The Design Process
Excellent Service
Excellent Design
Responsive Architecture
Ken's mission is to design unique, distinctive homes for clients which reflect professional dedication and innovation that is creative and in harmony with nature while being responsive to individual lifestyle desires and needs; to offer cost effective, energy efficient solutions through continuing education, professional expertise, and applied skills and knowledge; to develop strong client relationships by gaining respect and building trust through professional integrity; to help transform visions into reality, and exceed client expectations.
The Design Process
Predesign
Deciding what to build, called architectural programming, and probably the most valuable time you will spend with your architect. This is the time to discuss requirements for your building, how many rooms, function, use, what you need and what you can spend.
Schematic
A series of rough sketches will be provided to illustrate the general scope, relationship and adjacencies of the project components to test and evaluate solution options. Schematics may show the general size, proportion, layout, scale, character and indication of materials.
Design Development
This is the time to refine the design and develop more detailed drawings that will show scale, floor plans and elevations. (3-D modeling is also an option). Outline specifications listing major material room finishes are provided.
Construction Documents
Once the homeowner has approved the design, the architect prepare final construction drawings and specifications which the contractor will use to establish the actual cost and build the project. These drawings and specs become part of the building contract.
Contractor Selection
The homeowner selects and hires the contractor. The bidding documents consist of drawings and specifications, an invitation to bid, and bid instructions which are sent to selected contractors for bids.
Construction
The contractor physically builds the home or addition. The architect can assist the homeowner in ensuring the project is built to plans and specifications and to review project progress and quality through site visits to observe construction at appropriate intervals.
Budget
Budgeting the costs of design and construction is an important first step to help avoid surprises and frustration. It is critical to have a realistic understanding of the potential and limitations of your project’s budget. Often the architect can propose ways of altering square footage or the materials to keep your project within your budget and allocate your money wisely.
Schedule
It is very important to have adequate time to think through the options, do research, and talk to people about your plans. Resist the urge to rush through the design process; in the end you will be much happier with the result. The time required for construction depends on many things: time of year, weather, the availability of labor and materials, as well as project complexity. A realistic schedule will be agreed upon in advance. A typical 2800 s.f. house requires two to three months in the Design and Construction Drawing phases, and eight to ten months in construction. It is a good idea to request a timeline for your individual project.