getting started with design
Once you have made the decision to get started with designing your new home with our practice, your first step will to be to schedule a design meeting. During that meeting, you will be asked questions about what your family wants to get out of your new home, and questions about how your family lives in your current home. These will include questions about your family's lifestyle, how you entertain, how you intend to use the new home's spaces, the property and it's points of interest and views to capture, and about style and your choice of decor' as to the home's interior and exterior. The purpose of these questions is to get an understanding of the flavor intended for the house, and the overall picture that you are looking for in the finished product. At the conclusion of this first meeting, you will be asked to produce what we call a "Menu." In addition, a site visit will be scheduled for a later date so that we may visit the proposed location of the new home with you, the homeowner.
The "Menu" that you will produce will consist of a list of requirements or items that you wish for in your new home, as well as a description of how you envision your new home to appear and flow. This menu should include a list of expected items in the design and during construction. Always to be included are pictures, drawings, example floor plans (for reference only), product samples, brochures, and other specifics known to be requirements in the new design.
Another very specific item that should be included in your menu is a list of intended furniture pieces and groupings, special pieces of art, specialty furniture pieces, grandfather clocks, oils, antiques, etc. You will have a better understanding of how to create this menu after you leave your first meeting with the designer, as we will talk about this information during the meeting. Once the menu is in hand and you feel that you have provided all that you can up to that point, then the design process begins. You are always welcomed to add and delete items during the design phase, as you will be very involved with the design process and will frequently communicate with the designer.
It is very important to us that you have fun during the design process with our firm. Once we have your information together and the design is underway, you will meet periodically with the designer to review the stages of production on the house, and enjoy sharing these stages with your family and friends, as you will receive copies of what we review at each stage.
Regular meetings are scheduled once each floor plan is produced, when the exterior elevations are produced, and during the detail process. When the final design is complete, and all of the designed elements are together, the final review meeting is scheduled and you will have the opportunity to see the house in complete form. This enables the homeowner to see the house without all of the clutter of dimensions, notes, extensive details and final construction jargon on the plans. This is intended to be a clear review of the house design only, which once approved, you will sign-off on as a ready for the final phase project. Next is the Working Drawing phase.