How I work - what to expect from me

The quick answer is; I’m happy to work on all sizes and types of projects. I am more than happy to come look at your project and give you a design fee estimate range. The size of the project, the scope of drawings wanted or needed will affect the design fee. Each job is unique, I work to fit your needs. Residential design work is where I’m most comfortable; however, I have commercial design experience where examples can be seen under the Architecture Tab.

My primary goal is that my clients know where they stand at all times in the design process. I was a bank loan officer in another lifetime so I know the importance of setting a budget. On larger jobs, the first step is to determine what you want to spend, what your dreams are for your home and to see if those two parameters are compatible. If so, we move on to determine the quality and basic price range per square foot we think is the best fit, work those numbers against the budget, determining the size of the house/renovation that fits the budget range and if all is agreeable, I’m off to write up a contract.

The contract specifies the design fee as well as exactly what drawings will be produced, when, and the design fee percentage due at the time those drawings are delivered. Again, I want my clients to know what to expect and to know where they stand at all times.

I have developed a pretty extensive questionnaire that I use for houses and for large renovations. There are a lot of questions. They are all necessary to ensuring we are on the same page. If it is a house from scratch, it usually takes 4-6 hours to get through the questionnaire. It is time well spent, I promise. Once I have the answers to these questions, I take all this design information I have accumulated and write it out in prose; a design summary basically stating, “this is what I understand I am suppose to be designing for you, am I right”? This serves as the foundation and also the measuring stick as I begin to create/redesign your home. When preliminary designs are complete, we both can refer back to the design summary and make sure I have incorporated your wishes into the project.

At some point in this process when the basic design is developed, I think it is always smart to get budget numbers to make sure we are still on target. The last thing I ever want is for a client to spend money on designs and drawings they love only to find out in the end they can’t afford to build. It’s at this point, we make adjustments and/or proceed toward finished working drawings.

When it is all said and done, I hope that I have been so thorough in pulling out of my clients their hopes and dreams that they feel like they really designed their own home, I just helped them express themselves in a language that was new to them.

I will be happy to provide contract examples, design summary samples, and references if you would like to consider me for your design project.