have the right partner who listens, plans, and protects their vision from the start. They go from feeling overwhelmed to informed, from reactive to proactive, from uncertainty to confidence.

If you’re navigating a renovation or custom home decision, or if you’ve hit “pause” because your path feels unclear, I invite you to connect. Let’s talk openly about what’s possible and what’s practical. Let’s build a roadmap that works for your life, not against it.

Perfecting the Art of Living means more than just getting the job done. It means getting it done right, together.

Jacob Kirst is President of Lagois Design∙Build∙Renovate.