What Happens During the Residential Design Process?

Building a home is often a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and, although it’s an exciting process, you can easily feel a bit overwhelmed and out of your depth as a homeowner! Here’s a guide on what to expect, from a leading residential architect in NJ.

The Pre-Design Phase of Residential Architecture Design 

This happens when you first meet your residential architect and their team, and it’s more about getting to know you than anything else. Our team wants to know more about your lifestyle, your family, your expectations of your home, and what you love about houses. This is how we get the central ideas for the design of your home. While we will cover the basics like how many bathrooms and bedrooms you want, this meeting is also focused on your dreams for your home. It’s a good idea to share as much as possible with your architect, from photographs of homes that you love to lifestyle choices (do you love entertaining? Do you have a classic car collection? Are you planning to have kids or to bring extended family to live with you?) to make sure we get a full picture of who you are.
The Concept Phase 

After the meeting is done, we’ll draw up some plans to explore different ways that your home could be situated for your site. Don’t expect your team to get it right on the first try, but these plans should have some promise of your eventual home design. Look for aspects that you love, be clear about what ideas don’t work for you, and explore your alternative options – architects love coming up with solutions that you may not have thought of that could be surprisingly effective!

Schematic Design Phase 

This is when we draw the design that forms the foundation of what will be your dream home. Again, expect a few drafts of this design as we continually add more and more detail to it and meet together to discuss features and changes. In the end, you’ll have a schematic design set that has several detailed drawings for your house plan, elevations and so on that your contractor will require to estimate your building costs.

Design Development Phase 

Here, we’ll work with you and your contractor to verify dimensions and materials details that will be required in the construction process. These detailed design development set of plans can still be altered if needed but are generally only subject to very minor changes.

Construction Documentation 

This phase is all about detail and you’ll be surprised just how much has to go into the building of a home. The construction document set of plans is a highly-detailed set of drawings that give precise instruction to your contractor on how to build your house, the workmanship required, and descriptions of the materials needed. This is essential to get a final cost for the project as well as permits needed to go ahead with the build. Due to the complexity of the plans, it’s a good idea to have a knowledgeable project manager on site to ensure the plans are being followed properly and to handle any minor challenges or changes during the build.

Need a Residential Architect in NJ? We Can Design and Manage Your Project 

The firm of Seth A. Leeb is a full-service residential and commercial architectural firm, and we have considerable experience working on large and small residential projects, including remodeling, extensions and new builds. As leading New Jersey architects, we consider designing and building your project as a privilege, and we’ll work with you to make the process as smooth and rewarding as possible. For more information on our services as custom home architectsand to speak to a residential architect in NJ, please contact us today or visit our website at https://leeb-architecture.com/

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