Tired of your house? Purchased a new home with the desire to modify it? Purchased some land and want to build your dream home? You might have a small idea of what you want or you may have extensive knowledge of construction and architecture. Either way, you need to begin the “Process”. The Process is what it takes to build your dreams into reality.

The Process, as Mark Brand likes to describe it, takes shape through several stages. When a project comes to Mark, he will take a few quick steps through a code check to see if the initial desires of the client will be permitted through the local city codes. He will then find out what the overall goals of the client are (i.e square footage, aesthetics, budget) and begin to design the project with the client’s desires in mind within the parameters set by city building codes.

At this point the Team begins to develop. You already have the Architect, an Engineer will begin to be involved with the Architect to establish the appropriate structure within the design, and the Contractor should begin to be involved at this point as well. Bradford Construction, a full service construction firm based in San Francisco, prefers to be involved early because many times the clients go too far into design, and then realize that they have designed something outside of their budget. Get a Contractor in early to help work with the team to keep the project on Budget.

Start Shopping! There will be numerous details that will need to take shape and the client should have a sense of the types of materials available and what they like. This is a process that, if allowed enough time, will be an enjoyable. Given time, you are allowed the luxury of truly finding what you want. Clients will typically come to the Architect with a collage of non sequiter elements, details, and pictures that will then need to be synthesised  into a common thread. Through this thread the Architect will create a 3-D design to which preliminary costing can be attached too. This will lead to the “Permit Set” which will be given to the City for approval.

City Approval: See our next Blog on the stages of Permit approval.

You have a Permit! Now what? If you have a Contractor on board (and you should) then the final details need to be hammered out to get to a final price and Contract. Once you have agreed on the final price, the Contractor will get underway  building your new home. This is where the real fun begins! You will now begin to see the fruits of the labor that you and your Architect put into the design. All of the seemingly incongruous elements will begin to meld into the final Vision. Don’t forget about all members of the Team. The Architect should have regular visits to ensure the Vision is upheld because there will changes, some small and some large. Having all eyes on the Vision will ensure the final product is perfect. When issues come up, just like Mark Brand says, “the Team solves!”

Be involved! Don’t forget that it’s your house! Be active in the decision making process because you, the client, are the most important member of the Team.