The first part of the design process starts with the schematic design phases. Schematic is a common word used in architecture and it means the early design concepts. We aren’t too focused on the details of how the building is coming together, but looking at bigger ideas.

Feasibility / Existing Documentation
The start of every project consists of gathering important information regarding existing conditions and code review. The goal is to understand the parameters of the design and check to make sure the desired scope is feasible. We will review local building and zoning code and document existing conditions by building a digital model of your home. We end this exercise with the pre-design meeting to discuss what we have found. Sometimes a feasibility study is helpful before engaging with the remaining design process. We are happy to provide a stand-alone feasibility study (see Feasibility Studies).

3D Image Showing the Max Building Height

Schematic Design
Once we have the parameters of the design determined and have verified the desired scope through the pre-design process, we will start working on the early design concepts. We will present designs and continue to work through iterations based on your feedback until we have arrived at the ideal scheme. The end of the phase includes a schematic pricing package of early drawings and notes for a contractor to put an early budget together.

Hand Drawn Sketch

Pricing
To understand costs, it’s ideal to work with a contractor early. We can work with a contractor you’ve selected or help find a contractor. We will send the schematic pricing package to the selected contractor who will put together a construction budget. We will end this phase by refining the scope to meet the budget.

Pricing Plan for a Contractor to Price

At the end of the schematic design phases (see part 1 - schematic design), we have pricing and the final scope determined. Time to get to work!

Design Development
With the scope defined, we will start by teaming up with consultants to develop the drawings for a building permit application. The process includes adding additional detail to the drawings, performing calculations, and preparing forms. This phase largely concludes once we have submitted the permit application, but some additional time will be required to address corrections issued by the building department.

Gross Square Footage Diagram for Permit

Construction Documents
This phase consists of adding additional information, outside of what the building department requires, to produce a drawing set for construction. This phase will consist of a kick-off meeting with the entire team to understand what information should be included in the set. The contractor will largely let us know if additional details are required and we will work with you to determine the finishes, fixtures, and equipment.

Interior Elevation of a Bathroom Wall

Construction Administration
Once the permit application is approved and the construction documents are completed, we will send the drawings to the contractor for one more review and final estimate. Once construction starts, we will work as a team to answer questions and review the work for compliance with the construction documents. We will help address items missed in the field, add additional details and clarifications to our drawings, and find solutions to unforeseen issues.

Construction Administration Photo on Site

How long until the project is completed?

Design and construction will take anywhere from 1-2 years from start to finish. We have found design typically takes 8-12 months and construction takes 6-12 months for most residential projects. There are a lot of check points in the timeline and many of them require a choice that will have a lasting impact and require a bit of time. The biggest factors out of our control are the time it takes a client to make decisions and the permit review time required to obtain a permit. We are in this together and will try to be as efficient as we can to get a project completed.

See more information regarding the design process (Our Process) to understand the steps that take place during this time.

How much will construction cost?

It’s hard to know what exactly something will cost, particularly early in the design process. We have to factor the type of work taking place. Bathroom and kitchens will have significantly higher costs when compared to a bedroom. We also have to consider particular systems and components like stairs or equipment that could impact the budget considerably.

We will navigate construction budgets by providing assumptions during the schematic design phases. The budget assumption will include a range and reflect the scope of work shown based on information we are seeing industry-wide and our own experiences. Once we have a contractor on board, they will help us understand the costs more accurately. The entire design process will include budget check-ins with more and more clarity so we can tune the scope of work to meet your budget.

What will the design and permitting fees cost?

In addition to the construction cost, one should factor design and permitting fees into their budget.

All fees tend to track relative to construction costs. For example, a larger project will take more money to build, requiring more time for architects and engineers to document and the jurisdiction to review the project. Each project will break down differently based on many factors, but we find our design fees will track within 8-12% for a typical project.

The biggest factors impacting the fee are scope of work, interactions of design, design changes, and legal requirements. For example, if a project is relatively small, say simply a bathroom, kitchen, or deck project, our fees could track higher than 12% since there is a standard amount of work any project requires particularly with design development / permitting. The general rule is that cost savings apply as projects scale up, so a large remodel such as a whole house remodel will equate to the lower end of our estimates.

Other factors like permitting will fall within 2-4% of construction cost. Engineering will vary significantly based on the type of engineer (Geotechnical, Civil, Structural) and scope of work, but for budgeting would be good to assume 1-4% each.

Architecture firms will vary on how they charge, although many will be similar to our approach.

We bill our time hourly in 15-minute intervals and will provide fee estimate prior to any work taking place. The fee estimate for schematic design phases will be included in our proposal, and post schematic phases will be included in a later addendum. We will monitor our fee to make sure we are not exceeding the estimate agreed to. If we anticipate we will exceed our estimate, we will address it prior to find a solution.

We will invoice monthly for services executed and ask that the invoice be paid in 15 days. Our invoices will include a summary showing fee used against the contractual estimates. We will also include a detailed summary of everyone’s time with notes of what the time was used for to be transparent about our fees.