We offer design services catered to your needs.  Whether you have a home that needs remodeling or a lot that is ready for a brand new custom home, we can design a home that fits you. 

 

The Process:

 

The goal of our home design process is to help you create a truly custom home that fits your family and lifestyle, whether your project is a new home or the renovation of an existing home.  I do not ask you to conform your lifestyle to a stock house plan.  I encourage clients to bring images of whatever inspires them to want a new home—magazine photos, vacation photos, photos of friends’ houses, photos of the neighborhood or even a favorite house from the movies.  These images help us find a common inspiration for your home. 

 

We will meet to discuss what you want from your home and work with you to develop the program for your new home.  The program will list such physical features as interior rooms and exterior living areas, including approximate sizes and preferred relationships.  It also includes desired characteristics of the home such as style and preferred building materials. 

 

With a common inspiration and the physical data of the program the design process begins in earnest.  I begin with loose sketches showing various plan arrangements and how the house fits the site.  I also provide general sketches showing the character of the house.  We review these sketches and discuss the qualities of each.  I then revise these sketches based on your feedback until we have a design that suites your desires.  This cycle generally occurs 2 or 3 times, each iteration bringing the design more and more into focus.  Some of these reviews can occur through e-mail and phone conversations but face to face meetings are generally the most productive.

 

When the design is generally set I will produce a more refined set of sketches showing the floor plans and the major building elevations.  These drawings can then be used by your builder to develop a preliminary construction budget and schedule before I begin creating the plans used for final bidding, permitting and construction.

 

The construction documents are the basis of your contract with a builder.  They will include a site plan, floor plan(s), ceiling plans, exterior elevations and select interior elevations.  I work with you to determine the best location for electrical outlets based on your preferred furniture lay-out.  I work with you to develop lighting plans and fixture schedules so your contractor can provide an accurate lighting allowance.  If your project is within the McMansion Ordinance region of the City of Austin the plans will include all necessary diagrams showing that the design conforms to the requirements of this ordinance.