Beginning
the Design Process
The design and planning of your new home is the most important
aspect of a richly rewarding process which will establish the
value of your creation. Your role is key in creating the roadmap
to a beautiful, comfortable, safe, and efficient personalized
home. Once a community and individual property have been selected,
you can move forward with this programming, planning, and creative
phase of the project. The complications of today's building program
are often best addressed through a team effort; so your next step
in the process will be to assemble a team of experts. Initially,
there will be your architect, structural engineer, and builder.
Others such as interior designer, kitchen and bath designer, landscape
architect/designer, systems designer or lighting designer may
follow. Although the architect will generally be the lead professional,
when this team of professionals have the opportunity to collaborate
before ground is broken you'll reap the rewards for years to come.
Their blend of experience and expertise can give you insights
into the wonderful potential of your home and site you never would
have considered.
The
Architect & the Planning Process
In order to take maximum advantage of the design process a strong
collaboration between client and architect is necessary. It takes
a seamless participation of all parties to bring about a truly
vibrant and unique design that will be your special home for years
to come. The right architect will not only have a strong creative
ability; but, he will also have the technical savvy of years of
experience with construction, and architectural technology. Architects
that maintain a reputation for superiority in residential design
do so because their buildings are craftily designed, stunningly
conceived, and technically sound - and they don't break the bank.
As the key member of this design partnership you will need to
provide your architect with a budget, a well thought out program,
an idea notebook, and certain relevant site information. From
there the architect will begin the preliminary design phase to
create schematic concepts and bring your ideas into focus. Once
your wish list, site and budget have been translated into graphic
form the next stage will address the technical drawings - called
"contract documents" or "working drawings."
Upon completion of these drawings, work with the contractor will
begin and a building permit procured. As the project moves to
the construction phase most of your involvement may be with your
builder. At this point the architect acts in your behalf as a
consultant to assure that the spirit of the design and intent
of the working drawings and specifications are followed exactly.
During the construction phase you may also wish to retain your
architect to oversee payments to the contractor, review shop drawings,
provide more detailed interior design services, and, perhaps,
provide all communication with the builder.
Unless
you already know a specific architect personally or by reputation
or perhaps wish to employ a design professional recommended by
your builder, you will want to interview several architects before
a decision can be made. Your choice of the architect to assemble
your dreams must be well-considered and most firms will allow
an hour or more for this important conversation. You should be
well prepared and bring relevant site information including the
site plot and topography (if available), your program (wish list)
and square footage information, and your idea notebook and pictures
of houses that you appreciate. The following is a list of informative
questions to ask the prospective architect.
Getting
Started With An Architect - 20 questions
What
does the architect see as important issues or considerations
in your project? What are the challenges of the project?
How will the architect approach your project?
How will the architect gather information about your needs,
goals, etc.?
How will the architect establish priorities and make decisions?
Who from the architecture firm will you be dealing with directly?
Is that the same person who will be designing the project?
Who will be designing your project?
How interested is the architect in this project?
How busy is the architect?
What sets this architect apart from the rest?
How does the architect establish fees?
What would the architect expect the fee to be for this project?
What are the steps in the design process?
How does the architect organize the process?
What does the architect expect you to provide?
What is the architect’s design philosophy?
What is the architect’s experience/track record with
cost estimating?
What will the architect show you along the way to explain
the project? Will you see models, drawings, or computer animations?
If the scope of the project changes later in the project,
will there be additional fees? How will these fees be justified?
What services does the architect provide during construction?
How disruptive will construction be? How long does the architect
expect it to take to complete your project?
Does the architect have a list of past clients that you can
contact? |
To learn more about the Custom Home Building Process, please contact
us. We will send you information about the following subjects:
Learn
about the Six Steps Towards Building your Dream
Renovation - To Renovate or Not to Renovate?
Building a Custom Home
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