How we work.

Design and Documentation: 3-6 months

This timeline includes our four design and documentation phases, as well as the time required for engineers to complete their work on your project. Existing Conditions, Schematic Design, Design Development, and Construction Documents are our four design and documentation phases. The phases are summarized below. If your project is in a historic district, HOA, or has any kind of Design Review Board, the timeline may be extended to accommodate their requirements.

Existing Conditions

The Existing Conditions section serves as the foundation for the remainder of the design and documentation process. It primarily entails gathering information and documenting the site and existing home. Studying the context of the neighborhood, researching zoning requirements, and photographing the property and existing home are all part of the information gathering process. We investigate and discover what makes the house unique, what gives it character, and what is historically, culturally, and economically valuable. Existing Conditions is when we need a site surveyor to create one if one isn't already available. We measure the areas of the house that will be affected by the design during the site survey to create a digital set of as-built plans that will be used as the base drawings for the rest of the project.

Schematic Design

The experience of the home, the location and relationship between different functional areas, how the new design affects the existing site or home, passive sustainable design strategies, and, finally, the overall design concept of the home are all addressed in schematic design. We use the information gathered during the Existing Conditions phase along with your project scope to design the floor plan and site plan, which are accompanied by numerous 3-D renderings to convey the shape, massing, and other big ideas. Meetings are used to discuss and refine these layouts until we arrive at the best plan solution. This is usually done in two or three virtual meetings.

Design Development

Design Development is the stage at which the "look" or "style" of the home is determined. During this phase, materials are selected, a lighting and power plan, as well as a roof plan, are developed, and details are discussed and developed in 2-D drawings with some 3-D renderings of main spaces. This is usually done in two or three virtual meetings.

Construction Documents

Construction Documents are the final deliverable you receive from us and when consultants such as structural and MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) engineers, as well as a Civil Engineer depending on the project scope, are involved. During this phase, we create detailed plans for General Contractors to use in pricing the design and obtaining Building Permits.

Building Permitting: 4 months

All additions and most major renovations require a building permit. Permitting time is entirely dependent on the local jurisdiction and varies greatly depending on how well they are staffed and how many projects they are reviewing. As a result, we recommend that you begin by estimating at least 4 months.

Construction: 8-16 months

An addition or renovation typically takes 8-16 months to complete, but this can vary depending on the size and complexity of the project. The general contractor you hire to build your project is in charge of the schedule and timeline, but estimating 8-16 months for construction is a good place to start.