Who All is Involved in the Making of My Home?
Who are the experts I need to involve to create a custom modern home from scratch? And what do they do?
When you create a custom, modern home from scratch, your architectural or residential design firm is the driving force behind the entire endeavor. They should lead you through the process from front to back. Nonetheless, their expertise and skill is centered around the initial creative act. While they also have a good understanding of all the other aspects around the making of a home, they will very likely introduce other specialists for one or many parts of the sausage-making. This will depend entirely on the specificity of your needs and desires, your appetite, and the complexity of your project.
A List of Experts
Here is a quick list of some of the folks that might want to jump on board for the best possible outcome; in roughly the order in which they might join the effort:
Architect / Residential Designer: overall design, construction drawings, guidance
Realtor: property search and purchase
Surveyor: property mapping
Energy Efficiency Rating Agency: green measures and programs
General Contractor: estimating, sourcing, construction
Structural Engineer: structural design
Mechanical Engineer: design of heating and cooling systems
Civil Engineer: design of topography, water run-off, infrastructure
Landscape Architect: landscape design
Interior Designer: selection and design of fixtures, appliances, built-ins, finishes, furnishings
Lighting Designer: artificial- and day-light design
Kitchen Studio: design and manufacture of kitchens
Cabinet Maker / Fine Woodworker: design and manufacture of built-ins and furnishings
Solar Panel Company: design and install of solar panel systems
Smart Home Company: design and install of low voltage electronics
Pool Company: pool design and construction
Moving Company: move-in services
Home Organizer: home setup, life organization
So as not to test your patience, let us briefly expand on just four of these. It should be clear that all of these various team members are to be inspired to bring their own invaluable expertise to the process. When you let them lose and offer them trust and curiosity they will shine and improve your home beyond measure. You are asking for their particular field of expertise to better your home.
Structural Engineer
One of the entities that will most definitely accompany this particular adventure is a structural engineer. Their task is to calculate loads and forces on all the parts of your house in order to size certain structural pieces, such as posts and beams. They also spec out specific connection points, material make up, and assembly standards. If any part in the assembly of your home is not covered by the building code, their understanding and seal will have to cover it. And when you design something special that is outside of the mundane, it most definitely will. Their job is to ensure that everything in your home will have a fighting chance to hold up in the long run.
Interior Designer
The second most common, albeit entirely optional extension of your team might be an interior designer. While your architect or residential designer will design the overall home and figure out how it all comes together, they might want to go into further detail with a pro. It is upon the interior designer to pick up on the overall narrative already established and enhance it with further detailing. This could include new furnishings and extend into the detailed design of built-ins. There will be a lot of overlap. As with any expert an interior designer can offer a wealth of options and selections that far exceeds the original team’s efforts.
General Contractor
Of course, a home does not build itself. When choosing the general contractor, the most important aspect to consider is trust. A house, as specific as the one you are asking for, will cost the same to build for anyone. You cannot price-shop this. There are no shortcuts. However, knowing that you are in good hands that care for your best interest and outcome will be most important. The best builders will be able to add to the design process with their input upfront, not least of all with their estimating prowess. With their feedback your design team can make adjustments before it’s too late.
Landscape Architect
As for the landscape architect, be aware that your living environment does not start or stop with the walls enclosing a conditioned space. Your built surrounding starts in the very nature your home will be a part of. To integrate the exterior into the entire experience, requires these trusted souls to expound with their knowledge. Just as with an interior designer, they will have to read the tenor of the entire project already established, and marry it with a fitting plant life. They also shape the terrain and hard-scapes into an overall composition. Knowing the viability of the local flora and fauna are the basics, knowing how to paint a masterpiece in changing seasons is remarkable.
It is without saying that the entire team behind the making of your home has to be able to work together well. They have to follow one common vision and design intent. If you allow your original architect or residential designer to set up the entire team for you, chances are that synergy will flourish.
~ Toby