Our Process

Once the planning process begins, our first step is to develop a project vision page, which will serve as a high-level guiding compass throughout the rest of the process. It will help us establish and prioritize project needs and wants, define the style guidelines you have in mind, and identify the target design budget.

The next step is to set the schedule for our planning process. Depending on the size of the project, we’ll lay out a schedule ranging from 3 to 15 steps. Each step will have specific time frames, agendas, and goals, such as design review meetings, trade partner site walk-throughs, vendor visits, etc. Putting these steps into a calendared schedule is crucial for keeping us on track for the whole planning process and keeping you informed about what to expect.

One of the most important objectives of the preconstruction planning process is developing the scope of work. This is the written step-by-step description of the project that defines and clarifies what we’ll be doing and how we’ll be doing it. Ultimately, this document will supply the details of our contract. 

Throughout the process, we’ll review the scope of work several times. These conversations may seem repetitive, but each review allows us to discuss the minor details line by line. This open communication about everyone’s expectations will enable us to catch points of misalignment before they result in costly and time-consuming delays. We talk together often so that we’re always on the same page.

The second most important–but fun–pre-planning step is to identify the materials we’ll use during the project. We’ll start by providing a shopping list of all the items we’ll need to pick out. The list will include plumbing fixtures, tile, appliances, lighting, flooring, and anything else involved in your project. We prefer to help you make as many selections as possible up front to minimize the risk of an inaccurate budget. 

The standard method of using allotments (a line in a contract that notes a future purchase, i.e., “Cabinets- $10,000- to be picked out later”) can create the false expectation for how much items will truly cost when it’s time to purchase. Take, for example, the cabinet package for a kitchen remodel. In an average-sized kitchen, we can spend anywhere in the range of $5,000 to $100,000 on just the cabinets alone. That’s a considerable margin! Imagine if we put an allotment in the contract for $10,000, but then halfway through the project, we realize that the vision you have in mind is more in line with a $50,000 package. We would all be in quite a tough spot. 

It’s no surprise that projects without a preconstruction plan very rarely come in on budget. Picking out and pricing materials in advance ensures that there are no budget surprises along the way.

Often, clients have more than one idea about how they’d like to finish a project. For example, someone planning to finish a basement might question whether to include a bathroom, but they aren’t sure if that will add $10,000 or $100,000 to the total cost. 

During the planning process, we take the time to dig into specific pricing for certain “options” and decide if they’re a good fit for the project. The key here is doing it during the planning phase. It's tempting to kick that rock further down the road and decide later, but once we’re in the middle of the project, pricing research and decision-making are always rushed and, therefore, laden with mistakes. Making those decisions during preconstruction allows the project to be correctly priced out and all options evaluated and accurately planned from the beginning.

During planning, we’ll identify which types of drawings and renderings are needed for your project. The type and number are determined by the project size and which other professional services will be used, i.e., architects, engineers, interior designers, etc. Drawings may include architectural drawings, kitchen layouts, custom built-in shop drawings, and more. 

Once we establish which drawings are needed, we’ll identify who is best suited to provide them. For many projects, we will provide all the drawings. For larger projects, we may need to facilitate the creation of particular drawings and renderings with other design professionals.

With so many of the project details now planned out, we can work on the construction schedule. From the beginning, we'll have the target time frame in mind and use that as our guide. We’ll make design and planning decisions that work within the target time frame (i.e., if the target timeline is 6 months, we’ll make sure not to pick a kitchen cabinet that would take 8 months to arrive). Again, taking the time and effort to plan this aspect of the job will give us all accurate time frame expectations and ensure that the project will be on time.

Once every detail is planned and prepared to everyone’s satisfaction, the formal contract is signed. Then, we’ll submit the proper permits and get to work!