The NINE Steps to a Custom Home Design
The First Step, the Custom Home Wish List
The very first step in designing you’re your custom home or renovation is to come up with a wish list! What do we mean by a wish list? This is a detailed list of all the things/stuff that you want in your new home or renovation.
A good way to do this is to put a list of things and specifications that you want in each room. For example, you may not want a formal dining room, nor want a formal living room, and would rather have an open planed Great Room with a 12’ high ceiling, with high baseboards, hardwood floor, with a wood burning fireplace, rather than a gas fireplace, where this great room needs to be a minimum of 16’x18’, with double French doors that access the rear yard deck, and take advantage of the building sites mountain view, etc. etc.
You may ask why this information is needed “before” you start any real home or renovation designing, and the short answer is, no matter who you engage as a home designer, they can’t read your mind! And, if you are paying a home designer or architect, by the hour to sit there and ask you a whole bunch of questions, just to find out what you want.
You could do that instead of handing the home designer a completed and detailed wish list of room specifications for them to design to! Which in the end will save you allot of design time, money, and get you exactly what you really want in a home plan and overall design!
A little tip! You might want to make this wish list thing a family event, and have each family member put together their own wish list and then have a family meeting to compare notes, that could then all be boiled down into a “master family wish list”! Once you have your master list you’re ready for Step 2.
Step 2. Bubble planning!
On top of a detailed wish list you should also try to do a bit of “rough floor planning” or what I call Bubble Planning! What this really means is doing a bit of your own rough sketching of a possible Floor Plan of Your Dream Home, or dream renovation, this does not need to be a “fancy plan”, in fact we have worked from the back of restaurant napkins on many an occasion.
This rough sketching is the basic vision of your house, and if you use some ¼” graph paper and ruler, (where each grid square equals 1’-0”) you will get within striking distance of a real floor plan
fairly quickly. Ideally you should do this step before you take any of the following steps, and ideally do the first two steps “before” you bring your ideas to a home designer or architect.
Don’t worry, you don’t need any training in architecture or need to be an artist. All you need to do is put down basic room information and sizes.
To start with, consider which rooms you may want to have any view from and where that room should be placed within the overall floor plan, or where you want morning sun to shine in to etc. If you’re not sure where to start, use your current home’s room sizes and decides which ones need to be larger, or could be smaller or even eliminated entirely.
Then think, do you want an open-plan, with an open kitchen geared to entering your guest, or do you need a home office with today’s new work at home trend, and so forth!
As you sketch your house or renovation plan, think about the “traffic flow” from one room to another. You can find inspiration from magazines, or ride around a few neighborhoods, or check out websites like Pinterest or Houzz to get ideas. Then, consider the overall architectural design of your home.
Do you want modern or traditional, craftsman or cottage? Once you have your rough floor plan sketch in hand, you’re ready for step 3.
Step 3. Verify Your Building Site
You need to verify if your building site has any architectural restrictions. A good home designer can help you with this step, or you can go to your local planning authorities and ask to see what planning restriction there may be, such as maximum allowable building height, property line setbacks, utility line setbacks, etc. Also you should check your building site’s Title at the Land Titles office to see if there are any restrictive covenants that prevent you from implementing certain design restriction such as building heights, size of home, etc.
It is very important that you get this restrictive design criteria researched “before” you start any real design process! You will also want your designer to make note of the “lay of the land” meaning actual site conditions of slope, drainage, view potential, sun exposure, and winter snow drift planning. This
may require a surveyor to come in a “shoot some elevation grades” unless you happen to have a “topo Map” or a grade slip that shows the contours and elevation data of the building site.
If you are using a full Design Build firm like Landen Design Build then this site surveying step is all
handled for you! Ask us for details!
Step 4. Find a Professional Custom Home Designer
Your next step is to hire the professional that will turn your sketch and wish list into buildable
construction plans, so that you can use these plans to get competing bids from builders.
Architects and residential Home Designers offer similar services and have similar skills, however both have different levels of experience, or specialize in a particular type of design or style, so you’ll need to phone around and find one that suits your family and your budget.
Ask for references and ask them what their process is. It’s important you feel comfortable with the
person who’ll be designing your dream home.
Also look into designers that offer a no obligation initial design consultation, as many want to charge you for this “first meeting”. Also ask each designer or architect if they also offer any complementary preliminary planning, meaning they put together a rough floor plan and elevation proposals on “their dime”, and ask, if for some reason you don’t like what they put together can you just walk away.
Note: At Landen Design Build we offer up to a full 30 hours of CAD design and rendering time as a no charge upfront service, with no obligation to move forward with Landen Design, there are a few conditions, as we generally book up fast for this no charge service, and may need to turn away people that don’t book early with us. (See our preliminary planning conditions at landendevelopment.com) Note: if for any reason you’re not happy with
Landen’s preliminary planning process you can walk-away and owe us nothing and we part ways
as friends, however, the preliminary plans remain the property of Landen design and cannot be
used by another designer to simply finish them off (See also copyright laws in Canada).
After engaging a professional such as Landen Design Build, you’ll be invited to a meeting, or better yet we can come to your existing home to discuss your sketch, and get a good feel for your existing life style, and wish list and vision in more detail.
Be prepared for many questions about the way you want your home designed. For example, try to have a few materials samples ready for the sort of exterior you want such as (stucco, siding, stone or brick) and what sort of roof material (shingles, metal or tile)? Don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers at this stage. Professional home designer like us here at Landen Design Build can guide you through this design process maze.
Once the main questions are answered, the fun part of design work can begin on the building plans. Using a specialized computer CAD programs, an architect or residential home designer can produce a home plan that not only meets with your wish list, ideas and rough sketches, but also meets all building codes, safety and building standards, maximizes space, and create a floor plan that doesn’t exceed your total budgeted square footage.
In short, a good home designer will maximize the potential of your design and try to stay within the budget you’ve agreed to. This process will go through several review and refining stages. It takes a little time to create an accurate floor plan that in the end is a “buildable plan” that most builders can then work with, and hopefully get your home built without a bunch of extra charges and change orders later on.
Note: there are bound to be changes made along the way of construction, which is very common once people see their new dream home or renovation project progressing along.
You may want to work with a home designer that also offers a full spectrum of 3-D CAD rendering or 3-D modeling, such as a virtual tour of the exterior or interior of your custom home or renovation “before” it ever exist. Not all designers use this state of the art CAD software systems, as this type of render software can be quite expensive, especially the more powerful design and rendering systems that need yearly licencing to access the programs. If using Landen Design Build as your home designer, we offer a full spectrum of 3-D full colour rendering and virtual tours using some of the very latest state of the art CAD rendering systems (See our website for full examples of an interior and exterior virtual tour) at landendevelopment.com
Step 5. Coordinate the Roof Truss, Floor Joist and Structural Engineers
A good home designer will work with all relevant engineers for roof/truss design and layout, as well as work with the floor joist and beam engineers to make sure the whole structure is “buildable” and ready for permit applications.
If you are acting as an “owner/builder” being your own general contractor you will need to select a truss manufacturing company to get access to the truss manufactures engineering.
Please note that truss engineering and structural engineering are not considered the same thing. You should note that the builder or contractor that you plan to hire will usually have a preferred truss supplier! Or if you are using a full design build firm like Landen Design Build then this step is all handled for you!
Truss Engineering
The first step once a floor plan has been mapped out, is for your home designer to contact the roof truss engineer. Trusses are basically support structures that can span a large space due to their triangular shape. In normal residential construction, wooden trusses are most often used to support roofs because they’re incredibly strong, more economical than solid beams, and be can designed just about any shape. The truss engineer will ensure the roof truss in your design has the stability, strength and rigidity required to support your roof.
If you are using a full design build firm like Landen Design Build then this roof truss step is all
handled for you! Ask us for details!
Floor joist Engineers
There are many types of engineered floor joist that can be designed into a custom home, the actual
type to be used is usually based on the floor joist span, and configuration needed to accommodate
mechanical and other systems, that can hopefully be encompassed within the floor structure itself
without having too many unsightly “boxed-in” pipe work! This is where your home designer needs
to work directly with a floor joist engineer to maximize your home design, and try to keep the floor
structure cost in alignment with your budget! If you are using a full design build firm like Landen
Design Build then this step is all handled for you! Ask us for details!
Structural Engineering
There may not be a need for a final overall structural engineering review, unless the planning and
building permit approving authorities ask for one. In many cases these planning authorities are
happy with the reports generated by the truss and floor joist engineers, however they are now more
often asking for “further engineering reviews” also known as “a cover your butt letter” as a full
engineering review gives the approving authorities a big “out clause” for any liability! However if
this type of engineering review is demanded for by the approving authorities, it could add up from a
few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. It’s a good idea to budget for at least $2,000 for
engineering to review the structural soundness of your house including soil conditions of your building site.
In the case of remodels, an engineer will ensure that any new roof or floor structures won’t overload the home’s existing structure.
Step 6. Choose Your Materials and Building Specifications
This can also be a fun part! However, you do need to keep an eye on your budget! You will need to consider everything, from windows, garage overhead doors, to roofing, and siding for the exterior, and all the trim and finish, right down to cabinets and countertops to doors, paint and fixtures and plumbing fittings on the inside of the home.
Then go back to Step One and compare this to your original “wish list”. Your builder should be able to give you some advice on preferred suppliers to get the best builder discounts.
A good idea is to keep a spreadsheet tally as you make your selections, as this process can get a bit out of hand, and can have a bit of sticker shock when the final totals all come in! So keep in mind your budget while shopping!
Step 7. Prepare a VERY detailed Building Specifications.
This is probably the most important step, it may not be the sexiest step, but it will save you many
arguments later on between you and your builder and or subcontractors.
The old saying “That is not on the plans, or that is not in the spec, so that will be EXTRA”! Can be avoided by have VERY detailed building specifications, along with VERY detailed building plans. To be clear you should also map out in a separate very detailed Room to Room specification all the details of EACH room in the home, to make sure EVERYONE knows what they are bidding on, and what is expected of each bidder quoting the job.
Having VERY detailed specifications will save you much grief later on during construction, and most likely save you a pile of money by avoiding Extra Charges, and Change Orders.
If you are using a full Design Build firm like Landen Design Build then this VERY detailed building specifications step is all handled for you! Ask us for details!
Step 8. Get Your Permits
Whether you’re building a house from scratch, remodeling or putting on an addition, you’ll need to get the relevant permits from your local planning and building permit authority before ANY work begins. If you don’t, you could end up with a hefty fine.
The city of Calgary and surrounding areas that we at Landen Design Build work within, all have their own different set of rules, guidelines, and way of doing things, and you need to fully understand and read carefully the regulations in your area, “before” you make application for permits! However, if you are using a full Design Build firm like Landen Design Build then this permitting step is all handled for you! Ask us for details!
Step 9. Get Final Quotes and Contract for Construction
With all the permits out of the way it’s now time to get final quotes in from builders. Once you’ve accepted a quote, you’ll be asked to sign a contract for construction. This binding agreement between you and the builder will set out what you can expect in terms of performance and timelines. It will also specify the payment terms.
Make sure you understand the scope of the work that is to be carried out (make sure you know what’s not included, as well as what is included).
Consider having an attorney review the contract for you. Construction projects can be long and complex, and there are many pitfalls that you’ll want to avoid. Having a pro check the contract for you will give you more peace of mind.
You can also download our free e-book Understanding Construction Contracts, which does a deep dive into the different types of contracts and outlines the pros and cons of each type of contract, and explains the difference between “fixed price contracts” vs Cost plus contracts, vs fixed fee project management (cost plus agreements).
You can also download our free MS Excel based calculator that calculates the difference between each version of contract!
