Ownership of your own custom house starts here, with the design architect. This is what Rand Soellner Architect does. The General Contractor will be the one who puts a price on it and he is also the one who builds it. Your custom residential architect is the one who creates the design upon which they build.
Most people have never worked with an architect before. Your architect is the one who listens to you, notes what you want, studies your site situation, then creates the design. The custom design is a creation in the mind of your architect. The architect expresses this design in various drawings, normally consisting of Site Plans, Floor Plans, exterior Elevations, Building Section(s), Wall Sections, Details, Finish Schedule, Door Schedule, Specifications and possibly other documents, depending on your arrangement with your architect.
If you wish, your Architect can also create your Electrical Plans, Cabinetry Elevations, Interior Elevations and also create specialty drawings depicting specialized areas that you might want your architect to design for you, such as pools, statuary, furniture, concept plantings and sitework hardscaping, roadway layouts, parking areas, Master Planning of various site features, phased improvements and other items. When you pay your architect hourly, anything you want, including unlimited changes are welcome, anytime. When you want a fixed price for the architect’s work, this means there will need to be a fixed scope of work. A scope of work is a listing of the specific tasks the professional will perform for you: no more, no less. This can all be negotiated with your architect. Many people choose to go hourly, as this allows you to change your mind and have the architect’s work modify as you go along, to suit your wishes. This is a flexible situation that works well: your architect is only paid for what he does.
Now, let’s get back to Ownership of your house. If you want a Custom House, someone has to design it for you. There is only one licensed, professional practice that is educated, trained, experienced and licensed to design buildings and houses: architects. That’s it. No one else is licensed to perform these tasks.
What does the phrase: “Your Custom House” mean? Let’s start with what it does Not mean: It does Not mean buying someone else’s already built residence. That is Not custom for you. That would be buying someone else’s dreams, not yours. They will not have incorporated all the things that make you unique and who you are and who you want to be. Like your husband’s billiard room, or your sewing nook, or your larger than normal open plan kitchen with large island where your kids and their kids can gather while you prepare Thanksgiving dinner, or the 3rd or 4th bay in the garage you have always wanted for your stained glass studio, or the extra bunk room for the grandkids, or : ____________ (you fill in the blanks). You may be starting to understand why you won’t find exactly that “right” house that fits you to a “T.”
Interestingly enough, that is also the reason that you will Not find premade, pre-designed floor plans on the Internet that will exactly satisfy your needs. Why: because you are unique. There is no one anywhere, quite like you, or your site, or your family. Does someone in your family have accessibility challenges? Do you want a special high-tower reading room? Whatever the differences, they exist and you will never satisfy them buy trying to scavenge them for free on the Internet, nor will you be happy purchasing someone else’s pre-built house out there. They won’t have the view you want, or the arrangement will be off, like the master bathroom facing the street, or the kitchen too small, or not enough storage, or the garage too small, or not enough bathrooms, or:______________ (0nce again, you fill in the blank).
So what should you do, to find the right design for you and your site and your family? Well, you now might be understanding why you won’t just happen to “find” it. You have to have someone create it. A design professional. An architect. Don’t assume that who you are talking to is an architect; ask them if they are. Have them prove it to you. They are the only ones with the proper skills and background to satisfy your custom house design needs. It is what they do for a living. They love their job and making you happy is a big part of that.
So: the first step to ownership of your own custom house is: Find and hire your custom house architect. They will create the design that works best for you, your family and your site. More later on the next steps to owning your custom residence.
tags: residential design, portland, atlanta, cashiers, orlando, chicago, new york, denver, las vegas, los angeles, tacoma, des moines