Designing Your Dream

The Charette

The French word "charrette" means "cart". This use of the term is said to originate from the École des Beaux Arts in Paris during the 19th century, where proctors circulated a cart, or "charrette", to collect final drawings.

Today it has taken on an expanded meaning of collaborative planning processes that harness the talents and energies of all interested parties to create and support a feasible plan. A successful charrette promotes joint ownership of solutions.

I love the word and all that it means regarding residential design and working collaboratively with the homeowner, using an open process to design the spaces and details of interiors and exteriors, creating sums that exceed the parts to create the ultimate composition…the home or addition. This is accomplished by integrating the aptitudes and interests of the designer and homeowner to generate the design success we desire; and that is my objective.

A Quality Plan

Bad design is nothing more than bad communication. A quality plan enhances communication, minimizes cost overruns and schedule delays, there are fewer change orders, and less tension on the job site between owner, contractor and trades people; and the project finishes faster; so, the more details, notes, sections, schedules and specifications on the plan, the better the quality.

The Process

In design, we transform your ideas and mental images into livable realities. Please understand that we do this without the benefit of prototypes; your project is one of a kind. However, you are encouraged to collect pictures from newspapers and magazines or any source that appeals to you, in order to help communicate your ideas. As the project owner, you will play the most important role in reviewing and approving design proposals and revisions. We combine your dreams and ideas with our experience and knowledge to translate them into complete working drawings for your project.

However, if you have found a stock plan that is almost perfect, we can also help you personalize that plan to really make it your own, but we must first make sure not to infringe on copyrights.

Design Costs

Every project is unique and many factors influence the price of the design. There is a minimal charge for our first one-hour visit where information about your project is collected and a line item estimate is prepared. The estimate is a guideline and list of what is needed and required for the project.

Designing—the Fun Part

This part is trial and error. Think in terms of traffic patterns, sound transmission and lighting effects (natural and artificial). If you are considering a remodel, visually walk through each area that will be changed. Look for at least one area that can be changed to produce a dramatic effect. When we create a new design of these areas, we can do a virtual walk through.

Keep in mind colors, textures, maintenance, individual needs of each family member (universal design), coordination, and ease of use. And, go ahead, think in terms of drama, or a little "pizzazz".

If an addition is what you have in mind, you should plan to increase the floor space by at least 25% but no more than 75%. A 30% to 60% increase is ideal for augmenting the value of your home. There are many factors that dictate the size, for instance, overbuilding for your area is usually not recommended unless there are special circumstances. An addition can enhance your property value, add comfort and convenience, security and protection, and satisfaction in ownership.

Next Section: Our First Meeting > >

Diane with cients

Diane with Clients

Our First Meeting

There is a minimal charge for the first hour. This is a mutual interview—we want to make sure that we're right for you and that your design project is right for us. We're both looking for a comfortable fit.

We will work up an estimate and e-mail you this information along with a contract and other information.

Once you have chosen us for your project, you should furnish us with a copy of a recent property survey and a copy of any deed restrictions. Also, check to see if there is an Architectural Review Committee in your neighborhood that will have to approve the plans. We can do elevations for their approval before moving forward.

Give us information about your budget for the project so we can stay within it during the design stage.

Tell us your ideas and desires (don’t hold back). Let us know all the approaches you have considered. This is a time to explore. Give us an overview of what you want to accomplish and why. In doing that, you will also let us know what you don’t like about the existing space(s). We will talk about your life and how the new space or new home can reflect your style and enhance your life. We will discuss a lot of possible design scenarios.

We will talk about materials or products you would like to use and study the pictures and notes you have worked up. We can offer suggestions for materials and new building products that can be used, especially for green design.

If you are building an addition or remodeling, we will take pictures and measure the area(s) for the addition, renovation or remodeling, to produce a floor plan of the existing structure. This serves as a starting point. If you have a copy of the original plans, we can make copies and the design process can move along faster.

We take all this information and use computer-aided design software to create house plans for your new home or addition and prepare three-dimensional views of your project. We can provide you with a virtual 3-D tour of your new home or addition. There is client viewer software that you can download to view the plan on your own computer at your own schedule.

We encourage internet meetings, where the client is invited to view my computer screen in real time and even control the curser, (www.gotomypc.com.) We have had very positive feed back from clients about this capability.

Your new home or addition is tailored specifically for you. I design homes using Chief Architect Software, the best on the market for residential building applications (www.chiefarchitect.com.) Your plan set can include a site plan (including 3D view of land contours), floor plans, electrical fixture plan, foundation plan, roof plan, cross sections and details, elevations, specifications, schedules, and exterior and interior perspectives, deck, porch, sidewalk, path and driveway design.