You’ve set your budget, selected your design team, and soul search and scoured the internet to create your wish list. Now it’s time to start formulating those ideas into a set of plans. 

Your design team will sit down with you and begin to spatially plan the areas of your custom home, and determine the best layout. We will also take an in-depth look at your building site. If you’re building on an acreage, you’ll want to take advantage of the beautiful views with picturesque windows. If you’re building the city, we need to take setbacks and city bylaw requirements into consideration; which restricts us to the building pocket in which we are allowed to build in. We also take note of existing trees, powerpoles, or fixed structures that need to be accommodated in the design. Other homes and structures in the area are also assessed and how they may affect the placement of certain rooms and windows in your home. Depending on the neighbourhood you select, Architectural Controls will also need to be consulted. This is a separate company in charge of making sure the integrity of homes being built all meet the same standard. Mandating the exterior architectural styling of the homes use approved materials and colours, as well as the minimum and maximum square footages of the homes that can be built in relationship to the adjacent dwellings. 

Current building codes are also followed, to ensure your custom home is compliant and meets those requirements from the start. Some people may prefer to use a stock plan purchased online, however unless that home was designed specifically for the area you plan to build with up to date building code; you are likely to run into extra costs to bring your plans to appropriate building standards.

We also consider resale value. Even if you never plan on leaving your new custom home, the future is unpredictable. We may ask you questions about potential life changes. And while we want to personalize your custom home to your lifestyle and wishlist, we recommend staying away from too many unique requests that could deter potential buyers in the future. 

This may seem like an abundance of information to consider, however this is where choosing an experienced and qualified team helps. We tackle these components everyday, and are able to look at all of the information and simplify it into a beautiful plan, tailored to you.

Preliminary Drawings

After gathering all of the pertinent information, and we’ve gone over your wishlist and budget; the magic can begin. Preliminary Design. Your architectural technologist will sit down with all of this information, and begin creating your home. As designers, we try our best to create your vision, but we must also bring efficiency into the equation. Perfect placement of hallways, windows, entrances…etc. This stage of the process takes time, and as your designers we work hard to create your perfect, custom design that works for you. Once complete, your plans are sent off to you for review. 

Your preliminary plans show the overall footprint of your custom home; interior walls, window and door placements, proposed kitchen and bathroom layouts. 

Typically, it takes two or more renditions to create prime efficiency, and a personalized layout that works for you. Next, we start on the front elevation. Then from here, once we receive your approval, we proceed to working drawings.

working Drawings or construction drawings

Working drawings are a complete set of plans that can be used for accurate tendering for building permits and construction. These plans are meticulously detailed and complex, and take time to complete. We note all dimensions, windows and door sizes, notes for beams and structures involved for construction. We also complete your remaining elevations, along with a building section and roof plan. 

In order to eliminate any confusion during the build process, we are sure to note any specific areas that may require more extensive detailing. We produce accurate plans, each going through a two stage review process to eliminate any errors or discrepancies before leaving our office. It is at this stage, or before, that a plot plan must be completed, either by you or we can send it on your behalf.

3d rendering

Our 3D rendering team are visual artists, bringing the lines on the paper to life. We apply different finishes, materials, and colour palettes to truly represent what your custom home will look like once built on the exterior and interior. Our clients find that the extra investment has saved them time and money down the line and exceeded their expectations.

PERMITS

Depending on the location you plan on building, you will need to go through the permitting process. Each municipality and county has their own terms and guidelines prior to submission. Engineered drawings will be required for certain details within your home. As well as, energy reports may also be required. Both completed by a third party company. We have a list of trusted firms we recommend to our clientele, as this is not something we can complete in our office. However, we are happy to assist coordinate. You will also need to have your floor and roof layouts completed by an appropriate manufacturer.

A plot plan or site plan in a separate document that gets completed through a third party company. This will show your overall lot, grading heights, as well as your home outline. For most cases we will complete the working drawings and then send the most accurate set of plans to get a plot plan completed. We may send it off sooner if we are concerned with the size of the house on the lot, if there are any grading issues that need to be addressed early on, or if we are trying to expedite the design process.