Carpenter Design

Information may not be reliable

Considering the large financial and emotional investment in building a custom house, we feel that appropriate planning is essential to make the investment worthwhile and lasting.
The space-planning needs of the client, the desired appearance, site considerations, and the budget are major initial considerations. But also, we strive to produce a design that will have an aesthetic quality that is pleasing and enduring, so that the market value of the house will rise quickly, and also maintain it’s aesthetic value over the years.
Also, while making every effort to please the client with regards to their “wish list”, we also often make suggestions about the design that would make the construction more economical and conventional.

Consultation: Come in for a meeting and discuss your needs, wants, budget and site conditions. Notes are taken and a schematic “bubble sketch” may be drawn to define spatial orientation. Sometimes a second consultation is necessary.
Preliminary Plans: Based on the information gathered in the consultation, a floor plan will be drawn, often with an artists rendering of the exterior. (Some projects may include exterior elevations at this phase, depending on the complexity of the project).
Design Development: Revisions are made, if necessary, and exterior elevations are drawn, along with other pictorial type drawings, as required, such as interior architectural features, etc.
Construction Plans: Often referred to as “blueprints”, these are the final drawings that the contractor uses to actually build the house. A basic set of construction plans include: foundation plan, detailed floor plan(s), roof plan, exterior elevations, and at least one typical wall section. Often we provide other types of drawings in addition to those in a basic set that describe other features of the house that need to be built accurately. Those drawings often include site plans, building cross sections, architectural details, interior elevations, and multiple sections describing varying wall/roof/foundation conditions. The need for these additional drawings is determined by the particular nature of each design.
Construction Monitoring: Though not a legal requirement for residential design, we find that regular “site checks”, monitoring the construction of the house is extremely beneficial to the client. This is particularly true with regards to house designs that feature more unconventional details, shapes and layouts. Why pay for custom design if the “custom” portion of the design is not executed properly on site?

The fee is based on the amount of time estimated to produce the plans for the house. Once an estimated amount of time is calculated (after the initial meeting) the total fee amount is determined. This is a flat fee that is paid in percentages as the drawing process moves forward. The design fee is not variable, so you will know from the very beginning of the project what the total amount spent on the plans will be, according to the contract.