When you design and build a house, there are three primary players: yourself as the Owner, the Architect and the Builder. The Owner contracts with the Architect to design the house and to prepare the construction drawings and specifications, which become the contract documents. The Owner signs a separate but related contract with the Builder who will construct the house according to those construction drawings and specifications. The Architect's role is to serve as the Owner's agent during the bidding and negotiation phase on through the construction phase and warranty period. In addition, most projects require, or would benefit from, the services of the following professionals: structural engineer, licensed surveyor and geo-technical engineer: The structural engineer is typically required by the municipality issuing the building permit; while some structures might be adequately designed by lumber yard, rule-of-thumb minimums, most modern structures are complex enough that we would insist on using a licensed engineer for the structural design of the frame and foundation. The licensed surveyor is important because she determines where the boundaries of the property are, which has both legal and practical consequences. The surveyor can also provide topographic information such as contour maps, location of trees, rock outcroppings and other features. This information greatly assists in properly locating the building for optimum appearance and performance. Ideally, the survey information is provided in a 3D CAD format to speed the design process; paper versions can be used, but some accuracy is lost in the translation. The geo-technical engineer takes core samples from the site in the footprint of the proposed building to determine the actual soil conditions. These samples are translated into a soil report which specifies the structural bearing capacity of the soil, the swell potential, the approximate height of the water table and other data which impacts the building. Some areas of the country have fairly uniform soils conditions across a wide area; designers then work off of rules-of-thumb, based on the experience other people have had in that area. In areas with potential swelling soil, the municipality often requires a soils report; if there is a possibility of swelling soil, it would be good practice to get a soils report, regardless of whether it is required. A landscape architect, interior designer and various artisans may be included; depending on your goals for the project they can add special features and bring a specific area of expertise to the "visuals" of the project. Back to top of page In order to understand the process of designing and building a new home Earth and Sky Architecture has broken down the process into eight phases: 1. Programming Phase: Earth and Sky works with you to determine what elements you want in the home, what are their relative importance to each other, how the pieces should relate to each other, what style of house, what construction type will be used, will renewable energy be included, how much of a budget is available and what is the time frame for the project. The most important part of programming is to determine what are your dreams and goals, not only for the house, but your lifestyle; though intangible, they can greatly impact many of the other decisions that need to be made. 2. Schematic Design: This phase accesses the lot, noting trees, easements, etc., and we begin to block out the "big picture", i.e. what direction will the house face, a rough draft of the size of the house, allowing for garage, etc. In addition we will look at decisions such as whether the master bedroom be on the main level or the second floor, and similar major decisions. This level of decision impacts the whole house, so it is important to explore the possibilities and narrow the choices by eliminating avenues that are unsuitable. The drawings produced are fairly sketchy, but accurate enough to determine the square footage which directly affects the costs. These drawings are mainly floor plans, with a loose idea of the resulting elevations, or the front, back and side views of the house. 3. Design Development: The previous drawings are then refined based on our previous meetings, accommodating your comments and our enhancement recommendations. For example, perhaps it works out that a dormer window can be added to give a long distance view to a loft space. These possibilities work in some arrangements, but not others. The goal is to watch for and include as many features as is appropriate for your goals for the house. The floor plans will be fully worked out, with future options noted. The elevations will be accurately drawn with material representations so that you, your banker and the builder can clearly see what is being proposed. If there are adjustments to be made, now is the time to make them. 4. Construction Documents: At this point the final design is then completed, with all technical information noted necessary to build the home, i.e. dimensions, notes, any custom details, electrical and structural diagrams. The electrical diagrams are developed to show where switches, light fixtures and outlets are located; phone, TV and other communication systems are shown here as well. The structural diagrams show the roof and floor framing plans with beams, bearing walls, trusses, posts and headers. These diagrams, along with a basement plan are delivered to the structural engineer, who will use these as the basis for his work. 5. Specifications: The specifications are a written list of the various components of the house that correspond to the various drawings in the construction documents. They define issues that do not lend themselves to drawings. The materials selected make a difference to both the performance and the appearance of the building, so care with the specifications is important. The specifications and the construction documents become a package known as the "contract documents". 6. Bidding and Negotiation: If you have, before beginning the process, established which builder you want to use, we would include the builder during the design development phase to assist with major cost related items; when the construction documents are completed, the builder can then finalize the pricing and construction schedule. If you have not pre-selected a builder, it is at this point that the completed set of construction drawings and specifications are sent out to bid, typically to three builders/contractors who build the type of project illustrated. Since you want to get as many features as your budget allows, this often involves some pricing of options by the builder. The low bidder is selected to build the project and the Owner signs a contract with that builder. Note: since only qualified and experienced builders are invited to bid, the process determines who has the best price, not who is a capable builder. 7. Building Permit: Typically, the builder is responsible for taking the drawings and specifications to the appropriate agencies in the municipality(s) to get permission to build. These include the building department, the zoning department, fire department, wastewater, septic and well permits; specific situations sometimes require other permits. Some neighborhoods have Architectural Review Committees (ARC), which have additional restrictions and requirements. These processes take some time and need to be considered in the schedule. 8. Construction Administration: This role belongs primarily to the builder but we will make a site visit after the foundation is poured, after the frame is standing and the rough trades (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) have completed their work, but before the insulation and drywall are installed; we are there to verify that there is general conformance with the construction drawings and specifications. We also like to visit the house after the finishes are completed and again after the owner has moved in so we can take photographs. Earth and Sky's fees are not charged based upon a percentage of construction fees, but rather they are based on the complexity of the design of the project and the services required. Therefore we recommend getting together to discuss the project. If possible, it would be ideal if we meet at the site, so that we can get a feel for the opportunities for views, accessibility, and so that we can begin to "see your dream." At that time we can give you an approximation of the fees involved, the time required and what services would be needed. Back to top of page