FULL
SERVICES

PHASE 1:
PREDESIGN

This is essentially an information gathering and processing phase – what we do before we start designing. We collect all of the information about the project to use in schematic design. This includes information about the site, any existing structure(s), codes, deed restrictions, septic information, site utilities, access, budget, and schedule.

PHASE 2:
SCHEMATIC DESIGN

This is where the rough shape of the building and the ideas are formed. I’ll generate a couple of different design options for you to consider - two at a minimum (sometimes more) - using all of the information gathered in the previous step. I begin by drafting a narrative for the project, called a ‘parti’, which we’ll reference throughout the project.  This seed idea is used to help us make decisions as the project becomes more detailed and better defined. It’s a rulebook of sorts.

I generally present the schematic ideas in loose sketch form on tracing paper as site and plan diagrams or models, physical or digital. These are not final ideas or fixed plans, they’re meant to be conceptually evocative and to incite new ideas and feedback from you.

We’ll meet and discuss the designs with the goal of narrowing the field to one preferred design concept; something we can move forward with. Often this design will borrow features from other schemes and become a hybridized solution. The phase concludes with your selection of a scheme to further develop.

PHASE 3:
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Taking the schematic plan developed in the previous phase, I begin to create the drawings digitally.  I locate it precisely on your site and think about how it will relate to the existing contour and consider how that will shape the building.  I make the building real by drawing the floor plan - the walls, windows, + doors, and stairs. I define the exact sizes and relationships of the rooms, the overall volume of the building and generate the initial set of exterior elevations. I also begin thinking about materials, inside and out.  Eventually we’ll know what every finish in every room is, but here we’ll conceptualize the framework for the material palette. The buildings systems will be developed in this phase as well – structural, mechanical, heating, lighting, and specialty controls. 

PHASE 4:
Construction Documents

This phase fixes all of the information about the house into a detailed set of drawings and specifications that will be used by the Contractor for pricing and construction. Think of it as an instruction manual. Before beginning we’ll discuss whether you’d like to pursue a bid price contract or a negotiated contract and I’ll craft the drawings and level of detail in those drawings based on that decision. For a typical project, I generate the following drawings: Site Plan

Floor Plan(s)
Foundation Plan
Exterior Elevations
Building Sections/Wall Sections
Door + Window Details
Interior Elevations
Details (interior/exterior)
Electrical / Lighting plans
Building Specifications
Schedules (Door/Window/Hardware/Plumbing/Lighting/Finish/Appliance, etc.)
Structural Plans

I’ll submit the project for local permitting near the beginning of this phase to ensure any necessary changes can be folded in before the drawings are finalized. The local permitting process in Washington is usually straightforward and simple. Complex sites may require an earlier start on the permitting process; however, this will be determined in the Predesign phase.

The construction documents phase will require less input from you as most of the decisions will have already been made. If there are outstanding finish selections or cabinetry design decisions we’ll meet to confirm those.

PHASE 6:
CONSTRUCTION OBSERVATION

After the contract is awarded and construction begins, I act as your agent on-site, monitor progress, review applications for payment, and ensure conformance with the contract documents. I don’t tell the contractor how to do his work; I just make sure he’s doing the things he’s contractually promised to do.

This is a crucial part of the process and I strongly advocate being involved during construction. Not only does it ensure that all of the hard work we put in designing your vision is executed properly and according to the drawings we crafted, but I also find that it holds the Contractor to a higher standard of quality.

Invariably, there are things that I‘m just not able to draw or anticipate during the Construction Documents phase. Involving me in the Construction Observation phase allows the project design vision to be integrated into the details of the home seamlessly. Architects and contractors think very differently – which is good – but not every Contractor’s decision balances function and aesthetics.