Certain retailers will offer 'planning' services for certain kinds of interior or exterior home renovation activities. The fees for these servies are modest (e.t. $100) yet you get that amount back when you buy their products.

We have two examples of this. The first was for the decorator lady who came into our home when we were renovating and gave us a great colour scheme for the walls. We then bought our paints through her and we received a credit for the same amount of her colour coordination services. I'll provide the link below to one of the articles we have written in our blog on the outcome of her decorating services.

This year we need our entire front garden redone (variety of reasons). So, the garden center where we used to live provides the same type of service, except here we provide pictures and a sketch of the garden and in a week or two we receive her garden design complete with all of the different trees, bushes, annuals, perenials, etc. marked in the garden design. We pay $100 up front and receive a credit voucher to use when we purchase the plants, with no time limit on when we have to make the purchase, i.e. we don't have to buy in the spring when prices are the highest.

We think this is a great, great idea.

Dan

The idea of using this kind of service is good, but the tricky part is to find right providers. Would you mind to share your experience in finding them?

I think this is a case of 'who you know'. :-)

In our case the paint decorator we had in our preious house on the recommendation of a friend who had used her previously (we didn't even know that these services existed). Once we say the 3 rooms we asked her to do in that house and say the great results we knew who to ask for our entire houise in our current home.

As for the garden design, that one we just stumbled into. We were at the garden center we usually go to and know of the owner's work. What we didn't know was of this arrangement. The brochures were right there at the checkout counter and we asked the check out clerk about it.

I never would havd selected green for the walls in our family room but the tone she recommended really did complement the dard hardwood flooring and the view outside to the forest.

If you don't know anyone who used the decorator / landscaper previously, you should also be able ask to see some pictures of their prior work.

I hope that helps!

Dan