DESIGING YOUR CUSTOM HOME

Everyone is different, so it’s important for us to meet and create an initial game plan. In this meeting, we’ll review your ideas, wants, and needs. Now is the perfect time to share your inspiration boards and examples of plans you like. Once I have a better understanding of you and your vision, we can begin developing the initial concept plan. Generally, this takes 1–3 hours depending on the details. During this time, I’ll also cover a few logistical points, such as the design process timeline, estimated costs, building regulations, and collaborating with your builder.

After our initial design consultation, I’ll start working on a first draft. Depending on the details you’ve provided and how certain you are about your design, you may not need many drafts. With that draft will come the cost to complete the plans as drawn, which serves as our starting point for pricing. You’ll have the opportunity to make changes and adjustments at this stage and after each future draft. Most people usually need 2–3 drafts, and everything within those is included at no extra revision cost. Once we’ve finalized the plan, you’ll be invoiced and the plan sent to you; any changes after that may incur a revision fee.

Once we’ve worked out all the flaws in your plan’s design, I’ll move on to the construction details. At this stage, I’ll need information like your project location, and site maps are a plus, along with any energy efficiency goals. If you have specifics such as preferred window manufacturers, doors, finishes, and so on, this is the time to note them. Once everything’s ready, I’ll send you the full unredacted plan set for building. I don’t usually handle bids since your contractor does that, but if any materials come back significantly more expensive than expected, or if the plan can’t be built due to code issues, buildability, or high costs, I’ll revise it for free.

Sometimes plans change or adjustments are needed. Just let me know, and I’ll work on a revised plan to address the issue. Revisions are usually billed hourly, but depending on the scope of work, the cost may be waived. Excessive or large revisions may also be billed per square foot.

Your first meeting is on us, and most plan review and revision meetings are free too. If we end up needing more design meetings than usual, there may be a small surcharge to help cover the extra time.

We’re happy to work with your contractor, as keeping everyone on the same page helps reduce frustration and confusion during the build. If you don’t have a contractor yet, we may have some recommendations. In the Eastern Idaho market, we often collaborate with TruStone Homes and highly recommend them. If you’re planning to build yourself, let us know—we can provide additional building details and arrange some quotes for you.