Residential Architectural Services Offered
Design and Construction Drawings
Design and construction drawing services begin with a consultation meeting
at your home. At that meeting, our goal is to first understand what it is
you need from your home, or rather what it is that is not working for you
about your home. It is important for you to simply
communicate to us what types of space you need, if you need existing spaces
to be made larger or if you are simply looking to improve the home’s curb
appeal.
If you have any photos or images of homes or spaces you find attractive feel free to show them to us. We find pictures are an effective way for you to communicate the types of spaces you like. Having a copy of your property survey is also helpful so we can understand how the home sits on the property.
Additionally, we need to perform a zoning study with the township to
understand any restrictions for development and how they may affect your
project. We will then offer our professional advice regarding the optimal
way to approach the design and construction of your home. Our role is to
offer guidance. In the end, as the home owner, you are in control of the
process.
We will send you a proposal for our services that outlines our costs and time frame. Typically, we will include a hand drawn sketch showing what your home could be transformed into.
Bidding Services
Bidding is the process of asking three contractors to estimate the construction costs for your project. The bidders can be contractors that you know or referrals from us. We prepare a comprehensive set of bidding documents along with the architectural drawings. The bidding documents include a set of instructions for each contractor to follow. They request proof of insurance, licensure, a payment schedule and a list of sub-contractors and material suppliers. The bidding documents also include a “Request for Pricing Breakdown” form. With this form we ask the contractor to break down the costs for construction in specific ways. These cost breakdowns help us to quickly analyze each bid.
For the owner, the bidding documents include a list of finish items such
as plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures, tile, etc., along with quantities.
We ask that you begin to shop your finish items from a cost standpoint.
We can help you with this process of you need help. Finishes vary in cost
dramatically depending upon your tastes. It is important to understand where
your finish costs are as they are a large portion of the total cost.
We will have a bid meeting with each contractor separately at our office to explain the project, bid documents and drawings. Then we ask each bidder to make an appointment with you at your home. This allows the contractor to become familiar with the existing conditions as well as gives you an opportunity to meet each bidder. The bids are required to be delivered to my office by a specified date in sealed envelopes. Together, we will open the bids and begin the process of selecting a contractor.
Construction Contract Administration
This phase of our services begins the moment you issue a check to a contractor to start your construction project. Our roll is to visit the construction site at intervals appropriate to the development of construction to verify that the work has been competed according to the contract documents. We typically will have weekly meetings to review progress and the events for the upcoming week. When a payment is due to the contractor we ensure that the work to that point is complete and in writing authorize the payment. If the work is only 80% complete than we authorize a payment for 80% of that which is due. The primary goal here is to ensure that monies are fairly distributed at any point during the construction process. We also help coordinate the selection of architectural finish materials, colors and patterns.
Architectural Interior Design Consultation
We will assist you with choosing the architectural interior finishes, decorative items, color etc. from the vast and sometimes overwhelming array of products and choices available. When your interiors are planned with an individual familiar with the scope of the entire project decisions can be made more definitively and quickly getting you to your goal sooner. You are always in control of the final selection; we simply offer our guidance and our extensive coordinating skills. We can also work with your interior designer.
Landscape Design Consultation
We will, along with a landscaping professional, design a comprehensive landscaping plan around your home with consideration for creating outdoor spaces that relate to the architecture and sighting of the home. Instillation costs are estimated during design.