9 min read

If you’ve never been through the pre-build process before, thinking of a colour selection appointment may make you believe this appointment is only about, well….. selecting colours! Right?

And I have to admit that for the eleven years that I worked one-on-one with builder’s clients, assisting them through their colour selection appointment, I have heard this dialogue many times over.…..

Client:” Oh, this isn’t just about choosing colours?” (with a confused look on their face)

Denise Olarenshaw: “Yes, but in addition to that, you’re going to select everything for the exterior and interior of your new home here today! All the external and internal materials, finishes, colours, sanitaryware, tapware, appliances, and other fixtures. But don’t be overwhelmed by it all; I’m here to guide you through this, and my goal is for you to walk out feeling confident with everything you chose and not second guess your choices later.”

Client:” Ooooh! Okay. Wow! I didn’t realise there was so much to select!

Yes, there is a lot to select from, and to save you time and money, ensuring you get everything right the first time is essential. Changing your mind can be costly, and changing paperwork because you’ve changed your mind can lead to human error and the wrong item installed.

So, my goal is to share my top 3 tips to help you navigate the colour selection appointment like a pro and avoid second-guessing your choices.

TIP #1:

Start researching for images of facades that catch your eye. The ones that stop you from scrolling. The images that make you say out loud, “I love that!”

Look at each image and write a list of what you like and what you don’t like about each facade. Next, divide a page down the middle and title each column with “Like” at the top of the left column and “Dislike” at the top of the right column. Then start critiquing each image based on what YOU like and dislike.

Think of it like this – which elements of the facade are you most attracted to, and which features you don’t like? For example, is it the colour of the render or the bricks that you like or don’t like? Is it the roof colour or the garage door style? 

You need to be specific about your choices to make sense of this exercise. So, for example, you may write down, “I love silver-grey coloured bricks with natural coloured mortar”, and on the dislike column, you may write, “ Don’t like red bricks!”. By knowing that, it’s obvious that you will not even bother looking at red bricks during the colour selection appointment.

Now do the same thing for the interior, room by room. Again, be totally honest with yourself to be perfectly clear on what you could and could not live with.

Make up a Pinterest board for each room as a reference to look back over for inspiration when you need it. Ultimately, your home should look good in your eyes, and it should also make you feel good! 

Using Pinterest as your visual research tool, don’t forget to save the “likes” on your own Pinterest Board and the “dislikes” for the exterior and each room of the interior on a separate board.

The Pinterest Boards you create will be helpful and easily accessed during the colour selection appointment if you start to second-guess your final choices.

The whole point of this exercise is to be true to yourself, and when you are, you will be clear and confident when you have to start selecting everything for your new home. 

TIP #2:

Ask your builder for a list of all the suppliers he uses for the exterior and interior and the inclusions you must select from within the price point in your contract. If you’re on a tight budget and don’t want to be tempted by any upgrades, don’t ask for the list that nominates all the upgraded items you can select.

The list should include all the external and internal supplier’s names and the materials, finishes and colours that are in your contract under the following categories: (please note that not all of the following categories will be relevant to your build and therefore won’t be listed in your contract)  

External: Bricks, cladding, roof tiles, render finish and colours, concrete (or exposed aggregate) colour for paths and driveway, external tiles for porch, verandah, alfresco or an external feature wall, decking, entrance door style and colour, other external doors style and colour, door furniture and handles, window frame (profiles and colours), gutter, fascia, downpipes, eaves, exterior paint colour choices, mouldings, garage door profiles and colours, fences profile and colours.

Internal: Material for all cabinetry in the kitchen, pantry and laundry, vanities, cabinetry handles, benchtops throughout, tapware, sanitaryware, appliances, floor and wall tiles, skirting board profiles, architrave profiles, cornice profiles, carpet composition and colour and carpet underlay type, timber floorboards quality and colour, paint colours and paint coat system, internal door handles, interior doors hinges, internal door profiles, door stops, towel rails, toilet roll holders, mirrors, shower frames and staircase (if applicable).

Know all the inclusions in your contract to easily make your selection on the day. If you’re on a strict budget, don’t be tempted or distracted by the upgraded items around you on the day of the colour selection appointment. 

TIP #3: 

This tip may be a totally obvious tip for some, but for most, this tip isn’t so obvious because most people are unaware of how draining a colour selection appointment is. After reading the last two tips, you’ve realised that a colour selection appointment isn’t just about selecting colours! 

Selecting all materials, finishes, colours, tapware, sanitaryware, appliances and other fixtures for your new home is daunting and none more than when you roll up to the colour selection appointment without having gone through and done some preparation (see Tips 1 and 2).

Let’s face it, the home you’re about to have built is most likely your greatest asset, and you want to make sure you select everything right the first time. But unfortunately, making changes to your selection after your colour selection appointment will cost you more money! 

The builder will charge you a variation fee and additional cost of the newly selected material. If there is an additional labour fee involved, you’ll be charged that too. Choosing everything confidently during the colour selection will save you time and money and minimise the possibility of human error. Ordering and installing the wrong item during construction can happen when changes are made to the original selection schedule.

Organise in advance and make sure you take the entire day off work. You may think it’s unnecessary, but not looking at the clock will also help you make a more relaxed decision rather than a rushed decision that will most likely need to be changed after the appointment.

Not bringing your children to the colour selection appointment is also best for you and your children. Children getting impatient and tired makes your decision-making much harder. Above all, it’s unfair for your children to sit in on what is boring (to them).

Make sure you’ve had a good sleep the night before, and in the morning of the colour selection, an energising breakfast and make sure you’re hydrated! This appointment takes many hours! 

For some, you will go to several different showrooms to select everything. Others will go to the builder’s colour selection centre to make all the external and internal selections. 

Either way, it’s exhausting if you don’t have your A-game on. However, completing Tip 1 and Tip 2 will mean you’re mentally prepared, so sleeping, eating, and keeping hydrated will be a game-changer. 

How you feel during the colour selection and afterwards is based on your preparation for it. I know I may be making this sound like you’re about to run a marathon, and, to some degree, you are! 

You need to be ready for the mental stress you’ll feel when you start to second-guess your choices if you’re not prepared. I witnessed clients starting off the selection feeling confident and then slowly wilting like an unwatered flower once they were halfway through the colour selection,  all because they weren’t prepared for the “marathon”.

Let’s summarise – 

TIP #1: Research external and internal images on Pinterest that stop you from scrolling. The ones that you say out loud, “ I love that!” 

Start a “like” and “dislike” list on paper and write what you like for each image. Then, save the images you love on a Pinterest Board and keep the ones you dislike on another Pinterest board to refer back to it when you start second-guessing your choices.

TIP #2: Ask your builder to list all the suppliers for the exterior and interior and the inclusions you must select from within the price point in your contract. Start researching each one so you understand what to choose from on the day of the colour selection appointment. If you’re on a strict budget, don’t look at the list of upgrades. Stick to what you have included in your contract.

TIP #3: Organise in advance to have the whole day off work to attend the colour selection appointment without feeling rushed. Be kind to yourself and your young children and have them looked after so that you don’t have to worry about entertaining them while trying to avoid making the wrong decisions! 

Make sure you sleep well the night before the colour selection appointment, and on the day, have a healthy breakfast and keep hydrated. You want to ensure you prepare to stay focused and make decisions easily and confidently.

So there you have it!

My Top 3 Tips for preparing for the colour selection appointment are to avoid second-guessing your choices.