Architectural Design Services
Our talented staff architects provide a full range of professional architectural services. Choice Wood Company’s focus is to build beautiful, architecturally designed, homes and additions. With knowledge, imagination and extraordinary attention to detail we will guide you through a maze of possibilities to make your dreams become a poetic reality.
Process:
Our architects are essentially creating and assembling a puzzle that is defined by the site, size, costs, quality, construction schedule, and the clients’ preferences. All these elements need to be kept in consideration for the duration of the project to create a beautiful home for each individual client, its site and the neighborhood. We revel in the creation and assembly of these puzzles, each project is unique and special, regardless of scope. This process has been formalized by the architectural profession and augmented by our design studio into the seven design phases shown below.
Architectural Design Phases:
1) Ideas and Feasibility:
The design process, with us, starts with a complimentary design consultation at your residence. During this visit we can evaluate the scope, provide ideas and determine the feasibility of a project at your home and location.
2) Programming
The ideas and feasibility visit is followed up by a more formal, and detailed, discussion of all the requirements and the aesthetic directions that could be pursued during the Schematic Design phase. A budget is often established in this early stage and allows us to channel our creative energies where they will provide the best value to you.
3) Schematic Design
In what remains, even to ourselves, a mysterious process; we develop design ideas and options that define possible design directions. These directions, or schemes, are then evaluated and a specific direction will be approved by you. We provide detailed ballpark cost estimates throughout this phase. When a single design direction has been determined, we shift into design development phase.
4) Design Development
This is the phase where all the approved ideas are further developed and detailed. We essentially test the design with the realities of construction materials, the site, structural and other code requirements. In addition we continue to update our cost estimates, as the design becomes more defined, to ensure we remain within your budget.
5) Contract Documents
These are often referred to as “Construction Drawings” or “Blueprints”. The drawings and written specifications generated during this phase, 1) outline in detail the scope of the work and therefore will be used as final bid documents, 2) will be submitted to the city for code review and permit approval, and 3) provide our site crews with the necessary information to transform the drawings into its built form. This is an exciting time for our clients typically, because it is during this phase that almost all selections are made.
6) Bidding
In this phase our architects provide our estimator and the bidding sub-contractors with any additional information they may need to provide bids. A signed construction contract signals the end of this phase and construction will begin!
7) Construction Observation
During construction, the project manager, job foreman and architect, meet with you on a weekly basis at the jobsite to ensure that communication is coordinated. The architect answer questions which may arise on the site, coordinate selection decisions to be made, and may develop additional details to ensure that construction remains on schedule.
How we work:
We bill separately for our design services and our “Design Agreement” is separate from any type of Contract for Construction. You are not obligated to work with us as your builder, however almost all clients, who have completed the design process with us in the past, have done so. If you build with us the cost, for full service architectural work, is based on an hourly fee and will not exceed 10% of the construction costs.
Please call us if you have any more questions about our company or if you are ready for a free design consultation visit. We look forward to hearing from you!
See our portfolio of work
see our portfolio of work in progress