The most thrilling part of building a new home, or renovating a part of your existing home, is the design.  To see your dreams and ideas come to life is just the beginning of the journey. 

pre design
Before beginning design, an initial meeting and visit to the site is a must in starting a dialogue about the scope of the project.  Understanding your needs & expectations is a key component to the design of your project.  Here we will create a wish list for your project.  If the project is a renovation, restoration, or addition, its important to have architectural drawings of the existing structure.  These "as-built" drawings are key to integrating the new design with the existing.  From here, the concept grows.

schematic design 
In these schematic drawings,  design ideas, such as the form and architectural style of your home, begin to emerge.  The transformation from ideas to a schematic design is achieved through a process of problem-solving, which addresses various design constraints and opportunities.  Once you approve the character of the design and are pleased with the overall program, we move on to the design development.

design development
Through design development, we transform the schematic hand sketches into more detailed, scaled drawings, creating an initial abbreviated drawing set.
In this phase, building materials are identified for both the interior and exterior, and window and door sizes are specified. Interior elevations illustrate the architectural character of the space.  Design development drawings are suitable for rough pricing by a contractor.

construction drawings
With the design of the project complete, and approved by you, the focus becomes the design and documentation of the details of the project.   All the required technical information, such as dimensions and notes, will be added to the drawings. Various material lists (door schedule, window schedule, finish schedule, etc.) will be included with the drawing set.   The construction drawings become the legal documents from which your builder constructs your project.  

construction administration
Your home construction has begun.  Carpenters & sub contractors are on site:  foundation is poured, walls are going, what to do now?  This is where "the devil is in the details".  Now is the time when many decisions will need to be made:  wall finishes, light fixtures, floor materials, etc.  As your designer, it is my job to walk you through all these decisions to make them both fun & easy.  This is where your style will shine through.  This is also where my role as your advocate with the builder is the most important.  With weekly site visits & design meetings, I am in constant contact with both you & the builder to help make the building of your home go as smoothly as possible.