The Process

Concern: We have never had a house custom designed and built before.

1. How do we know what to ask? - Gary Reid’s process is unique and easy because a family needs only to know how they live with consideration of any projected changes such as teenage children leaving home.
   
2. How do we know that the process will develop a plan we like? - After the design session Gary Reid will design a floor plan and rough elevation concepts based on your lifestyle.  These preliminary plans will be reviewed by you through discussion with Gary Reid. They will be modified, if necessary, and re-presented before the final design is drafted. 
   
3. Can we afford a custom desinged home? - These designs are developed to a budget established by you, the client.

The Detailed Process

      1. Howdy Session

The first session is a time to get together to determine if everyone is comfortable with the approach and discuss the feasibility of the budget based on general design criteria. It is a “Howdy Session” with no cost or obligation.

      2. Design Session

If agreed, a design session of two hours plus is scheduled to determine the criteria for design based on family lifestyle. Some of the items to be discussed are as follows

• Lifestyle 
  • Length of time to remain in the house
  • General make up of family – age of children 
  • Number, frequency, and duration of guests
  • General routine of family, night morning and weekends. 
  • Entertaining – type, dinners, number of guests, frequency, routine before and after dinner if you have dinner parties. 
  • Cooking – 
    • Daily meal routines
    • Types of cooking
    • Purchasing habits
    • Who cooks
    • Do you encourage or discourage guests to help with cooking
    • Where are your guests when your making final preparation for a meal. 
    • Barbequing needs
  • Space necessary for children such as a separate rec room
  • Do you have aging parents at home or the prospect of it occurring?
  • Are your adult children still at home?
  • What are the needs for quiet areas as reading away from the TV
  • Hobbies – who, when and requirements
  • Need for shop area?
  • Musical needs such as baby grand
• General Vision of House Style 
  • Contemporary vs. Northwest or others
  • Exterior finishes 
  • Covered entry and decks
• Room by Room Relationships
  • Room separations – open or walled, formal or informal dining
  • Flow between areas
  • View orientation
  • Light orientation
  • Fireplaces
• General Information
  • This outline is here to indicate the general approach Gary Reid takes. Gary Reid does not have a formal list because we finds it much more productive to let the conversation flow into any area of concern and expand where more detail is required. You may have photos, magazine clippings, or house plans that have features you would like to include which can be discussed and explored during this meeting.

      3. Preliminary Design Review 

A preliminary design contract is signed for Gary Reid’s work from this meeting through to the submission of final plans to the permitting agency. A second meeting to review refinements of the design will often be necessary. This meeting is to review the preliminary floor plans and rough elevations.

    4. Final Design Reveiw

When the preliminary design is finalized, a second agreement authorizing Gary Reid to work with a designer who will create the final plans with the full construction detail is signed. 

You will review the detailed floor plans and elevations and make any changes to these plans before recieving your final plans. Once the plans are complete a final estimate can be prepared. Cost per square foot pricing can be helpful for design criteria but is too inaccurate to determine the final price. For example, one story homes are more expensive than two story. Smaller houses are more expensive per square foot than bigger houses.

In conjunction with the final review the specifications are determined. The specifications are the construction details such as cabinet style and types of wood. It is often easiest to walk through a completed house of similar price range to determine a specification. The first pass is your “would like” list against which Gary Reid will determine detail prices. This allows a review of the budget to see if the item is worth the cost (what is its value).

5. Final Pricing

After receiving all the subcontractors bids and Gary Reid has taken off the detail materials and completed the pricing, you will  meet with Gary Reid to review the cost , plans and specications. Additional work is often required to reach a final price. 

     6. Final Contract

A final contract is signed

     7. Permitting

Plans are submitted to permitting agency

      8. Lenders Submittal

Plans and “bank specifications” (less detailed) are submitted to the lender of purchaser's choice.

      9. Construction Begins!

Upon permit issuance and lender approval, the construction begins.