Process

Where do I Start ?

After you contact Homefolks we will set up a meeting at your house. The meeting allows us to meet, allows me to see your home and it will provide you an opportunity to give me a sense of what you would like to accomplish. Your description of the project can be as loose or as organized as you feel comfortable. My immediate goal will be to understand the project enough to provide you with a proposal. The more I know about what you would like the closer I can come to giving you an accurate proposal. Sometimes writing down a basic program is useful. Sometimes people will have some pictures from a magazine to give me a sense of what they would like to do. Another important item can be a copy of the mortgage plot plan so we can have a sense of how much room on the site there is to work with. Budget is always an issue that needs to be mentioned. We will review some basic budget essentials during our meeting. I do not charge for the initial meeting.

My Proposal

After we meet I will send you a proposal that will give you a sense of what my fee will be. Design people charge in a number of ways. Some charge a percentage of the construction budget (usually 8% to 12%). I charge hourly. I come up with the proposed number of hours by making a list of the drawings I should need and assigning a time to those drawings. I do not "lowball" my estimates. I charge only for the hours I work and I try to make the estimate in my proposal a cap for my fee. I will generally send you an invoice after each phase of the work.

Moving Ahead

If you would like to proceed after reviewing my proposal you need only give me a call. Before I begin my work we will need to verify that there are no site issues. The mortgage plot plan should provide most of this information. I will review setback requirements. If we are close in the area of the addition I may request that you to have a survey done. I can give you names of surveyors to call. Other issues like historic district restrictions, convenence issues, septic reviews, design review issues will also be reviewed at this time. The other key part of the process will be measuring and documenting your home.

The Design Process

After I have your existing conditions in the computer I will start to come up with design concepts that address your program. This is usually called the schematic design phase. It is critical to understand that design is somewhat about product but primarily about process. During the design process both you and I will begin to see things about your house, and about other houses, that we may not have noticed before. Everyone works through this process in their own way and at their own pace. Most people find it exciting and fun. We will work on the design together at design meetings and your input will be respected. I will provide both design ideas and my knowledge of both codes and best building practices. I consider it my job to make you feel comfortable that you understand what you're getting before we move to the next step.

Pricing

When we have a clear sense of the design I will come up with a pricing set of drawings. This set will allow us to get ballpark prices for your project. It will also allow you to meet potential contractors, check their references and perhaps even get their input on design ideas.

Permit

If the pricing looks like it will work for you I will complete a permit set of documents including drawings, engineering and energy code information. The contractor usually takes care of permiting. It is not unusual for the building department to look for minor changes to the drawings after the initial submission. That's especially true in some towns. I will, of course make those revisions.


Home Projects About Us Process For Architects For Builders Contact
	Process Where do I Start ? After you contact Homefolks we will set up a meeting at your house. The meeting allows us to meet, allows me to see your home and it will provide you an opportunity to give me a sense of what you would like to accomplish. Your description of the project can be as loose or as organized as you feel comfortable. My immediate goal will be to understand the project enough to provide you with a proposal. The more I know about what you would like the closer I can come to giving you an accurate proposal. Sometimes writing down a basic program is useful. Sometimes people will have some pictures from a magazine to give me a sense of what they would like to do. Another important item can be a copy of the mortgage plot plan so we can have a sense of how much room on the site there is to work with. Budget is always an issue that needs to be mentioned. We will review some basic budget essentials during our meeting. I do not charge for the initial meeting. My Proposal After we meet I will send you a proposal that will give you a sense of what my fee will be. Design people charge in a number of ways. Some charge a percentage of the construction budget (usually 8% to 12%). I charge hourly. I come up with the proposed number of hours by making a list of the drawings I should need and assigning a time to those drawings. I do not "lowball" my estimates. I charge only for the hours I work and I try to make the estimate in my proposal a cap for my fee. I will generally send you an invoice after each phase of the work. Moving Ahead If you would like to proceed after reviewing my proposal you need only give me a call. Before I begin my work we will need to verify that there are no site issues. The mortgage plot plan should provide most of this information. I will review setback requirements. If we are close in the area of the addition I may request that you to have a survey done. I can give you names of surveyors to call. Other issues like historic district restrictions, convenence issues, septic reviews, design review issues will also be reviewed at this time. The other key part of the process will be measuring and documenting your home. The Design Process After I have your existing conditions in the computer I will start to come up with design concepts that address your program. This is usually called the schematic design phase. It is critical to understand that design is somewhat about product but primarily about process. During the design process both you and I will begin to see things about your house, and about other houses, that we may not have noticed before. Everyone works through this process in their own way and at their own pace. Most people find it exciting and fun. We will work on the design together at design meetings and your input will be respected. I will provide both design ideas and my knowledge of both codes and best building practices. I consider it my job to make you feel comfortable that you understand what you're getting before we move to the next step. Pricing When we have a clear sense of the design I will come up with a pricing set of drawings. This set will allow us to get ballpark prices for your project. It will also allow you to meet potential contractors, check their references and perhaps even get their input on design ideas. Permit If the pricing looks like it will work for you I will complete a permit set of documents including drawings, engineering and energy code information. The contractor usually takes care of permiting. It is not unusual for the building department to look for minor changes to the drawings after the initial submission. That's especially true in some towns. I will, of course make those revisions.

Homefolks Design - 2 Summer Street Suite #302 Natick Center, MA 01760 Company Phone: 508-451-4531 Web site designed and maintained by BackRow Design ©2008