Like many of our clients, you may have been referred to us by one of our past clients, a contractor we work with, or perhaps a real estate agent or closing attorney or land surveyor whom we have had the pleasure to work with. Or perhaps you came across our website after seaching for “best architecture firm“. In all seriousness it is natural to have some trepidation at the thought of making the call, wondering who is on the other end of the line. We have designed our website to try to convey something about us and what you can expect if you choose to work with us.
Zoning Study / Feasibility Study
Please click on the button below for a detailed description of this important phase that helps ensure a project gets off to the right start.
First Meeting
Our preferred method for a first meeting, where we can get to know one another and learn more about your project, is to meet at your house. This will give us the opportunity to see the house in person and get a feel for the spaces. The three main topics we will discuss are the desired program, project budget, and time frame.
Typically we find that our clients have been considering their project for some time and have strong ideas of what they want. But we should add it’s ok if you don’t and need help figuring out what you would like. Clients will often have images from magazines and websites they like and which we can discuss. We will ask questions that are meant to help us understand what it really is you are looking for in your home.
It is imperative that we discuss the amount of money that you are hoping to have to spend on the project and also the maximum amount you are willing or able to spend on your project. Not having a realistic budget at the start will likely lead to problems later. What we want to avoid more than anything is spending the time and energy (yours and ours) on creating a design that you cannot afford.
The timeframe for your project is the third important matter to discuss. This is the area where we find clients may have expectations that need to be tempered. We know that many people only think of when they want or need the project to be completed, and we find that expectations often need to be tempered. Each step of the process will generally take longer than many clients anticipate. One of the main areas is the Schematic Design Phase. Clients often do not realize the time and energy needed on their part to review designs and make decisions while continuing to carry on with their busy lives.
We will consider the program, budget and schedule together to see if we believe that the project can be successfully completed or if things need to be adjusted.
We then will typically return to our office and prepare a formal written fee proposal stating clearly the Scope of Work and what our services will be and our fees which we will e-mail to you. If agreeable, we will ask for a deposit and a signed copy of the agreement. We will schedule a time to return and measure your house and draft existing plans which will be used as the basis for the Schematic Design Process.
Design Process
Please click on the button below for a detailed description of the collaborative Design Process we use to help you get the project you want. We take extra care to produce Design Drawings with detailed information that are clear and easy for our clients to understand. We typically will e-mail pdf files of the designs that clients can review. We can answer questions and can meet in person or via Zoom to discuss issues if necessary.
Construction Drawings
After the Design Development Phase is complete and the designs have been finalized, the Design Drawings are converted to Construction Drawings which will be used for Zoning and Building Permit Approvals and are the drawings used by the Contractors to build the project. Thes drawings show all the various components that will be used to build the project, including new structural elements such as new joists, rafters, beams, columns and footings. Electrical components such as lighting, outlets and switches will be Insulation and other requirements of the Energy Code will be shown and noted. Construction drawings must communicate a great deal of detailed technical information to the Zoning and Building Department as well to the General Contractor and Subcontractors. We know from experience that drawings that are hard to read and where information is hard to find can cause frustration on the part of those who have to read them and can lead to permit denials and more expensive bids. We design our drawings to be clear with information presented in a logical manner for a smooth permit and construction process.
Project Pricing, Bidding, and Contractor Selection
Once the Construction Drawings are complete, they can be given to the General Contractor for accurate pricing. We have found the majority of General Contractors want to base their costs to construct a project on the final complete drawings which give them the most accurate depiction of everything involved in the project for which they must account. They in turn distribute the drawings to subcontractors such as framers, plumbers, electricians, and mechanical equipment installers.
On many of our projects our clients have already chosen a general contractor early on and they can negotiate a price. For other projects, a general contractor is chosen through a bidding process where several companies will prepare bids for what they will charge. We can assist with the bidding in the following ways: discussing the project with contractors we have worked with and can recommend; help find and interview new Contractors for qualification; answer questions about the project and distribute answers; review and compare bids for completeness to ensure that items have not been left out; make recommendations as to who we feel would do the best job all things being equal. We do suggest to our clients who are selecting a General Contractor through a Bid Process not to base their decision solely on who has the lowest bid number. It’s important to also consider the Contractor who you believe you can trust and get along with during a challenging experience that can last several months.
Permit Approvals
A zoning permit is required for any project that involves any change to the footprint of a building or an increase in its overall height or any work done to a property that increases the amount of impermeable surface, which is any surface that does not allow rainwater to be absorbed. Site elements that typically require zoning permits decks, pools, patios, sheds over a100 square feet, exterior HVAC equipment, and driveways. Copies of the property survey need to be submitted with the zoning application. We can assist with the zoning application, as typically all of the information requested is already in our construction drawings. Typically, the General Contractor will complete the building permit application, which is actually a series of separate applications for building, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection.
A project that is submitted with both a zoning application and building permit application will be first reviewed by the zoning office. Any issues arising from the zoning review must be resolved before the application is sent to the building department. An addition for a building can have a beautiful design with custom details and expensive finishes, but it won’t matter to the zoning office if for example the addition encroaches into a required yard setback or causes the entire building square footage to exceed the mandated maximum lot coverage.
The building department will review the project for the building structure, electrical and plumbing work, and fire protection. As with the Zoning Permit, any issues with any of the four subcodes will need to be resolved before building permits are issued.
We often are asked how long it takes to get the permits after an application is submitted. In New Jersey, state law states that the zoning/building department has 20 business days to issue the permits or issue a written copy listing the issues that need to be addressed and/or corrected.
Our office will respond to zoning and building department permit denials as part of our fee. We do believe in taking the time to do thorough zoning and building code reviews of the project during the Design Phase to avoid issues arising during the permit review. And as we describe in the Construction Drawing section above, we take the time to produce clear, easy to read Construction Drawings that contain all of the necessary information that the plan reviewers are looking for.
Planning for Construction
When construction begins, it can often be a considerable disruption to normal everyday life. We are often asked by clients whether they can continue to live in their house during construction. The answer depends on the nature of the project. Even a small project will have noise, tradespeople coming and going, and despite the general contractor’s best efforts, a certain amount of construction dust produced from the removal and cutting of materials. Utilities such as water, electricity, and heating and cooling may need to be cut off for long periods. For a project involving work in one room or an addition that can be sealed off from the existing house, the answer is probably yes, depending on your tolerance for the noise and inconveniences. For a project that involves, for example, removing the roof and adding a new second floor, the answer is likely no. We also advise clients with young children and/or pets of the potential hazards that will be present when the tradespeople leave for the day, such as holes and trenches dug for foundations and power tools that may be left out and even just stray nails and screws that may be lying about. And projects that will require a new certificate of occupancy, the local municipality will likely prevent you from continuing to live in your house even if you were willing to put up with all the noise and disruptions.
We would also like to stress the necessity of completely removing all personal possessions from the areas where work will be done so that things are not in the way of the contractors and to avoid the potential of them from being damaged.
Owners often will purchase, many items in the project, such as floor tile, kitchen cabinetry, and plumbing fixtures, that the general contractor will install. The cost of these items is not part of the contract price of the general contractor, but the installation cost is usually included by the general contractor. Many contractors prefer this method because they feel, with product preferences being dependent on the part of the owner and with a vast array of product styles and colors to choose from, it is easier and less time consuming for them. For owners who choose this arrangement, it is a good idea to start compiling a list during the Design Phase. It is important to check on availability and lead times to avoid delays in procuring products that will in turn hold up work during construction. The owner should furnish the list to our office and the general contractor for review to ensure that the products are compatible with the project overall.
Construction Administration
Once actual construction has started, we will make periodic visits to the site to check to make sure that the work is following the construction drawings and specifications. We like to visit when the foundation is being constructed and after major components of the framing, such as floors and the roof, have been installed. These visits also give us the opportunity to talk to the contractor and various subcontractors. We enjoy talking to tradespeople and always find we can learn things from them. We take pride in our construction drawings but are always eager to find ways to make them even better.
We do need to point out that the purpose of our site visits is not to approve. That is the purpose of the building department inspections. And it is the general contractor’s responsibility to set the construction schedule.
Inevitably the contractor will have questions, and we can discuss by telephone or on site. This is often required when the project involves an existing building where conditions that have been concealed are uncovered and a detail on the drawings may need to be modified to account for the new information. And sometimes a contractor may suggest a slightly different way to construct a detail or ask to use an acceptable substitute for a material listed in the specifications on the drawings. For these examples of modifications, we typically write a letter to the Building Department listing the changes and that they are acceptable.
We also review what are known in the trade as shop drawings, which are detailed drawings from manufacturers of products that will be fabricated for the project. These products can include roof and floor trusses, windows and doors, and cabinetry. We review the shop drawings to ensure that they follow the design intent of the construction drawings. For structural items such as trusses, we also have to submit a letter to the building department stating the shop drawings follow the design intent of our drawings.
As we mention on our Design Process page, we take considerable care during the design phase to produce a final design that our clients are 100% happy with. Our 3-D drawings can really show what the finished building and its rooms and spaces will look like. However, there can be times when the owner does want to change something that may already have been constructed. An example might be moving or widening a door opening. To make the necessary changes to the already built door opening, the contractor will produce a change order, which is a written invoice listing the work and what the additional costs will be, for the owner’s approval. We will review the proposed changes to determine whether the change will have any conflicts with the structural framing or adjacent components. We will also review the proposed additional fee for the change order to ensure that it is fair and reasonable.