When designer Jacklyn Graniczny got her start in interior design right out of school, it began with a job at a plumbing fixtures showroom that she lovingly described as “toilet world.”
“I would joke with my family, ‘I work at Toilet World, because that's what I felt like,” she said. “You have this dream, ‘Oh, I'm going to be working in design!’ And nobody really tells you the ugliness.”
Thankfully for Graniczny, her stint selling toilets and faucets was short-lived, giving her plenty of time to apply for new jobs. The Chicago-based designer moved on to a luxury cabinetry brand, Christopher Peacock. At the same time, she would draft plans and design kitchens for her brother’s custom homebuilding company.
Eventually, she was invited to become a partner as director of design at Sublime Homes. She moved from showrooms to job sites, where she experienced firsthand how women are a minority in the construction industry — just 10.8% in 2023, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
“When I first started, I felt like [subcontractors] would try to tell me how they were going to do it and boss me around or demean me and make me feel small,” said Graniczny. “But now, walking into a job site … I feel confident.”
As a homebuilder, Graniczny has mastered the technical side of design and knows what it takes for a smooth build and design process with a high-quality home as a result. Today, she’s running Jacklyn Graniczny Design, where she works on all types of interior design projects with a focus on new construction.
Here are her tips for those looking to build and design a custom home.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What is one of the biggest mistakes clients make in the homebuilding process?
One of the most expensive mistakes that I have seen is that people will spend thousands on blueprints first, then their next step is to find a piece of land. They're doing it backwards.
What I’ve seen is that the house doesn't fit on the lot or the covenants required by the developer aren’t the same. Sadly, we have seen it numerous times where people spend all this money on plans only to have to redo them.
Secure your land first, then bring in your designer, builder, and architect after that.
During that interview process, what should homebuyers look for?
We would go out to dinner and have drinks to see how people interact with the waitstaff.
It's a long process for a fully custom home. Designing plans could take six to nine months. Selections could be six to nine months. Building the house could be a year to a year and a half.
It’s not like you walk into a car dealership with one transaction and walk out with a car. In custom building, you make a transaction but are with those people for a year or two.
Pick up on red flags, ask for referrals and references because you’re going to be committed to this person for a long time.
What are some red flags?
I have a client right now and they say it takes their builder two weeks to respond. That’s unacceptable. No communication is crazy for the caliber of money people are spending.
If someone says, ‘Don’t worry about timeline,’ or even materials, that’s a red flag.
If someone is constantly bidding on projects (where clients send plans to multiple builders for their price estimates), I feel like the builder is not delivering value. It’s more about delivering a price.
It makes me wonder: Do I trust their price, or are they giving a price that looks attractive on paper to get you to choose them?
What should buyers check for before choosing a builder?
Make sure you know what’s included. I would want specifications spelled out in contracts.
I’ve seen vague contracts, and how are you supposed to know what the contract price is based on? When it says an appliance package is $30,000, what does that include? Gas range or induction? If it’s induction, do you have to pay for the power for it? It might say tile, but if you want it installed in a herringbone design, that could cost you more.
Check those contracts before you sign.
How can homeowners prepare for a build?
A lot of it is proactive planning. I will have people reach out and want their kitchen remodeled for the holidays, but they call in October. You should really start that conversations nine months prior. It might seem a bit much, but proactive planning gives you enough time to have an enjoyable experience.
It will also allow you to do research and not feel like you’re getting pigeonholed into one contractor or one designer. You might sacrifice something you really wanted if you’re under a tight deadline.
You can’t pick up the phone and have a general contractor ready for you. That’s a red flag if they are. Any good designer or good builder will have some kind of wait time.
What is something that’s a pet peeve of yours?
If you ask someone what their budget is, I feel like they are most likely not going to be honest.
We had a client who said their budget was $700,000. We got into design, and it went up to $1.5 million. I was showing them products that were in their original budget.
I wish they were more honest because we could have given them a better product. Instead of a basic floor plan and tricking it out with high-end fixtures and fittings, we could have designed a custom floor plan better suited for them.
