It all begins with your dreams and ideas.

How that is expressed in design and construction should always support those original inspirational and aspirational goals. We are here to help clarify and guide the process from dream to reality. Let’s go!

Before we can start designing, we have to know what all of the constraints and limitations are for the project, such as:

-Site utilities: Do you have existing utilities at the property? Electricity, Water and Sewer availability determine viability/buildability of any site, and if in a more rural area, it’s critical to understand if water is even available, if a Sewer system can even be approved, or if electricity can even be provided to the site?

-Do you have a site survey/Topographic information? This is critical to know where the new house can be placed, how big the house can be, what the setback requirements are from neighbors, water bodies, wetlands, etc. This can sometimes take months to complete/get on a surveyors schedule, so this should happen early in the process, before any design work!

-Do you have a HOA, Homeowners association, CC&R’s, etc that have their own rules, regulations, etc.? We have to know these requirements before design starts to make sure we know any limitations on the design!

These are just a few of the things we’ll need to resolve before design can begin, but they are critical to the overall success of the project!

This is where we need to set out how large and how much $ should be allotted for the home in order to move into the design stage. At this stage, we will create a general spreadsheet that breaks down the project into program areas and $/s.f. costs to give you a better idea of the relationship of overall costs to the total square footage of the preliminary program requirements. Some questions to ask yourself before this process:

-What is the $ budget you want to allocate to the project?

-What are the sizes and number of rooms/beds/baths you want?

At the end of Pre-Design, the goal is that there is an agreement on the preliminary general budget, and the number and sizes of all the rooms in the home. (If you have already selected a contractor, their $/s.f. estimates are a huge help at this stage.)

Although this is one of the most ‘boring’ stages of the process, it is one of the most critical for the overall success of your project, as it helps you understand the limitations of budget and sizes, and it sets the design up for success as we can keep moving forward without going back and revising.

Once we set the preliminary budget and areas in Pre-Design, this is where the fun starts!

We first begin by laying out the general arrangement of spaces based on the Pre-Design programming. Do you want the dining by the kitchen? It’s own room? Open plan kitchen-dining-living? How we ‘link’ the spaces together depends on how you want to use the spaces, how they fit in with the way you want to live, what views there are, etc.

This is where the home is tailored to you and your life.

This is also the stage where after the general plan is set, we start designing in 3d, looking at the exterior, roof type, how it sits on the site, connection of interior and exterior spaces, etc.

If you have steeply sloping or challenging site, this is also where it might be necessary to get additional engineering services from Geotechnical and Civil engineers when determining foundation requirements/steep driveway slopes, etc. if necessary/required.

So far we’ve set a preliminary budget, determined general sizes and areas, a general arrangement of spaces, and a preliminary 3d model .

This stage is where we refine the design even further, inside and out, including:

-Finalize interior, appliances/equipment, layout

-Finalize Exterior design, siding, materials and colors

-Finalize Roof type and design

-Finalize Decks, patios, design and materials, etc.

At the end of Design Development, when the design is set, is when we engage the services of Engineering professionals when necessary/required (Structural, Civil, etc.) or other consultants such as Landscape design, Stormwater management, Interior design, etc.

This is where we finalize and document the design, integrating any engineering additions or changes, adding dimensions, material notes and details to finalize a set of construction documents to submit to the city/county for building permit, and for the contractor to bid and build off of.