Our Design Process

To start, all your information and ideas will need to be shared and discussed in an in-person or virtual meeting. Extensive notes will be taken of things such as your budget, square footage requirements, design ideas, etc. This step usually takes 1-2 hours.

If your project is an addition and/or renovation to an existing residence, this time can also be used to gather measurements and photo documentation of the existing conditions. The typical time for surveying existing residences varies but is typically 2-4 hours. This time is in addition to discussing the design and can be scheduled on a different day if necessary for time constraints.

After this meeting and the determination of the scope of work, we will provide you with a Service Agreement with an estimate and a projected timeline. Upon acceptance, a retainer invoice will be issued for payment before work begins on the schematic design.

The cost of a design consultation/site visit is a flat fee of $350 (for up to 2 hours) + $0.75/mile. (Locations beyond a 10-mile radius of the office shall include the commute time at the rate of $100/hr). Additional time, if necessary and approved by the Client, will be invoiced at the rate of $100/hr.

First, a rough concept sketch will be drawn on the site plan to determine the best size and shape for the lot. Then a larger sketch of the ideas that come to mind first, starting with a basic floor plan, and overlays of other ideas will be drawn to show alternatives.

Generally, all floor plan levels will be sketched, and the start of a front elevation will be generated.

Once the preliminary sketches are prepared, a review meeting will be set up to present the design ideas for discussion. Additional sketches may be drawn during this meeting as additional ideas and changes are discussed. The review meeting will generally take 1-2 hours.

A copy of all drawings will be given to the client to take home to digest and discuss the information further.  This step should be a minimum of a week since it sometimes will take at least that much time for the client to think of all the possibilities they would like to discuss at the next meeting.

This will lead to another review meeting. Generally, all the changes discussed to date will have been made to this point, and all exterior elevations will have been roughly outlined. At this point, the final square footage can be calculated.

This step, also known as the preliminary design, is when the accepted schematic design is further developed and begins to come to life. This allows the client to make sure what they wish to build will be within the budget range they wish to stay within. Also, the builder may have suggestions on things such as material changes to help keep the project within budget.

Based on the mutual understanding of the scope of work, we will begin work by incorporating your design ideas into our advanced 3D design software. During this phase, we may share screenshots and questions/comments as work progresses. We will ensure that you are satisfied with elevations, roof lines, interior layouts, window placement, material selections, etc. In this phase, changes can be made if they are within the original scope of work.

This phase of work is intended to help you visualize the design you have in mind and allow you to provide early feedback and design direction. You will have the chance to review and approve the design at this stage.

After the preliminary design has been approved, we move forward with documenting the design into a set of construction documents. This is the crucial phase when we get into the nitty gritty to refine the design. We work on creating the drawings used by the builder to turn your vision into reality.

If you’d like a set of bid drawings to get pricing from builders or a bank appraisal, please let us know early in the process. Be prepared for the possibility of needing to change the design to suit your budget or builder’s capabilities.

This is also the phase when we can get a structural engineer involved to ensure what is designed stands up safely. We incorporate their structural design into our drawings for a coordinated building. Structural design is a separate fee paid directly by the client.

The construction documents become the basis for the contract between the builder and the client.