Deadtree Design - affordable architectural design

Solutions

I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself.

_Oscar Wilde

The Right Start

Chasing away evil spirits can't hurt. But going into a project with a clear understanding of what's important and why might keep them from coming around in the first place. Here's an outline of three deceptively simple steps that can be adapted to any building project.

Step 1) Inventory. Every building project begins with a notion. But every notion carries some baggage, usually in the form of assumptions, ignorance and unexamined motives. So start by taking inventory. Make a list of everything your notion entails: exercise room; grand staircase, you name it, but be precise. Save the analysis for the next step.

Step 2) Analysis. Make another list and add a few items to the top. These are core needs that tend to get taken for granted, like low-maintenance, level of security and privacy. Add similarly essential items in order of importance and according to the nature of your project. Now, one by one, evaluate the items on the first list against a set of criteria of your own making -- criteria like, why is this important, who and what has influenced this notion and Do I need more information -- in addition to the usual budget concerns. When you're satisfied that you understand the reason for its being, whether rational or emotional, add the annotated item back to the first list, again in order of importance.

Step 3) Summary. If all this sounds like a bunch of pseudoscientific psycho-babble, bear with me. You won't be sorry. If you've followed the first two steps faithfully, you will now have a thoughtful basis for a design program. Use it as your guide for informing all that follows, like Virgil to Dante's nine circles of Hell (sorry). Refer to it often, especially when changes are being considered or when confusion reigns. Any subsequent revisions or addenda should be given the same kind of scrutiny. Items of least importance are just that, and will be first to go when the axe falls. This is your project manifesto and cheat sheet all in one.

The Design Process

For prospective owners, now comes the most exciting part. It's your likes and needs that set it all in motion, transforming a rough idea into a living, breathing extension of yourself. It's a bit like bringing a child into the world, only with more control over outcomes and fewer gray hairs. What's more, done right, this "child" will nurture you!

Enter the design professional, whose role can be seen as guide and interpreter. Picture Crocodile Dundee leading the unknowing past the quicksand of needlessly expensive, dysfunctional and uninviting buildings while speaking the language of transcendent design. Alright, admittedly nothing remotely so swashbuckling, but I kind of fancy the image.

Moving on...we pass several checkpoints:

Information Gathering: see The Right Start, above.
Preliminary Design: model and sketches based on our meeting.
Client Review: your thoughts on the early design.
Schematic Design: changes made, if any, based on Client Review.
Design Development: the work of making it all work.
Client Approval #2: prior to creating construction documents.
Construction Documents and Final Review
Finalized Construction Documents, Plotting and Distribution

What to Expect. The list above is a rough outline of the typical work-flow for a project. For the client the excitement comes mainly from the early design phases. It's here that new ideas are presented, evaluated, tested and adopted or discarded in an interactive, learning type of environment. The designer stretches to understand and translate client input into spaces that are not only well adapted to the site, but functional, safe, beautiful, livable and affordable. The client too, often must stretch to comprehend unfamiliar territory and to visualize spaces presented at their earliest stages of development.

Later comes the documentation phase, which requires little client involvement but is equally important for all concerned in describing, through graphics and text, the particulars of the project. The Construction Documents are what contractors use to accurately bid the job, and what banks use to help secure a construction loan. Most municipalities also require several sets of these documents to review before issuing a building permit. Of no less importance to the owners is having a current record of what is to be built. If something is left out or unauthorized changes are made, the owner has legal recourse to have the work corrected. For the same reason, any revisions made to the documents should be recorded by the contractor and supplied to the owner.

To a large degree, architectural design amounts to problem solving. So, the more complete the Construction Documents are, the greater the likelihood that any potential problems will have revealed themselves and been addressed. Also, the very act of preparing the documentation often reveals omission's and discrepancies that can be corrected before they can cause trouble. For this reason, any changes or refinements made to the documentation during their creation are given a Final Review by the client.

Services

Residential Design includes houses, cabins, duplexes and the like, including additions and remodels. Some of the services listed below might be minimally prescribed for a particular project according to individual program requirements, while others might be recommended as only as options. Seldom are the prescribed methods for any two projects exactly the same and never have they all been used. Available services for residential customers are:

Consultation, as needed, and at any phase.
Conceptual Drawings for early planning.
Site Inventory, Terrain Mapping and Evaluation
Site/Landscape Planning and Design
Structural Design with Engineering Review
Existing Building Laser Measurement, Photo Modeling and Documentation
Demolition and Excavation (cut & fill) Plans
State of the Art Computer Building Information (BIM) Modeling
Architectural Drawings: Plans; Elevations; Sections; Details. etc.
Electrical & Lighting Plans
Interior Design, Visualization and Details
Furniture and Built-in's Design.
Planning in accordance with Americans With Disabilities Guidelines.
Energy Star Rating Certification
Solar Studies/Passive Solar Design
Specifications (recommended for owners seeking 2+ bids from contractors).
Material Takeoffs from Building Information Model.
Project Management (for larger projects).
Full Plotting/Printing/Blueprint Service

Commercial Design. If you are considering a commercial building project in Alaska, whether it's an addition, remodel or new construction, please contact DTD for specific information related to your type of business and how we can best serve you. Light Commercial Design may include any of the above services and more, depending on the nature of the project. A few examples:

Retail Display & Lighting
Parking Areas & Landscaping
Occupancy Studies
Code/Fire Marshal Review.
Commercial Kitchen Design and Permits
Accessible Design (for a specific type of business).
Artistic Rendering/Presentation (used for public relations and attracting investors).

Cost

Cost is the bottom line for many potential builders when it comes to deciding whether their dreams are realistic and, if not, where they will need to compromise and settle for less. For me, cost is the bottom line in substantiating my claim that architectural design can be affordable and achievable for those of average means. So please allow me to briefly explain how this is possible.

Deadtree Design operates close to the bone by keeping overhead low and design fees in line with the trades. Overhead is lowered by 1) having minimal office expense and no employees, 2) advertising only by word of mouth and 3) utilizing the efficacy of long experience and the very best tools available. In fact, other than maintaining this website, nothing is spent on marketing or self-promotion. There are no showy offices, no design competitions, no project scouts, no unnecessary consultant or management fees and no pretense. DTD strives to achieve the highest quality by the most economical of means.

So, what will it cost? The best method for estimating design fees is as a percentage of estimated construction cost. That's because building types vary greatly in complexity, scope and use of materials. Construction costs are estimated by comparing other buildings of a similar type, size and level of detail that have been built in your area. Realtors are a good source for this kind of information. Other methods for estimating construction cost may be used depending on the type of project. As a guide, DTD's design fees for a new custom home package will typically range between 2%-4% of construction costs. For comparison, most architect's fees are 10%-15%.

A popular start, especially for additions and remodels, is to first request a quote for Preliminary Design only. The preliminary design can usually be done for less than five hundred dollars and offers a low cost way to explore early options and feasibility without settling on a course of action. With the information gained from the preliminary design work, a much more accurate estimate can also be given for the remainder of the work if desired. Preliminary Design typically entails:

Friendly meeting and interview.
Examination of the site and current conditions.
Measurement and documentation of relevant conditions.
Rough computer model and floor plan(s) of existing structures, where applicable.
Rough conceptual model and floor plan(s) (Schematic Design).
Client review and discussion.

If you then choose to continue the design process, an estimate will be given for total design fees that will include a "not to exceed" figure, along with a total project cost estimate. With all phases, minor revisions and corrections are done at no charge. Extensive revisions, addenda and open-ended type assignments will be billed at the standard $42 per hour flat rate. Hours spent in travel are billed at half-rate. Out-of-pocket expenses related to the project, such as printing and postage, are billed directly at cost.

Contact Information

DTD has two locations, ahem, to better serve you:

Deadtree Design
949 Oslund Drive - P.O. Box 45
Haines, Alaska 99827
(907) 766-2242 Phone & Fax
(928) 225-9542 Mobile

Deadtree Design
430 W. Pine Ave.
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001-1368
(928) 774-8287 Phone & Fax
(928) 225-9542 Mobile

To get in touch, please enter your E-mail address below so that I may contact you.

Or, if your ideas are farther along, you can Request a Quote for Preliminary Design.

Thanks for visiting this site. Your feedback is most welcome at the Bigger PIcture Blog, a new source for timely information and reader's comments related to getting the most from your investment.

Top of Page