What are the steps of the design process?

Step 3: The final drawing phase

​The steps for a full set of construction drawings are the initial consultation, the preliminary phase, the final drawing phase, delivery and project support.  If you plan to build your home as soon as the drawings are done, these are the steps your project will follow.  If you don’t plan to build right away, you have other options which you can learn about in What is included. 

Step 1: The initial consultation

The design process starts with the initial consultation.  You can visit GETTING STARTED to see if you are ready to schedule your consultation.  After the free consultation, your contract will arrive by email.  It is during the consultation the we will determine what drawings will need to be included in your design and how much the design will cost.  All this information will be included in the contract.  To learn more check out PRICING.

Step 2: The preliminary design phase

Once the signed contract and the retainer are received, the preliminary design phase will begin. During the preliminary design phase, we will provide drafts of the drawings via email for your review.  Preliminary drawings include the floor plans and exterior elevations only.  The first three drafts are included in the contract.  It is very rare that our clients need more than three revisions to finalize the design.  The time frame for the preliminary phase is open ended because it depends on many factors that can either speed up or delay the process.  If your project is an addition, remodel or renovation we will begin this phase by taking detailed measurements and creating drawings of your existing home.

When you are sure that the design requires no additional alterations, you will sign off on the design and make a second installment payment.  After those are received the final drawing phase will begin. The final drawing phase is when we turn your concept design into a build-able home. Depending on the complexity of your design and how quickly you respond to questions, this can take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to complete.  Every set of final drawings will include general construction notes, a basic site plan, a floor plan for every level of the house, a roof plan, exterior elevations for each side of the house, building sections, enlarged sections and window/door schedules.

Step 4: Delivery

Upon completion of the final drawings you will receive a final review set via email.  This is your opportunity to verify that everything you asked for is included in the set.  This will not be the complete set; only the drawings you need to verify that the project meets your expectations.  After you approve the final drawings, we will print the number of sets you request and copy the PDF files to a CD.  We can deliver the drawings to you or you can pick them up.  Some clients prefer we mail them, which we are willing to do but it is not our preference.  In person delivery allows you to look the set over and ask questions.  The final installment payment is due when we deliver the drawings.  You can see WHAT IS INCLUDED here.

Step 5: Project Support

After delivery, we are more than happy to answer any questions you or your contractor has during your build.  This is a service we offer free of charge.  We want to make sure your build goes as smoothly as possible.  And don’t forget, when the house is finished we would love to see pictures!