Most of our clients have not experienced purchasing a new home or built a custom home. They do not know where to start. It can seem overwhelming, but there is a clear process that guides decision-making, design, and construction.
Before starting the design, we need to determine your wants/needs/wishes. We encourage clients to write down as much as possible and then review the list and prioritize it. This list does not need to be complete; We will interview you when we meet. Often our questions, objective observations, and experience will uncover things you may not have considered. We will also discuss a preliminary budget to understand if it matches the scope and quality of the project.
What you can do during this phase:
If you are planning a new custom home or choosing a plan we already have—We offer an Initial Planning Consultation.
This service provides invaluable information to people in the early stages of considering purchasing a model or embarking on the journey of a custom build. The goal is to help you make smart decisions, avoid costly surprises, and give you professional insight on the process of working with a builder and architect.
During this phase, we develop drawings that illustrate the spatial relationships, scale, and form of your project. These drawings do not have a lot of detail so that we can keep the focus on the overall design. They are based on real information about functional and construction sizes, so they are accurate but abstract at the same time.
We typically have a couple of different potential directions to show you at our first design meeting, and we will discuss the pros and cons of each one. We then take your comments, make changes, and add more information, and we discuss the design again. Depending on the size of the project, we might repeat this process a few more times, or we might quickly nail down a design direction and be ready for the next step, design development.
Deliverables often include a preliminary site plan, floor plans, sections, and elevations.
At this time, we will begin budgeting with our contractors- It will be a rough estimate but should provide enough information so that the scope of the project can be adjusted, as necessary.
What you can do during this phase:
This phase builds on and refines the decisions made during schematic design. Window locations, sizes, and types will be determined. Exterior and interior materials will be examined and presented for discussion. We will begin working with a structural engineer, and details of the essential elements of the design will be developed in conjunction with their input. The drawings will now be at a larger scale, and there will be more detail on the plans and elevations. We will continue to work with our contractors to estimate the building cost.
As part of our basic services, we will design and help you select everything that is typically built-in to the project from a curated selection of options. This service includes kitchen cabinetry, bathroom vanities, bookshelves, etc. We help you select lighting and materials such as tile, wood flooring, carpet, etc. We will also help you choose appliances and plumbing fixtures. The deliverables at this stage often include an outline specification (listing materials): interior elevations showing built-in cabinetry, reflected ceiling plans, finish schedules and key details.
What you can do during this phase:
This phase involves adding technical detail, energy code compliance information, and integrating our details into the drawings so that we & our contractors have a description of the project to be constructed. This set will also be used to apply for a building permit.
The deliverables at this stage include a set of construction documents, specifications, and application for building permit.
What you need to do during this phase:
In many states permitting can be a lengthy process, while in Idaho – each county has put an increased emphasis on quickly reviewing and returning (approved or not approved) permits in a timely manner. The individual city will review all information submitted to double check plans are drawn to requirements and engineered has been supplied. These plans (once stamped) are the guide for inspectors to routinely site visit and check off the processes (foundation, framing, wrap, plumbing, etc.).
During construction, our superintendent will be the first line of communication with onsite questions or concerns – he will help resolve any disputes that might arise. We will visit the site at appropriate intervals, answer questions, inspect our processes and speak with homebuyers (confirming our schedule and product). We also review drawings, layouts, and material submittals. As construction is wrapping up, we develop punch lists and assist you with project close out.
What you need to do during this phase:
Before starting the design, we need to determine your wants/needs/wishes. We encourage clients to write down as much as possible and then review the list and prioritize it. This list does not need to be complete; We will interview you when we meet. Often our questions, objective observations, and experience will uncover things you may not have considered. We will also discuss a preliminary budget to understand if it matches the scope and quality of the project.
What you can do during this phase:
If you are planning a new custom home or choosing a plan we already have—We offer an Initial Planning Consultation.
This service provides invaluable information to people in the early stages of considering purchasing a model or embarking on the journey of a custom build. The goal is to help you make smart decisions, avoid costly surprises, and give you professional insight on the process of working with a builder and architect.
During this phase, we develop drawings that illustrate the spatial relationships, scale, and form of your project. These drawings do not have a lot of detail so that we can keep the focus on the overall design. They are based on real information about functional and construction sizes, so they are accurate but abstract at the same time.
We typically have a couple of different potential directions to show you at our first design meeting, and we will discuss the pros and cons of each one. We then take your comments, make changes, and add more information, and we discuss the design again. Depending on the size of the project, we might repeat this process a few more times, or we might quickly nail down a design direction and be ready for the next step, design development.
Deliverables often include a preliminary site plan, floor plans, sections, and elevations.
At this time, we will begin budgeting with our contractors- It will be a rough estimate but should provide enough information so that the scope of the project can be adjusted, as necessary.
What you can do during this phase:
This phase builds on and refines the decisions made during schematic design. Window locations, sizes, and types will be determined. Exterior and interior materials will be examined and presented for discussion. We will begin working with a structural engineer, and details of the essential elements of the design will be developed in conjunction with their input. The drawings will now be at a larger scale, and there will be more detail on the plans and elevations. We will continue to work with our contractors to estimate the building cost.
As part of our basic services, we will design and help you select everything that is typically built-in to the project from a curated selection of options. This service includes kitchen cabinetry, bathroom vanities, bookshelves, etc. We help you select lighting and materials such as tile, wood flooring, carpet, etc. We will also help you choose appliances and plumbing fixtures. The deliverables at this stage often include an outline specification (listing materials): interior elevations showing built-in cabinetry, reflected ceiling plans, finish schedules and key details.
What you can do during this phase:
This phase involves adding technical detail, energy code compliance information, and integrating our details into the drawings so that we & our contractors have a description of the project to be constructed. This set will also be used to apply for a building permit.
The deliverables at this stage include a set of construction documents, specifications, and application for building permit.
What you need to do during this phase:
In many states permitting can be a lengthy process, while in Idaho – each county has put an increased emphasis on quickly reviewing and returning (approved or not approved) permits in a timely manner. The individual city will review all information submitted to double check plans are drawn to requirements and engineered has been supplied. These plans (once stamped) are the guide for inspectors to routinely site visit and check off the processes (foundation, framing, wrap, plumbing, etc.).
During construction, our superintendent will be the first line of communication with onsite questions or concerns – he will help resolve any disputes that might arise. We will visit the site at appropriate intervals, answer questions, inspect our processes and speak with homebuyers (confirming our schedule and product). We also review drawings, layouts, and material submittals. As construction is wrapping up, we develop punch lists and assist you with project close out.
What you need to do during this phase: