As a registered architect, I follow the traditional phases of design, documentation, and building permitting. That being said, and once the written Agreement is in place, I start with a due diligence survey followed by the Schematic Design (SD) phase, which is based on the homeowner's wish list, needs, desires, and of course the Houzz Mood Boards. At the end of the SD phase, the homeowner will have the opportunity to review no less than three (3) design options to choose one or a combination of the three that will move forward to the next phase.

With the homeowner's accepted SD in hand, I move into the Design Development (DD) phase, where I in essence, further refine the SD package as well as involving the consultant engineers. Key milestones of this phase where the homeowner is given time to review the design occur at 50%, 75%, and final acceptance at 100% DD prior to moving into the next phase. Further, the homeowner is given the chance to play an active role, if they so choose, through the Houzz Mood Boards, which allows them to select finishes, appliances, etc.

With the homeowner's accepted DD package in hand, I next move into the Construction Documentation (CD) phase, where in conjunction with the consultant engineers, I develop the drawings, calculations, and specifications required by your local building department.

To this end, the CD package consists of, but is not limited to and further, dependent upon the project's complexity typically includes plans, exterior and interior elevations, building and wall sections, details, window, door and finishes schedules, structural and Title 24 energy calculations, and MEP (mechanical, electrical & plumbing) engineering.

The final phase of design and documentation is the permitting and bidding, where I submit the CD package to the local building department or AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) over the project. I also assist the homeowner with interviewing potential contractors during this phase, with the objective of having a general contractor ready to start construction immediately upon receiving a building permit.

One final note is that I do not practice "design-build" as my opinion of this delivery method is that it presents a huge conflict of interest. In essence, you as the homeowner want your architect working for you and not the contractor. Instead, I practice the traditional design-bid-build delivery method where I work and advocate for you as the homeowner.