Residential Design: Where to Start and How to Proceed

You've decided you're ready to pursue that renovation or new building project that you've been thinking about for so long now, but you don't know where to begin or what to expect. Delving into the unknown can make us apprehensive and anxious, so here is some helpful information to prepare you for what to expect and to provide you with some direction along the way.

Like most things in life, a renovation and new home project requires some planning. The first step in the process should be to locate and interview residential designers or architects. These are the professionals who will help you bring your vision to life. Starting with a design professional will enable you to organize and develop your thoughts, needs, desires, and budget. You will walk away from the design process with the documents you need to successfully solicit comparable bids from contractors which will give you better pricing and result in a faster construction time and fewer change orders.

What does a residential designer or residential architect really do?

There are five basic phases to the home design process:
1. Programming
2. Schematic Design
3. Design Development
4. Design Documents
5. Construction Administration

Programming: During this phase the designer will meet with you to determine your wants, needs, and desires. A quality designer will ask you seemingly unimportant questions about your lifestyle, your priorities, your current and future needs and will want to learn about your personal character and style. Be prepared to explain what you like and dislike about your current home, be specific. Designers and architects are trained problem solvers, but they can't read your mind, so tell them what problems you are having in your current home or have had in other homes. Prepare a prioritized list of desired changes, in the case of a renovation, and a prioritized list of desired rooms or spaces, in the case of a new home. Try to determine what the reasons are for wanting to renovate or build in the first place. Perhaps you need more space, better flow between rooms, more natural light, improved function or more storage. Let the designer learn about you and what you need so they can successfully transform those needs and desires in a unique design solution. If you are beginning a renovation project, the designer will visit the site and take measurements of the existing home as they relate to the area to be renovated. If you are building a new home the designer will want to visit the site and document existing site conditions during this phase.

Schematic Design: During this phase the designer will use all of the information gathered in the programming phase to develop multiple design solutions. They will meet with you to review their designs and will want to get your feedback. Be honest with your designer. If you do not like the solutions they have presented, tell them so and more importantly, tell them why. Most likely you will like bits and pieces from each of the designs. The designer will revise the plans and elevations based on your comments and will meet with you again to review the new designs. This process will continue until you have a design solution that meets all of your needs and desires.

Design Development: During this phase, the designer will continue to develop the project based on the approved schematic design from the previous phase. They will begin to work out details, and refine what materials will be used and get more in depth with you about the appliances, plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, mechanical systems and more. If your designer does not suggest it, you may want to request that the designer prepare a preliminary set of floor plans, exterior elevations, and an outline specification to use for preliminary pricing purposes. A reputable contractor will give you a preliminary estimate based on these early documents to confirm that the design is on target with your budget. The preliminary pricing at this stage may help you avoid costly design changes during the design document phase. The further along you advance in the design process and decide to make changes to the project, the more it will cost you in design fees. However, with that being said, it will always cost you more to make changes during construction than it will to make changes during any part of the design process. Once the design is further developed and you are happy with the results, the designer will begin the design documents phase.

Design Documents: This is phase where the designer will produce the documents necessary for the contractor to build the project. The amount of information contained in your design documents will depend on the level of documentation you request from your designer.  Smaller scale or less complex designs may only require a basic set of design documents that include a floor plan with notes and dimensions, an exterior elevation showing the outside appearance of the home with notes and dimensions, and a site plan locating the home on the site. While a more complex or larger scale project would require an expanded set of design documents which can include the same floor plans, elevations, and site plan mentioned above along with wall sections which define the materials and limited methods of construction for the floors, walls, and roof; and building sections illustrating the connection between new and existing structures and any significant areas of the project where the contractor needs to be given additional information.  Expanded sets can also include a finish schedule listing all of the finish materials, moldings, cabinetry, and counter tops for each room; interior elevations illustrating the designs of all the cabinetry, handrails, stairways, and moldings throughout the home along with notes and dimensions; and specifications which are written instructions concerning all of the materials to be used inside and outside the home. The more information you provide your contractor with, the less likely you are to have problems during construction.  Some contractors will tell that they don't need any drawings or that they only need a floor plan. You are putting yourself and your home at risk if you proceed without documentation or with minimal documents. If you plan on soliciting bids from multiple contractors, an expanded set of construction documents will ensure that each contractor is bidding on the same thing and you will receive competitive prices that are far less likely to change during construction.  An expanded set of documents will cost you more in design fees initially, but it will save you time and money in the long run.

Construction Administration: This phase is optional in the residential industry, but it is recommended if you have limited time to contribute to the oversight of the construction. During construction administration, the designer will visit the job site at intervals relative to the phase of construction to make sure the project is being built as intended. The designer will not conduct inspections, code officials will need to be called in to inspect the project for code compliance at the various stages. If there is a problem or you would like to make a change, the designer should be asked to be involved in the resolution or redesign. Construction is the longest phase of the process and having a designer who can act as your personal advocate from start to finish will make your home and you life much better.

Obviously, this is a lot of information and I have only explained the basics of each phase, but hopefully I have provided you with a guide that gives you a better understanding of and appreciation for the design process. As always, questions and comments are encouraged.  If you want more information, leave a comment on the blog or refer to my contact tab at the top of the page. 

Appliances 101

The typical residential kitchen has between 4-8 major appliances whose lifespan varies from 6-16 years, so you will most likely purchase or replace your home�s appliances several times over your lifetime.  At first glance this may not seem like a daunting proposition, but consider this�there are over 40 manufacturers of residential kitchen appliances servicing the United States and each manufacturer has up to 5 different lines or series for each appliance and each series has anywhere from 10-20 different models.  This means there are literally thousands of choices available for your consideration!

To help you get started, I am providing a guide for the basic types of kitchen appliances.  This overview of appliance types and their relative cost ranges will allow you to better understand appliance terminology and help you determine which appliance will best serve your individual needs.  Included are broad cost ranges which are based on actual 2012 prices for Greenville, SC.  If you still feel overwhelmed or need more assistance, don't hesitate to contact me.  Good luck and welcome to Kustom Home Design's Appliances 101.

APPLIANCES 101 - BASIC RESIDENTIAL KITCHEN APPLIANCE OVERVIEW

OVENS  ( $600 - $5,500 )

Traditional Gas or Electric Thermal Ovens use heating elements to heat the oven chamber to cook food.  They typically have settings to bake, broil, or roast food.

Convection Ovens are similar to thermal ovens except they also have a fan which circulates the air in the oven chamber for more even cooking.  Combination Units combine thermal, convection, and microwave power for faster cooking.

Convection Steam Ovens use steam in conjunction with convection heating to cook foods faster.  The steam cooks very quickly and helps foods to retain their moisture.

Warming Drawersfit in the base cabinet typically below an oven or microwave and can be used to heat plates or keep foods warm while the rest of the meal is prepared.

COOKTOPS AND BURNERS  ( $300 - $5,000 )

Traditional Gas burners have an open flame fueled by natural gas.  They are preferred by many professional cooks because they provide greater temperature control and instant on and off control.

Traditional Electric Coil burners produce heat by electrical currents running through the coils.  They do not have an open flame, but they take longer to heat up and cool down than gas burners. 

Ceramic Glass Cooktops have electric coil or halogen burners that are concealed beneath a ceramic glass top.  They have the same problems as traditional electric coil cooktops with delayed heating and cooling.  Halogen elements heat faster than the electric coils, but are more costly.

Magnetic Induction Cooktops produce heat through an electromagnetic field.  The heat is actually produced in the cooking container (pot, pan or skillet) rather than on the cooktop surface.  Therefore, when the pan is removed the cooktop is cool to the touch.  These cooktops require the use of ferrous metal cookware such as steel, stainless steel or cast iron.

REFRIGERATORS ( $400 - $10,000 )

Top Freezer with Bottom Refrigerator models are the least expensive and most common.  They have been around since the 1940�s and finishes can range from contemporary stainless steel to retro avocado green.

Side by Side models have a freezer on the left side and refrigerator on the right.  The downside to a side by side model is that the compartments are narrow and don�t allow for storage of large trays of food.

Top Refrigerator with Bottom Freezer models have a larger refrigeration compartment on the top of the unit and a smaller freezer compartment below.  Storage in these models is wide enough for large items.

French Door models were developed in the late 1990�s and have become a very popular style for newer kitchen designs.  The upper refrigerator with French doors allows for less obtrusive door swings while providing wide, easily accessible refrigeration storage.  The bottom freezer is typically a drawer with sliding baskets or compartments.

Full Refrigerator or Full Freezer models are typically associated with commercial kitchens, but have gained in popularity in recent years for residential use.  Most manufacturers now produce residential grade full refrigerator and freezer models.  Typically the units are placed next to each other which gives them the look of an oversized side by side unit.

Refrigerator or Freezer Drawers are meant to be used in conjunction with a full size refrigerator and freezer unit.  They come in 27� and 30� widths and they are installed in a base cabinet beneath the countertop.

Wine Coolers are under counter models that install in a base cabinet.  They store wine at perfect temperature and humidity levels.  Some models even allow for separate temperature zones for red, white, and sparkling wines.

Undercounter Ice Makers can produce up to 60 pounds of ice a day and work well for very large families or for those who entertain often.  They are typically 15�-18� wide.

Standard Depth models are available in all the styles listed above.  These units are typically 30�-32� deep and come in a variety of widths depending on their capacity.  This style of refrigerator will protrude beyond the face of the cabinets by 6�-8�.

Counter Depth models are available in all the styles listed above.  These units are typically 24�-27� deep and come in a variety of widths depending on their capacity.  This style of refrigerator will be flush with the face of the cabinets or may protrude 1�-2�.  These models have less capacity than standard depth models due to their shallower form.  You may need to consider using a wider model for more capacity.

Built-in models are available in all the styles listed above.  These units are typically 24� deep and come in a variety of widths depending on their capacity.  This style of refrigerator will be flush with the face of the cabinets and will come with an option to install cabinet panels to the doors for a seamless �built-in� look.  Like the counter depth models, these units have smaller capacity.  Wider units are typically used to obtain more conditioned storage space.

DISHWASHERS  ( $200- $1,800 )

Standard models are mounted under counter and are 24� wide.  They have a wide variety of available features including multiple cycles, adjustable racks, water saving cycles, and dirt sensors.

Dishwasher Drawers take up half of the space required by standard models and use less water per cycle, but they hold far fewer dishes as well.  They can be useful for small runs of dishes or for separating pans from glassware.

VENTS  ( $40 - $3,000 )

           

Updraft Ventilation systems have a fan unit that mounted inside a hood directly over the cooking surface.  The air is pulled up through a filter and exhausted to the outside through a series of ductwork located in the ceiling or roof.  Recirculating units do not vent to the outside.  They pull air through a filter and exhaust the �cleaned� air back into the kitchen.

Downdraft Ventilation systems either use a vent built into the cooking surface or one that rises out of the countertop behind the cooking surface.   These vents pull air through a filter and exhaust the air through ductwork located in the floor or crawl space.