For a new building to truly be called a custom home it must be specific to both its users and its location. At PSA CUSTOM HOMES we always begin with the site; its topography, geology, aspect and orientation. How will vehicles (including construction vehicles) gain access? How much excavation or fill is required and how many trees can be saved? Which way does the prevailing wind blow, how can we best provide protection against driving rain or snow? Only by understanding the site and its specific attributes and requirements and those of its immediate neighborhood may we hope to begin.
As importantly, we will also need to clearly understand how you, the building's user, intend to live there. How many occupants will there be, will they be resident or visiting or a combination of both? Is a formal dining room necessary, or do you need a more simple place to eat your meals? Is the view important, if so to whom and what rooms need to take advantage of it? What is the construction budget and how best to stay within it? Only by expanding upon questions such as these can the home become tailor made to fit your family exactly.
Because of this, it makes no sense to try to shoehorn drastic modifications onto on some stock plan, designed for someone else and on some other site. It is much more cost effective to start with fresh pencil and paper and design specifically with your family in mind, not some stranger's.
To assist us in understanding your family's lifestyle we have prepared what we refer to as the Project Information Form - please click on this to review it at any time you wish. When you are ready, you may complete it online with no obligation to proceed whatsoever. Once we have reviewed its contents we will contact you to discuss your project; after which we will provide you with our fee to design your custom home.
ONLINE CUSTOM DESIGN SERVICES:
We will do most of our communication online or by fax and telephone. Fortunately, nowadays the use of technology lets us easily communicate anywhere in the world.
An example of this would be the use of NetMeeting Whiteboard sessions. These allow us to discuss the drawings with you, and to be able to make notes, highlights, or to draw over the plans while doing the teleconference. Even if you're not a sophisticated Internet user, we'll guide you through the easy setup process. Internet Whiteboard sessions are so effective that many of our local clients now prefer to use this technique during the design process.
We will create a special password-protected website for your use. This site will have the uploaded designs for your viewing and commenting; or for sharing with family and friends, your builder, or your material suppliers for quoting.
The benefit of online custom design to you is that we can greatly reduce our fee by not having to include the expense of traveling and, perhaps more importantly, by being able to spend time productively working on your new home instead of traveling.
All PSA CUSTOM HOME projects consist of two distinct phases:
Phase 1 - Conceptual Design
Phase 2 - Construction Drawings
Phase 1 - Conceptual Design is exploratory in nature and, by definition, enables the final design to be conceptualized through a process of synthesis. The design begins by being very fluid, becoming more and more frozen in function and form as both the designer and client collaborate and reach agreement. At this point both our time and the fee are deliberately kept to a realistic minimum so that if, for some reason, the client decides not to go ahead the cost will be as little as possible.
We will begin work on the Construction Drawings only once the Conceptual Design has been formally accepted and approved by the client. Because it is very labor intensive, preparing the Construction Drawings requires the majority of the fee. Recognizing this, it makes perfect sense to keep changes to the absolute minimum from this point onward. Just as the layout has become fixed through the Conceptual Design process, so too must all the specific details, finishes, fixtures and appliances become finalized through a careful selection process before they find their way onto the Construction Drawings.
What Exactly is Conceptual Design?
This is exactly what it sounds like - the design solution presented to the Owner in simple sketch form. In the initial phase it is important to build up to the final design slowly so that if major changes become necessary the amount of time already invested doesn't become cost prohibitive. Over thirty years of residential design experience, all over the world means that we will help you to avoid many obvious, and some not so obvious, pitfalls; such as a home plan we recently observed that had a single story Sun Room located on the north side of a two story residence!!
The process begins with maximum input from the homeowner by way of the completed Project Information Form, notes, diagrams, sketches, photographs and magazine clippings - in fact anything that helps to articulate your needs, hopes and taste. Sometimes it is just as helpful to know what you don't like. Help us to see the project through your eyes, so that we can most usefully begin the design process.
There will be much discussion, back and forth between designer and homeowner, always with the objective of more clearly understanding the problem, because only then can we truly begin to solve it. The design solution will take the form of floor plans for each habitable floor and an exterior elevation, or view, of the main façade - usually, although not always, this will be the view from the street. In any event, it will be the elevation that best describes the overall design intent. We will also include a cross section, cut through the building where it will best describe heights, vaulted ceilings, roof form, etc. These drawings are most often generated on a computer, although we can, and often do, elect to prepare them by hand.
The Conceptual Design drawings you receive will be based upon your input. Your home's layout will be logical, well thought-out, and functional; it will take advantage of any important views or topographical features that are to be retained, as well as the prevailing wind and both the sun's orientation and angle. We will decide upon the best structural system, add any materials that you may have stipulated and meld all this into the most pleasing aesthetic form possible - one that will respect any specific design style you have requested.
The Conceptual Design drawings are used for planning purposes alone - they are no more than a model of the finished home, subject to alterations and refinement. They should not be confused with buildable plans, although they will contain sufficient information for an experienced builder to arrive at a competitive estimate of the final cost. Much more development of the drawings is necessary; both architecturally as well as the engineering disciplines such as civil, structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, etc. This further development occurs under the Construction Drawings Phase - see below.
What you'll get when you order your Conceptual Design:
· Computer, or manually, drafted floor plans of each habitable floor, including finished basements and attics. Drawn accurately, to scale and utilizing industry accepted architectural conventions.
· Computer, or manually, rendered main elevation.
Additionally - once the above have been approved
· A schematic section cut through the building to best illustrate interior spatial relationships, vaulted ceilings, roof form, etc.
· The three remaining elevations
Optional: (priced separately)
· Roof layout (not including framing)
· Preliminary Site Plan
· Perspective rendering (3D view)
· Computer-generated Flyover or Walk-through animations
To begin the conceptual design phase, we will need the following information:
· A completed Project Information Form as well as a plan of your lot drawn to scale and indicating the compass orientation (to calculate sun angles). Include a topography plan if your lot is sloping.
· The local design standards and covenants (if building in a deed-restricted community). We will also contact the state and county for their building code requirements.
· A series of overlapping photos (or a panoramic video) taken from your lot - if possible from where you wish the house to be located - so that we may put them together to create a panorama. This will allow us to see the neighboring structures and desirable views.
· A tree survey to minimize destruction of desirable vegetation.
· Soil analysis if your area has certain types of soils, e.g. swelling clays, rock outcroppings. We may need this soil analysis if we do the "Permit Set Plans".
· In addition, of course, the initial design fee.
If you are not certain about the next step, click here for a free consultation. We can have a brief chat about your needs, and about how we can begin the design of your new custom home.
Phase 2 - Construction Drawings:
A signed copy of the Conceptual Design Drawings, together with the completed Outline Specifications Form and your next payment installment will serve as our authority to proceed with the next phase.
The Construction Drawings are quite literally the "blueprints" from which your home will be built. They describe what the finished building will look like and how it is to be constructed in detail and in language that the contractor will understand. They perform several functions:
· They provide a graphical and descriptive explanation of the building - a model of the final building, built first on paper. They offer the homeowner an opportunity to review previous decisions and make last minute changes before construction starts.
· They are what the local code enforcement official needs when applying for the building permit. In addition, they are the means by which code enforcement officials are satisfied that code requirements will be met.
· They form the basis of the contract between the homeowner and the contractor. For example, the door that is described on the drawing and specifications is the door that the builder must provide by law.
· They form a permanent record of how the building was constructed for future owners of your home.
What you'll get when you order your Construction Drawings: Actual list may vary for your project
· Site Plan locating the house on the site and indicating that minimum setbacks, etc. have been met. The site plan will be based upon a lot plan or survey provided by the homeowner
· Foundation Plan
· Floor plan of each habitable level, including finished basements and attics. This will include any attached garages, carports, porches, decks, etc.
· Floor & Roof Framing Plans
· Door & Window Schedules
· Building Sections
· Complete Exterior Elevations
· Electrical Power & Lighting Layout
· Foundation & Wall Framing Details
· Notes & Specifications
Optional: (priced separately)
· Drawings for freestanding structures, such as unattached garages, etc.
· Cabinet Design & Details for Bathroom, Kitchen & other built-in's.
· Interior Wall Elevations.
· Staircase Details.
· Materials Take-off.
· A/V, Computer or Security System Wiring & Design
Not included: The following items are best handled by the contractor doing the installation.
· Design or drawings for wells or sewer and septic systems
· Heating and/or cooling design or drawings
· Roof truss design or drawings
To take the first step towards your new home, complete the Project Information Form. We'll contact you after we receive it.
