Our Process.
Design
We begin with the approval of the Design Agreement and receipt of your design retainer, and then we go to work. This is an interactive process where your input and design ideas must flow freely. We work together as a team to define the broad conceptual ideas of the project in 3 ways.
• Develop a “Scope of Work” which will describe your wants, wishes and goals in a written format. Now we have a road map to your new home!
• Using architectural software, an as-built set of plans will be prepared along with a “Preliminary Floorplan” of your new design.
• A new and revised budget outline is prepared to narrow the project cost to within an accuracy of plus or minus 10% of the final cost, based on the newly developed “Scope of Work” and “Preliminary Floorplans”.
Architectural Design and Product Selections
This is where the heavy lifting and customer homework really begins. You will dedicate a lot of time completing the product selections for appliances, cabinets, plumbing fixtures etc. We will use these decisions and our architectural software to bring those decisions into the plan and prepare detailed drawings with full color 3D pictures of your new design.
Tasks to be completed include:
• Completion of existing as-built plans (existing home floorplan) as well as full set of the “new floorplan” in 2D views.
• Exterior elevation views to show all visual changes to outside walls and roof systems.
• Interior wall elevations on a room by room basis, visually presenting what the remodeled space will look like.
• Overall cabinet layouts for kitchen and bathrooms, built-in cabinetry, etc. A meeting with custom cabinet manufacturer will also happen in this phase.
• Determining selections for critical items like windows, exterior doors, flooring and appliances.
• Identify & make decisions on cabinetry finishes, plumbing & electrical fixtures, door & window molding, specialty moldings, tile designs, granite selections, accessories etc.
• The Specifications and Project Outline are fully developed to define all the details of the work and the workflow process for job scheduling.
• Now the project budget will be carefully analyzed and the budget will be revised to within a 2-3% accuracy range.
• This is a time to take a close look at any options you may be considering, and how they may or may not affect your final budget.
The final results of the architectural design and product selection phase is to formalize the design drawings, finalize important long lead-time decisions, identify and describe product selections, prepare written time frames for decisions and prepare to move into the construction phase. Utilizing this time to detail finishes and product selections allows the actual construction process to run smoother, faster and remain on budget; eliminating major stress and the anxiety of making decisions on the fly.
Construction Documentation & Project Scheduling
With a full set of working plans, elevations, scope of work, specifications and a project outline, we now finish up the architectural process:
• Contract for structural engineering drawings, foundation plans, framing plans, structural details and calculation. This is required for submission to city building departments.
• Title 24 energy efficiency engineering report. This is required for submission to city building departments.
• Roofing details and layouts identify specialty flashing or waterproofing details.
• Molding and trim details – identify backing requirements and spacing details to accommodate full trim installations.
• Determine floor elevations and finish materials to ensure flush transitions between varying flooring materials.
• Electrical and lighting plans – identify all lighting fixtures keeping title 24 requirements as well as all current California building codes in mind.
• Prepare detail project schedule with Gantt chart scheduling – published online in web based communication system.
• Finalize the project budget to a fixed amount based on final engineering and construction details.
• Submit plans to city for building permits.
Pre- Construction Planning
At this point, we will have a clear comprehension of what your project entails and what your overall investment will be. Now we can move on to signing construction contracts and placing your project into our production schedule. We start with all the "behind the scenes" work such as placing orders for any products with long lead–times, schedule specific time slots for all trade contractors, develop detailed material lists, and finalize the production schedule from which we’ll be working. Throughout this process we communicate our progress and post all relative information to our web based communication center.
Construction
Believe it or not; this is the easy part. By thoroughly planning and making all the critical decisions up front, we reduce the time frame and costs associated with change orders and decisions on the fly. A start-up meeting on the job site will be scheduled and give you a chance to meet with the key contractors who will build or remodel your home. We review the project details one more time and address any concerns you may have. In addition, we will discuss life during a remodeling project and what you can expect, plus any additional special considerations we need to be aware of while working in your home. Once your project is started, we will be onsite working it until it’s done. We will respect your home, keep it clean and safe and leave you with a wonderful finished project. More importantly, we will also do it in a way that minimizes disruption and inconvenience.
