Our Design and Build Process

Home Design: The Old-Fashioned (And Needlessly Complex) Way

Traditionally, home design and building was an uncoordinated, unorganized process. Oftentimes, clients would hire an architect, believing that this would lead them to the next stage of building once the architect's work was complete. However, an architect is not the be all, end all point of the design process. There are numerous processes that have to happen concurrently when designing and building a home, beyond the design itself.

For example, simply getting a permit to build may require soils reporting, surveying and topography, structural engineering, civil engineering, Title 24, Cal Green certification and much more. Each of these respective disciplines has its own consultant, and each consultant has their own fees that they charge accordingly. Unfortunately for the client, it's not all rolled up into one complete "design process".

Before they know it, months have passed with nothing to show for it. Beyond that, even when construction estimates come in, the budgets can be all over the map simply because the client didn't know any better. Why would a 10 foot ceiling cost less than a 9 foot ceiling? Because of the lengths of lumber. Clients who don't know any better would have no idea of the inherent value in having a design and build firm who understands these differences and are experienced in the design process, as well as the building process.

What Makes Our Approach Different

We pride ourselves on an all-in-one design and build process where we work together, creating a budget and designing to adhere to that budget, while updating it as design progresses and reporting changes every step of the way. This helps to not only streamline the process but also give the client open and clear transparency in terms of financial visibility so that they avoid the headache and hassle of sudden (and expensive) surprises.

In just five simple steps, our process has been refined and honed to the point of perfection. Here's how it works:

Step 1: The Budget
At our design build firm, we start off the initial budget by locating utilities, determining their capacity, conducting soil reports, investigating architecture and other design-related tasks. All of this is included in the initial project budget, so that you get the full picture of the cost involved and can make a decision based on real, factual numbers.

If everything looks good, then we'll go ahead and secure all necessary permits for building and construction before we begin the next step.

Step 2: The Design Process
Once you approve of the budget, the next step is taking care of the design. As your feedback and vision are incorporated into the design itself, any budget changes or updates will need to be made throughout the process. You'll be kept in the loop about these changes immediately so that you can see how we incorporate your feedback and spending into each design step. Once the design is complete, we submit the plans to the Building Campaign and then start the bidding process.

Step 3: The Bidding Process
We want to be sure that we only work with the best and brightest minds in the business, so we subcontract out bids for experts in their respective areas to ensure you're getting a true, fair-market deal. Once the estimates are in and you agree with the updated budget, construction will begin on your project!

Step 4: Construction Updates and Reports
Once construction begins, we provide you with updates each and every week. These updates include:

• Schedule updates
• Photos showing the process
• Task tracker details (so that you can follow along as we work)
• And much more

During the most crucial milestones, our construction managers as well as third party quality control consultants will go through the project to ensure that everything is done to the highest standards of quality.

Step 5: Complete delivery
Once the project is done, we do a complete and comprehensive walkthrough. We do an internal quality control walkthrough. We then take you through the home and we ask that you make note of any areas where you have any questions or concerns and we will take care of them immediately.

It's that simple -- contact us today to get started!