You don’t want to buy someone else’s dream; you want to carve out your own and that’s why you’re building a custom home. You want it specifically designed for you and yours, only. If you want to have a shelf built into your vanity to hold your collection of perfume, you’ll make sure it’s in the plans. If you want a skylight, in the toilet room, with sensor lighting and a touchless flush kit, you’ll put that in the plans too. Along with the joys of designing your house come the trials and tribulations. And it’s important to trust the process!
What is the process? What does it take to design a home? What are the steps to designing your house? Hiring a design firm to draw custom plans is a collaborative process that involves the following basic steps.
1. Define Your Goals and Requirements:
· Clearly articulate your needs, goals, and priorities for your new home.
· Consider the number of rooms, size, style, and any specific features or functionality you want.
· Define your budget, figure out what you can truly and honestly afford. Again, define your budget. This one is extremely important.
2. Research and Select a Designer:
· Look for designers with experience in the type of project you are planning.
· Check their portfolios, reviews, and credentials to ensure they align with your vision.
· Meet with them, either virtually or in person. It’s not enough to talk over email or the phone, although, if you’re confident with that, that’s fine too.
· We start with a phone call, to figure out if your project goals align with our services.
· We schedule an in-person meeting at a local coffee shop and or a virtual meeting with you. We’ll show you examples of our work, and we’ll go through several pages of past drawings. This will help you understand what you’re getting and you’ll learn a little bit from it too.
· Once we have enough information, we’ll create a retainer letter for you that will break down the cost and services.
3. Initial Consultation:
· We’ll schedule an initial meeting with you to discuss your ideas, budget, and timeline.
· We ask that you share any inspiration or examples of designs you like.
· We’ll brainstorm ideas together.
4. Site Analysis:
· We will conduct a site analysis to understand the surroundings, topography, and any constraints.
5. Conceptual Design (Schematic Design):
· We will create preliminary sketches or drawings based on your input.
· This phase explores various design options and conceptual ideas.
6. Design Development:
· Once a concept is selected, we will develop your floor plans, elevations, and 3D models.
· Material choices and other design elements are also discussed and refined.
7. Refinement and Client Feedback:
· You will review the design and provide feedback for all stages: floorplans, elevations, and 3-D models. This may involve multiple iterations to ensure the design aligns with your vision.
8. Construction Documents:
· Once the design is finalized and signed off by you, we will create detailed construction documents.
· These documents include technical specifications, dimensions, and other details needed for construction.
9. Bidding and Contractor Selection:
· This step varies. At times, clients will have already selected a builder before they come to us.
· We have preferred builders that we work with and can refer you to the right one for your house.
· The drawings typically get sent out to the builder at this stage to get priced out. Sometimes minor revisions take place. Major revisions typically incur in additional cost to cover the time spent updating the plans.
10. Permitting:
· Your builder will apply for a development and building permit with the local authority having jurisdiction.
11. Construction Administration:
· Throughout construction, we’ll perform several reviews at various stages of the build.
· Trades typically have questions and we’re here to answer them and help as best as we can.
12. Project Completion:
· Once construction is complete, you’ll need to make sure you tell all your friends how delightful it was to work with us!
Throughout the design process, effective communication is crucial. Regular meetings, clear feedback, and collaboration will help ensure that the final design reflects your vision and meets your needs. Keep in mind that timelines and specific tasks may vary depending on the complexity of the project and local regulations.
So that’s it folks. You can bask in the glory of your new, inspiring home and look back at what a remarkable experience it was designing and building your very own, custom home. And, trusting the process.