Process

When you contact our office, we will collect some basic information from you including contact information, what kind of work you are interested in and how you heard about us.

Consultation

• We will listen to your objectives and endeavor to understand your dreams.
• We will walk the property with you, taking notes and listen.
• We will ask questions to help bring the picture of what your new home will look like into better focus.
• We will discuss your anticipated budget for the work discussed.
• We will discuss whether our design services are appropriate and how they work or proceed directly to a proposal for installation of work discussed.

Design Service Agreement

After discussing your specific needs, our design team will prepare a proposal for design services and submit it to you for approval. You must then return the signed proposal to our office with a retainer fee to begin the design process.

First Step (Existing Space)

At this first meeting, we will come to your home or business and digitally photograph and measure the entire existing structure.  After all measurements are taken, we will take everything back to our office and enter all meaurements into our program.

Things  you will need

• Survey of Property
• Copy of any Certificates of Occupancy
• Copy of any Certificates of Completion
• Is there anything on the property that was not filed with the building department (Shed, Pool, Fence, Central A/C Unit, Deck, Roof Structure, Extension, Second Kitchen, etc.)

Second Step (Design Phase)

In the second phase, we will design your project starting with the floor plans and general layouts. After all spaces have been laid out and agreed upon, we will begin with the exterior elevations. This is the process where the plans that we worked on start to take shape and form.

Many people ask if there is a limit on how many times we will redesign the project?  The answer is simple.  We will keep designing until you are one hundred and ten percent in love with what your new space looks like, both inside and outside.

Start your Homework

• Start looking into siding types and colors
• Do we want to use any stone on the facade of your new home or building
• Do you have any existing furniture that you want to make sure fits ? Measurements ?
• Start working with your kitchen and/or bathroom designers
• Start looking into different window manufacturers
• Exterior Door styles
• Garage Door styles
• There are many other decisions that we will go over in this phase, but this should be enough to get you started

Third and Final Step (Construction Documents)

In this final phase, we will take the final design drawings from the previous step and turn them into construction documents. The construction documents are what the contractor will build from. We will submit the plans to the local Department of Buildings.

We will furnish you with (3) copies of the final drawings for you to get qualifying construction bids from contractors.

We will fill out all paperwork for filing, as well as all zoning information.

At the end of this phase, all paperwork will be filed with the building department and will be awaiting approval by the zoning department and plans examiner.
When approved, you will have a permit to begin your project.

Things you will Need

• Signed building applications (Permit, plumbing and electrical)
• Copy of your most recent tax bill
• (3) Copies of your survey
• (2) Blank checks made out to your local building department for the filing fees
• All Contractors Information (Workers Compensation, Liability)  All Original Copies Please
• Final check made out to the local Building Department for the Permit Fee