Programming & Planning
This is the first step in our design process with custom home and remodeling clients. We begin with a discussion to find out what your priorities are, how your family works, and what your vision is. Since every client is unique, so is your building program and scope of work.
We will invite you to consider:
- How would you like your home to adapt to and enhance your day-to-day life?
- What aspects of a home are essential for it to feel truly “yours” in the way you live?
- What are your lifestyle priorities, and how can we create a home that reflects them? How do you want your home to evolve over time to accommodate future needs or changes in lifestyle?
- How do you envision the layout of your home, including both indoor and outdoor spaces?
- What kind of character and style do you hope your home will reflect? Do you have examples of other projects that you like?
- What are your expectations regarding the timeline and schedule for this project?
- How important is sustainability to you in the design and materials of your home?
We then move to the next step: our programming guide.
This quick and easy questionnaire helps you start visualizing how each room will flow and function in your new space. My first priority is to listen closely to your vision, explore a range of tailored design options, and bring them to life based on your unique preferences.
Other questions to consider for a programming guide/ questionnaire:
What is your morning, day, and evening routine like on weekdays and weekends? -How do you dine? -How do you cook? -How do you play? – How do you lounge? -How do you work? -How do you host? -How do you rest?
Once you complete the programming guide, we’ll meet at your project site to dive into preliminary discussions about your functional needs, style aspirations, and key design elements—like how the home will sit on the site, capture the best views, and shape the circulation around the property. From here, we’ll establish core goals together that will set the stage for an inspired, cohesive program and guide us seamlessly into the schematic design phase.
Lessons Learned:
- Obtain Accurate “As-Built” Drawings: With remodels, a set of “As-Built” drawings will be needed to accurately draw the addition or change to existing structure. Existing floor plans can help and we can assist in getting your building measured and drawn so we can start our design work.
- Arrive with Site Survey and HOA Information: Arriving to the project with a site survey and HOA or neighborhood association information is a helpful way to determine utilities connections, important site features, accurate property lines for setbacks, and elements such as existing buildings and trees. While this is not required to start a project, it can help reduce changes later on due to inaccuracy in measurements.