When you initially contact Home Work Architectural Studio, I will discuss your project on the phone or via email to determine the project goals, schedule, and budget. The next step is typically a design consultation, which gives you an architect’s expertise for a limited time at a reasonable price. Whether you are planning an addition or renovation, this is the ideal way to begin the process.

 

Consultation

The design consultation is a house call. I will visit your home, discuss and sketch possibilities, and answer your questions about costs and construction alternatives. During this meeting, we can explore the design of some interior modifications, discuss the best location for an addition, redesign the façade of your home to add curb appeal, or discuss options for your new home. Obviously, anyone who will be making decisions about the design should be present at this meeting.

 

Preparation

• Create a wish list. Assemble a list of possibilties and dreams for your project.

• Create an ideabook with images, digitally, using the internet or a scrapbook.

• Make a copy of the homeowner association’s covenants, conditions, and restrictions, which describe any limitations on the materials that can be used on the exterior of your home as well as the approval process for any plans to renovate the outside of your home.

• Find and make copies of the floor plans of your home if possible.

• Make a copy your mortgage survey, a drawing of the extents of your property and the location of your home and any outbuildings.  This drawing determines the size and location of additions you can add to your home given the zoning ordinance. If you do not have a mortgage, or cannot find your mortgage survey, we can discuss your options before we meet.

• If you plan to make changes to the exterior of your home, take photos of the front, sides, and back of your home, and print them as large as possible. These photos will often be used during the consultation as a basis for sketching exterior changes.

• Hire a surveyor to measure your property and prepare a site plan, including the property boundaries, significant topography, trees, or bodies of water, and any easements.

• Make a list of any questions you may have about the design and construction process.

• Since the design consultation will take two hours, please make arrangements ahead of time for work commitments, children and other distractions.

 

Cost

The fee for the design consultation is $250, which includes up to two hours for the meeting, travel to your home, and a brief summary of the discussion, including copies of any drawings that I prepare during that meeting, which will be emailed to you after the design consultation. Additional consulting time can be negotiated if needed. Travel to your home within the Metro Atlanta area is free. For locations outside this area, travel charges will be negotiated in advance.

 

Contract

Although the design consultation is an independent service, meaning that you are not obligated to contract with Home Work Architectural Studio for the duration of your project, it often leads to a long term relationship. If that is appropriate, I will prepare a detailed contract proposal for you including your scope of work, an outline of the phases of my work, with legal language intended to ensure all parties understand our roles and responsibilities to each other.