Design, drafting, and the permit process constitute the core of our work, yet we also do site evaluation prior to the beginning of the construction design. Our project involvement rarely stops with the permit process. We can provide oversight through construction, and we often act as a liaison between property owners and their contractors to insure the owners’ wishes are met.
Consultation
Initial consultations are always free of charge. Our first step is to go over your needs and decide whether to work together, all in an informal no pressure get-together. After the initial meeting there is generally a trip to the building department to discover any restrictions to the project. It always better to find out the particular land use rules prior to doing a lot of design work that may not be able to be built.
Site Evaluation
There’s nothing as enlightening as a field trip to the building site to explore the best possibilities for meeting your needs and the best land use.
Inventory & Measuring
Project inventory is mainly done when the project is a remodel, addition or upgrade to an existing home. Although an in depth site evaluation will also require measuring and shooting grades prior to designing the home.
Design & Drafting
Drafting & design is a three step process that begins with quality, easy to understand drawings to scale that we can work from to make the design decisions on how your project will be laid out. The floor plan drives everything. Once we have a functional floor plan the next step is to do some preliminary elevations, and structural drawings for bidding purposes. These can then be given to contractors and material suppliers for preliminary bids on the construction. Let’s not kid ourselves; on every project the money is a huge factor and we want to make sure the design that contains your hopes and dreams for an ideal project is affordable. The final step is a complete set of working drawings for the builder and the building departments’ permit process.
The Permit
We will submit your plans to the proper authorities and obtain the needed permits and approvals for your project to proceed. This is a step in the building process that many who don’t deal with the likes of building officials and governmental agencies are not comfortable with. We are glad to include the permit running as part of our service.
Construction Oversight
In many cases the owner is not familiar with construction techniques is a bit intimidated by the building process. Whether or not we are asked to be a liaison between the owner and contractor or just called on occasion to answer a question or help with a field change, we will be available through the construction process.