Everything you need
to know before
you begin.

The Design & Engineering line in the calculator is ours. It covers architecture, engineering, and the consultants your project requires. One number, one contract, one point of contact.

One deposit to start, then one invoice per month for the same amount. The deposit is 10% of the contract. It reserves your place in our schedule and funds the early project expenses, including our own staff time and the first consultants we engage: land survey, geotechnical report, arborist study, and others. After that, you receive the same invoice every month for the duration of the contract.

The design phases typically take 10 months. We contract for 12. That buffer covers permit review delays, which are common and outside anyone's control. If something needs to change, we have a conversation and adjust together. No unilateral surprises on either side.

The longer design and permitting take, the more expensive the project becomes, regardless of what the construction budget says. This is one of the most common concerns new clients raise: how do we stay on schedule? The answer is that our interests are aligned. For you, schedule is money. For us, it is cashflow. Our fee is fixed, so a longer timeline does not mean more revenue, it means less efficiency. We move quickly because both sides benefit when we do.

Some sites require additional studies: critical areas reports, geotechnical follow-up, specialized consultants. Some neighborhoods add HOA review on top of the city process. And sometimes the scope simply changes. You decide to add a floor, expand the program, or change direction mid-design. It happens. We flag these situations early and either agree on a fixed number upfront or bill hourly. Nothing proceeds without your approval.

We keep you updated weekly. Most meetings are virtual, which is more efficient and lets us share the design on screen and walk through models together in real time. We meet in person at key moments, during regular business hours, on a recurring schedule that works for both sides.

Our best clients are demanding about excellence. They recognize it when they see it and are willing to invest in getting it right. They value elegant problem-solving and the clarity that comes from a disciplined process. They give the work room to develop. They understand that design is a process of discovery, that strong ideas need space to evolve, and that architecture takes time. A thoughtful budget helps too: sufficient to do something meaningful, but disciplined enough to encourage elegant solutions rather than excess.

You are a key part of this process. Design moves forward through decisions, and decisions require your input. We will guide you, present options, and give you our recommendation. But the project moves at the speed of your decisions. A delayed decision ripples through everything that follows.

Less than you might think, but more than zero. During the Design phase, expect regular meetings and active back-and-forth. During Engineering, we are mostly heads-down and will reach out when we need input. During Detail and interiors, you are involved again. Material selections and room-by-room decisions need your eye. Expect showroom visits to see materials, finishes, and fixtures in person before committing. During Construction, you can be as involved or as detached as you want, but most clients end up visiting site about once a week. It is your home going up, and seeing it in person changes things. A good builder makes this phase smooth. Budget roughly a few hours per week during active design phases.

Earlier than most people expect. We like to have a contractor involved by the end of the Design phase, before engineering begins. At that point we have enough drawn to get a meaningful cost opinion, but the design is still flexible enough to respond to what we hear. Waiting until the permit set is complete means any budget surprises come too late to address without expensive rework. Early involvement costs nothing and gives everyone better information.

Experience with custom homes at your quality level. A track record of finishing on budget and on schedule. Transparency about how they manage subcontractors and handle surprises. References you can actually call.

You will spend 12 to 24 months in a close working relationship with this person. You will make hundreds of decisions together. There will be surprises (there always are), and how your contractor handles those moments matters more than their portfolio. Trust your instincts. If communication feels off in the interview, it will feel worse on site. The right contractor should make you feel confident, not managed.

We don't select your contractor; that's your decision and your relationship. But we can recommend builders we've worked with, contractors we know and want to work with, or builders who've been referred to us by people we trust. If there's someone better suited to your specific project, we will say so. Our recommendation will always be whoever is right for the job, not just whoever we've worked with before. Our duty is to you. We will help you structure and evaluate the bid, and make sure whoever you choose fully understands the design intent before they sign. During construction, we stay involved: regular site visits, review of submittals and material samples, and a direct line when questions come up in the field.