The Process

The following services comprise the typical scope of work for most of our projects. All projects are done on either an hourly basis, or fixed fee based on a percent of  estimated construction cost.
The first step in the process is to make an appointment for a time and place convenient for you and appropriate to the project. Please contact us for more information if you would like to explore how our team can help you realize your dream.
We hope this overview helps you to understand the process and answers some of your questions.  Feel free to contact us

The Initial Meeting
The initial meeting is usually free of charge, lasts close to an hour and there is no obligation. We can meet at our office or your site. This is where we find out the basics of what is important to you - the project you are considering, what your special needs are, what styles appeal to you, and what your budget is. We discuss different levels of architectural service that may meet your needs.
We may require a second meeting depending on the clarity of your needs.
Next, we will prepare a proposal based on our discussion which will outline the scope of work with our fee based on the preliminary budget for your project.  If you decide to to go forward with us, we require a signed contract and a monetary retainer.

The Design Program
The Design Program is the phase where we discover the details of your functional space needs. For Custom Homes and Remodel projects, we provide you with a questionnaire, which can help you think about how you want to live, and guide us when we design your new space. For the larger Commercial and Community projects, a Master Planning process is a better programming tool. This usually includes a Charette with your team of stakeholders, followed by a written outline that is used to help direct each phase of the project.
We conduct pre-design research during this phase, so you will need legal information pertaining to the site, such as surveys, deeds and easements, ready for us to use. Photographs from books or magazines can be very helpful in conveying your individual tastes to us, so we take time to go over them with you.  We visit the site to get familiar with its gifts and surroundings, and develop a few thumbnail sketches to get the spatial relationships determined.  These discussions will help us decide together what options you would like to include to best suit your needs.
We have successfully completed over 300 projects and we have found a team approach early in the process makes for a better project.
Preliminary Design
The Preliminary Design phase includes a basic layout of all floor plans, the building located on a site plan, and outlines of the most prominent exterior elevations.  These drawings are presented for your review and possible refinements are discussed.  If you have a building contractor selected, we like to bring them in to the conversation at this early stage.  If needed, we can suggest contractors and sub-consultants for you to interview to fill out the team.  This is the easiest time to make changes, so you may want to take some additional time with the drawings.  If there are major revisions, a second preliminary design will be done before completion of this phase.

Design Development
The Design Development phase continues the refinement process.  The floor plans, elevations, and sections, as needed to set the design parameters, are now developed in a AutoCAD.  The drawings will be presented to you in a review meeting, where minor changes can be explored.  If you have opted to include cabinetry and interior finishes in our services, outlining your needs for these details is also integrated into this phase.

Construction Documents
Our basic service level provides you with permit-ready documents. However, Government agencies do not require Construction documents to address the finish details which pull a project together, or specify healthy or sustainable products.  We will be happy to discuss what options best suit your needs, and their estimated fees, during the design program phase.

Construction Administration
As with our Construction Documents services, this phase has different service levels available.   We remain available to answer questions from code officials and contractors throughout the project, with a combination of phone and site consultations. Scheduled site visits at critical points ensure all is going as planned.  Onsite meetings are often added to ensure everything is going as planned.