Feasibility

We look at your site to map out what’s possible: setbacks, slope, light, and access. Using sketches and diagrams, we figure out ways to maximize your site. We also check jurisdiction requirements and processes. The goal is to surface the real constraints and design opportunities before you invest deeply.

Programming

We work through your spatial needs based on what you want and what works in your current home, then check them against the space available. You’ll come away with a program that works within your constraints without giving up what matters most.

Schematic Design

This is where design begins. We develop study drawings that explore spatial relationships, scale, and form, translating your goals into something you can see and respond to. Over a few meetings, we present a range of schemes so you can weigh the options, make adjustments, and land on a direction you’re confident in. For more complex projects, a landscape architect is often brought in early for preliminary input on siting and outdoor space. You’ll come away with a site plan, floor plans, major elevations and building sections, illustrative sketches or diagrams, and a preliminary cost estimate.

Design Development

Once you’ve chosen a direction, we flesh out the design. Room dimensions, door and window placement, and material selections start to take shape. In the background, we’re coordinating with technical consultants, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, to make sure the design is buildable. Over a few meetings, interiors get more attention, with your specific input and, when relevant, collaboration with an interior designer, lighting designer, or landscape architect. Drawings at this stage include floor plans, reflecting ceiling plans, sections, and elevations with general dimensions, and an outline of material specifications.

Construction Documents

This phase is mostly heads-down work. We’re coordinating closely with all consultants to produce a thorough, well-coordinated set of drawings the contractor can build from. There are few client meetings at this stage, but a lot happening behind the scenes. We’ll produce a complete set of drawings that includes site plans, floor plans, roof plans, elevations, sections, interior elevations, construction details, and specifications, along with coordinated drawing sets from all other consultants.

Pre-Construction

A contractor is brought on during the design phase, before drawings are complete. They’re part of the process early, pricing the project as the design evolves so that cost and design stay in sync. This is a useful method when you know early on which contractor you’d like to work with, and it gives you a contractor who has made a commitment to hold time in their schedule for your project.

Bidding and Negotiation

A pool of vetted contractors receives the completed drawings and submits competitive bids. Because the design and details are fully resolved before pricing begins, you get a clear, apples-to-apples look at how different contractors structure their fees and a window into how each operation works. The tradeoff is that it adds time to the overall project timeline, and contractor availability at the point of bid isn’t guaranteed.

Construction Administration

Every project benefits from having the architect involved during construction. There are always moments where the work in the field needs to be confirmed against the contract drawings, and having someone who knows the design is the most direct way to keep things on track. We also serve as the point of contact when questions arise between you and the contractor, and handle change orders, shop drawings, submittals, and payment applications. We visit the site at appropriate intervals to monitor progress and confirm the work is being built as designed. This service is scoped on an hourly basis and tailored to the needs of your project.