BUILDING YOUR DREAM HOME

Whether you have sketched out your own floor plan and need someone to help make it come to life or you already have a plan and want to modify it to meet your individual needs, or you have a plan you simply want to have built, I can help make it happen.  My past work experience with several home builders has given me the knowledge of designing and building a home from conceptual ideas to turning the key to your new home.   The whole design / build process can be carried out through as many as four separate phases: the Design Phase, the Preliminary Phase, the Working Drawing Phase and finally the Construction Phase.  When designing a home from scratch the first three phases allows me to start with the basics and work up to the details that truly make your home a custom home.  

DESIGN PHASE

The Building Design Process begins with the design phase.  This is started by an initial meeting between myself and the client.  At this time we will work through a client specification worksheet that outlines, room-by-room, what you desire in your home.  The completed worksheet will develop the program for the design of your new home. If  you have your own sketch that you have created, that too will become part of the program.  Any sketch developed by the client is a great tool to be used for the design of your new home.  Client sketches provide clear understanding of what is desired and expected in your new home. If you already have a plan and want to modify it to suit your needs, much of the design and preliminary phase will be skipped and proceed into the working drawing and construction phases.   After the initial consultation,  I will develop a set of design sketches from the information established  from our meeting.  The design sketches will consist of a scaled drawing of the front elevation, floor plans and a site plan if available at the time. Once you have received your Design Sketches, we will meet again to answer any questions and make any changes you might have.  After you have reviewed your Design Sketches and are comfortable the with concept of your home design, the project will move into the Preliminary Drawing Phase

PRELIMINARY PHASE

The Preliminary Drawing Phase is the second phase of plan development.  At this time all minor revisions from the Design Phase will be made to the drawings. During the Preliminary Drawing Phase your house will begin to take shape this allows you to see the plan before all the technical information is added.  The plans are now at a larger scale (1/4” = 1’-0”) and several plans such as the Foundation Plan, Roof Plan and all the Exterior Elevations, which give a more defined sense of the exterior, have been added to the design package.  Details that add to the finishing touches of a great design such as cabinet layout and art niches etc. are more defined during the Preliminary Drawing Phase. Preliminary Drawings give the builder a clear picture of what materials and details will be used on the entire house.  Structural aspects, such as roof structure, structural beams, and columns will be shown on the drawings.  Based on these plans, the builder will be able to give you a rough estimate of the cost of construction for your new home.  Once these drawings have been approved, the Working Drawings Phase begins.

WORKING DRAWINGS

The Working Drawings is the final phase of the planning process.  All plans have been reviewed and finalized.  The Working Drawings contain all the information necessary for the builder to construct and obtain estimates and pricing for your home and to secure a building permit.  The Working Drawing Plan Set includes, Site Plan, Foundation Plan, Floor Plans, Roof Plan, Exterior Elevations, Building Sections and Details. Having a great set of Working Drawings is important to building a house while in contrast, a bad set of plans can lead to errors and down time during construction.  If the plans are unclear items will be missed and assumptions will be made in the field.  My goal is to produce plans that contain all the needs and desires of the Home Owner so that when the home is constructed both the Home Owner and I are completely satisfied with their new home.  After the Working Drawings are complete, we will move into the Construction Phase where the real work begins.

CONSTRUCTION PHASE

Now that the contract is signed, your dreams are starting to come true.  At this point you are excited to see your home become a reality.  Site preparation begins, the foundation is laid and the frame begins to take shape.  However, there are many challenges ahead of us, especially in the area of communication, since a custom home requires so many custom features.  Accurate exchange of information is crucial.  Coordinating the customers selected items, ordering custom items on time and maintaining a smoothly run construction schedule requires a great deal of management skills.  This is best achieved through a team approach by the Home Owner and Builder.  You will be provided with a timetable that indicates when certain selections of various products will be due.  This timetable is based on how much lead time is required in the ordering process so that the construction procedures stay on schedule.  Without these timetables, construction delays will result.  In order to ensure everything is going according to plan, regular visits to the construction site will be made.  Some mistakes are an inevitable part of the construction process, and these visits to the site will help minimize the impact of any mistake.  Finally, my goal is to deliver to you the reality of turning the key to your new home for the first time.