Step 1: Schematic Design
We begin by exploring the overall layout of your home — how rooms connect, how the building sits on the site, and the general big-picture approach. These early drawings aren’t final; they’re meant to help you understand different possibilities. At the end of this phase, a builder provides a rough preliminary cost estimate based on the concepts. Because the design will continue to evolve, this estimate usually includes a contingency to account for future refinement.

Step 2: Design Development
Once a direction is chosen, we develop it further. This is where the architecture starts to take shape: interior and exterior character, form, layout, and initial material ideas. It’s the last major opportunity to adjust the overall vision before we move into detailed technical work.

Step 3: Construction Documents
Here, we translate the design into detailed drawings and specifications the builder will use to price and construct the home. This set becomes part of the contract with your contractor and includes the information needed to build accurately and confidently.

Step 4: Permitting
We often prepare and submit all drawings, forms, and technical documents required by your local jurisdiction (city or county) for review. In some areas, builders we collaborate with do the bulk of this work. The permitting process often takes several weeks or months. Once reviewers issue comments, we respond and revise as needed. When the final set is approved, you’ll pay the permit fees and receive authorization to begin construction.

Step 5: Construction
This is where the design becomes real. Our work continues during construction — we visit the site, answer questions, review details, and help guide decisions that arise along the way. Many small choices made during this stage have a significant impact on the final result, and we’re here to help you navigate them. When the project is complete, you get to enjoy a home that was carefully designed just for you.