Our Process (residential projects)
Design Phase
Throughout the course of your project, we will serve not only as your designer, but also as your guide and facilitator to help you move efficiently through the design and construction phases described below. We are committed to ensuring you have a very positive and enjoyable experience as your dreams are turned into reality.
First, we will meet with you at your convenience, in your home, so we can thoroughly understand how you live and work and what´s important to you in a future renovation, addition, or new construction project. Our "Needs and Dreams Questionnaire" will help you organize and shape your initial ideas, and provide us with a solid starting point. We will also discuss with you your budget expectations.
If you have a spouse or partner, it is important that both of you be equally involved in the assessment and design process so we can help to work with the differences in perspectives and opinions that a couple would normally bring to the process. We will also ask you to share with us any pictures that illustrate ideas appealing to you.
The next step is to discuss with you our findings and then sketch and architecturally shape those ideas to allow your home to reflect and express who you are and how you want to experience your home.
We will design and present to you up to two or three alternatives that will accommodate these concepts, although in different ways. It is in this phase that we focus on creating and refining an internal and external plan that is exciting and well integrated, and harmonious with how you want to live.
By the end of this phase, you will have a general idea of what your home will look like, although these schematics will need to be developed further to be sufficient for construction purposes.
Once you have decided what you want overall, and in addition to the previously drawn floor plans, we will draft exterior elevations, building sections, preliminary ceiling plans, roof plans and interior elevations of primary spaces. This process requires frequent meetings with you to refine ideas and work towards design solutions that will truly fit your needs and wants.
It is important to be aware that without detailed plans, the construction process will be up to the builder´s discretion. The more information we provide for the builder, the more control you (and we) will have over achieving the results we want
We will complete the design process by preparing the Construction Documents, which incorporate fully dimensioned and detailed drawings, including product specifications. Also known as "blueprints," working drawings, or construction contract documents, the Construction Documents allow contractors to establish the actual costs and obtain permits and build the project. These documents become a part of your contract agreement between you and the builder you select. While establishing the standard of care for your project, they also serve to minimize problems, miscommunications and delays during construction.
Prior to beginning construction, we can assist our clients to the extent they would like with selecting any of the following: wall and trim finishes; paint colors; flooring; lighting fixtures; plumbing fixtures (such as toilets, tubs, showers, spa fixtures, faucets, fittings); kitchen and bath cabinets; countertops; and kitchen and laundry appliances.
We can accompany you to evaluate products at retail locations, gather competitive pricing information and coordinate the purchase of any or all FF&E.
Clients who opt for this service appreciate feeling less overwhelmed by the extensive decision-making process. It helps them avoid the "hassle-factor" and minimizes the need for them to take additional time out of their day to coordinate the selection, purchase, delivery, inspection and acceptance of each item. Additionally, when we take on this function, it contributes to a more integrated and cohesive design overall.
Should there be special permitting requirements, we are available to coordinate, prepare and present your project before designated boards such as: Zoning Board of Appeal; Historic District Commission; and Conservation Commission, to name a few.
We will help you select a contractor as close to the beginning of the design phase of the project as possible, if you haven´t already identified one before you start. We much prefer to involve the builder early in the design and communication process in order to best design to your budget needs. In this case the contractor would join the initial team we have put together which typically includes engineers, landscape designers, interior designers and other professionals.
In choosing a contractor, we will help coordinate the bidding process for you and assist you in making an informed decision, based on the best value.
Construction Phase
We feel it is very important to the success of your project to stay actively involved as you move into this phase in order to ensure the builder is correctly interpreting the design details and building your project as specified.
We help you address unexpected issues that can arise and assist you in making informed, cost-saving decisions. And finally, we see to it that the project progresses smoothly, and is completed properly and as you intended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Builders often have questions throughout construction when the intent of the design is not well understood or some details of the construction documents are overlooked. We make ourselves available in a timely manner, and on-site as necessary, to answer the builder’s questions. This enables the contractor to better stay on schedule with the building process.
We look over the shoulder, so to speak, of your contractor to ensure that your home is being built
correctly in compliance with the construction documents and building code. We provide oversight
to ensure the quality of materials is what we intended and specified, and that no short cuts are
taken. Any errors we discover are brought to the attention of your Contractor to ensure the
appropriate corrections are made.
When your contractor interprets the design documents differently than was intended by the designer it can be confusing and unsettling. And if you do not have prior experience working with a contractor the learning curve can be quite steep.
We represent you, and because we understand the building process and speak the language of the contractor, we serve as an effective mediator for you. We facilitate good communication between all parties to minimize tensions that may arise between you and your contractor - to keep the process moving forward smoothly, hold to the budget, and reach a successful completion.
We schedule site meetings at regular intervals to review construction progress. These meetings are scheduled to coincide with the critical phases of your construction. Some examples include:
- verifying that the forms for the foundation have been placed correctly;
- reviewing the layout of the framing to be sure your contractor is correctly interpreting the structural components and is framing as the plans specify; and
- ensuring the lighting and plumbing have been installed in the correct locations.
With multiple subcontractor estimates, there are many layers of information, and reviewing and tracking these documents is critical. We track all invoices to match them up with all services and Change Orders completed. It’s not unusual for us to discover thousands of dollars in billing discrepancies, either on the part of one’s Contractor, or discrepancies on the subcontractor level that the Contractor has not caught.
As your contractor invoices you at their scheduled intervals, we will review each invoice and help determine if the amount represents the corresponding degree of building completion, and ensure you are not paying prematurely for services that have not yet been completed.
For specific Change Orders, we know from experience within what range the pricing should be, and evaluate if it is reasonable. If it is not, we will discuss it with your Contractor and negotiate a fair price on your behalf.
Keeping your contractor on schedule is often a challenge to a homeowner. The more information given to your contractor about the full scope of the project, the better the chance of getting your project completed on schedule.
At the start of construction, and with your Contractor’s agreement, we identify a realistic construction schedule for your project. Once established, the schedule must be followed closely to ensure the project is completed on time and on budget. Because the building process is a linear one, with each phase dependent on the completion of the preceding one, timely decision-making is critical to staying on schedule.
Throughout your project we confirm this schedule is being met, and manage changes and complications as they arise to keep the process on track, and maintain a realistic goal for completion.
Yes! Just as importantly, we’ll help to keep you sane throughout the construction phase and focused on this being an exciting, enjoyable and rewarding process.