1. Complete Architectural Design Services

Our design professionals have years of experience that allow them to create the perfect custom home design to suit your requirements. Perhaps you have sketched out the beginnings of a possible floor plan in some detail. Maybe you have simply made some drawings on a napkin. You may have dreamed about the perfect home for years, but it’s only a picture in your mind.

Whatever the case, wherever you live, we invite you to discuss your ideas with an accredited designer in a one-on-one meeting at our showroom. They will interview you about your family’s requirements, budget, any site restrictions and create a design that you will love to live in.

Of course, you will be allowed to make adjustments until the custom home design is perfect. We want you to be 100% satisfied.

 2. Design Retainer

A full-service architect will charge based on services needed. So, what you need to decide and discuss with your architect is what services do you need?

We often get folks who found a floor plan online and “just need it stamped by an architect”. Once we show them that the plan will have concerns (windows under ground, design is for a mountain home not their beach property, etc) they soon realize that while the plan they found has features they like, it doesn’t work for their life location, lot, etc.

So, in the first step our architect will discuss with you want you want and need. A young family planning for children, vs. an established couple looking toward retirement will have different considerations. It is not uncommon during this phase to realize that many decisions still need to be made (she wants a single level, he wants a 2-story and a basement).

The next step is the schematic design. Taking the needs discussed, the architect will layout the rooms and travel areas to provide a custom design that includes all the needs, and as many of the ‘wants’ as they can, while looking at the site conditions and offerings (views, driveway locations, etc).

Typically an architect will hold a retainer (a down payment). This amount will be a percentage of the estimated value of the project. So, 5 to 12%. This retainer is held and paid toward the final invoice. It can be negotiated, so if you only want a schematic design it might be lower than if you want full construction documents. If you continue to use the architect, they may request a second retainer to increase the amount held – the idea is the architect does not hold risk that you will change your mind (decide not to build) and then not pay for the designs up to the point they have been developed.

Design retainers are non-refundable.

 3. Interior Design Services

Will the design of your home meet your future needs? Are you presently raising a family or considering feathering your empty nest? Families customize their homes to suit particular needs and lifestyles. By implementing a universal design plan, your space will seamlessly accommodate its changing needs for decades to come.

In the past, elegant homes and their interiors were designed in a traditional fashion with the expectation that a complete remodeling would be required every decade or so. Our projects are being designed with sustainability in mind, incorporating universal design elements to create homes that will be suitable well into your future. We will often design incorporating wider doorways and hallways into homes because they accommodate pushing a child in a stroller, moving furniture in and out of a room, or fitting a wheelchair. This allows everyone and everything to move easily in and out of the house and from room to room. That’s just one example of designing a space that works throughout life’s stages.