When planning a new home or remodeling project, there's more to a good design than just having some plans drawn up to build from. Read on to find out why these 5 Key Design Steps need to be included for your project to be successful.
Stage 1 - Initial Consultation
Every project begins with the free Initial Consultation. This stage is typically a 30-60 minute conversation where you and I can get introduced, talk about what you'd like to accomplish, and exchange some information as to how we might work together. Some of the details I like to understand at this point are ...
- What's your big picture goal for the project? ... Do you want to build a new home but aren't sure where to start? Have you just bought a condo and want to figure out a remodeling plan? Or are you just looking for input to determine what's possible?
- Where are you at in the process? ... You already own a lot and are ready for a home design? The current kitchen is way past it's prime so you want to know what a remodel might cost? You want to do a whole house remodel and need to create a phased approach?
- How would define success for a design project? ... You want to be ready to build in 3 months. The contractor is chosen, but now you need final plans. You want to decide once and for all whether to build, move, or remodel.
The other major goal of the consultation stage is to make sure we're a good fit for each other, and we generally will both know by the end of the conversation. If you determine I'm not the right designer for your project, then great ... hopefully I've given you some new information that you can carry forward. But the goal is to make sure we're both comfortable with the project and each other, as the ultimate outcome is to make sure your project is successful!
Stage 2 - Dreams, Needs & Budgets
Often overlooked, this stage is one of the most important steps I work with you on before ever starting on a design. Why? Because I want to make sure that you're tackling the right project in the best way to meet your family's needs and budget.
That means reviewing your dreams and goals, then digging into the details on how you want to live in your home and talking about high-level options that might be possible. So we'll discuss the details that are important to you ... like how you interact as a family, where you watch movies, how many people you have for special dinners, unique furniture pieces or artwork, your special pets, key views from your home site, etc.
The outcome of this stage is a solid list of needs, wants, and dreams balanced against an honest budget discussion of what you want to invest. For example, we may find that your dream of a separate yoga room doesn't work, but a private space off to the side of the bedroom would be a great alternative. These discussions will serve to guide the design as we work through options and will keep things on track.
Stage 4 - Detailed Plans
With a solid direction in hand, the next step is to create the detailed drawings including floor plans, elevations, and other specifications for your project. We review these together at different points for your feedback and input as we clarify more specific details and make decisions on room sizes, cabinet layouts, and other components.
The detailed plans are what are needed by your contractors and suppliers to price out the project and get accurate proposals. I'll work with you to provide clarification on details when needed, and also you assist with reviewing the proposals as they come back to make sure everything is included. This is also helpful as you begin to compare competing proposals, and is intended to help you be confident in your final decisions in order to move forward with the project.
Optional Finish Material Schedules. Along with the detailed plans, you'll also want to give your contractors and suppliers a budgetary list of finish materials to make sure the bids are comparable and accurate. While some clients let the contractors include their normal "allowances" instead, that often leads to mismatched expectations and cost overruns later on in the project. To avoid this, I offer an optional service that includes a detailed list of material schedules and finishes to be included with your plans.
These schedules include line items for choices of flooring, lighting, plumbing fixtures, appliances, cabinets, countertops, etc. identified in the design. This service simplifies the process for you, and makes it easier to compare proposals ... while giving you more control of the project costs and ensuring your requirements are met.
Stage 5 - Construction & Permit Drawings
Once you've selected the contractor and are ready to proceed with construction, you'll often need additional drawings for building and permits depending on your project and contractor.
For example, most new homes require permit filings for the local energy code requirements (i.e. heat calcs, REScheck, etc.) and some builders provide those while others request that I do. Likewise, your contractor may want more detailed cabinet layouts or feature elevations from the design, while others will use their suppliers to create those. Or perhaps you're going to tackle your kitchen remodel on your own and just want additional guidance.
As the designer, I assist in all of these scenarios to try to ensure that the design intent gets clearly communicated and that your finished home works for you as intended.