What Comes First? A Guide to Starting Your Home Project

When I speak with potential clients about their project, whether it is a new custom home, a remodel, or an addition, one of the first questions they ask is “What do we do first? What is the sequence of actions that we need to take to make our project happen?”

For many clients, this new build, remodel, or addition is their first journey into design-build land, but I have been doing this since 1978. Both my project manager, Jason O’Quinn, and I have a wealth of information to share, and it is our pleasure to help our clients evaluate options as we work together to bring their vision to life.

You can expect that when I first communicate with you about a potential project, we’ll discuss these topics so I understand what you have in mind and how we can accomplish your goals:

TOPIC 1

YOUR VISION

What do you think you want? This is a good beginning. I will ask lots of questions, and I will make comments. This will help you sort through your options and make solid decisions.

TOPIC 2

YOUR BUDGET

The closer you can present your budget number, the better I can guide you during the design process to create together something that works for you.

TOPIC 3

THE EXISTING CONDITIONS

We might be working with a site that you own or are thinking about purchasing. If we’re aiming towards a new build, we hope that before you make an offer on a property, we have the opportunity to help you analyze the positives and negatives. If the property has a well and septic, we’d like to see the documents from the health department. We’ll talk about the house location relative to the type of design that you want, as well as relative to the topography. We will highlight non-obvious costs that might be incurred to make the site buildable.

TOPIC 4

THE EXISTING SITE

If you’re contemplating a remodel or addition, we will look at the practical aspects of your goals relative to the current structure and site. I’ll visit your home and provide you with information and recommendations to help you think things through. Don’t be surprised if my thinking is out of the box! I see things that you don’t see, and it’s my job to offer those thoughts to you for your own reflection.

TOPIC 5

YOUR TASTE

They say that one picture (or a few actually) is often worth a thousand words. I don’t need a lot of visuals because I’ll understand your themes very quickly, having done this work for a long time. Your visuals will be a major driver of the design directions I recommend. Using my many years of experience and knowledge of materials that are available in the Triangle and beyond, I will reflect back to you creative and practical options to consider.

TOPIC 6

BALLPARK PRICING

Because we are a small hands-on design-build firm, we are very familiar with costs. With this knowledge we can help guide you to understand relative costs as well as relative value. Our initial ballpark pricing is a valuable benefit that we offer our clients.

TOPIC 7

FIXED-PRICE CONTRACT

I can’t imagine signing a contract to build a project and not knowing what the cost is. We work hand-in-hand with our costs, and all decisions are made up front. If you make changes after we sign the contract, our change orders are imminently fair. Your peace of mind during the construction process is a valuable asset to all of us.

There is no substitute for our kind of knowledge and experience.

It is our pleasure to share this with you, to help you from the very beginning, as you embark upon what may be the biggest expenditure of your life and the creation of your desired vision.