Photo of completed project Computer
rendering of project
Preliminary floor plan of project
above
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First,
you must find your dream property / building lot. Your new property will help determine
the design, style, layout and functions for your new home. It also establishes limitations such
as: the allowed outer dimensions of your new home; establishing zoning
set-backs, easements,
terrain features; and orientation due to view, site access, waterfront, etc.
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Second,
determine a realistic construction budget.
Construction costs in our geographic area
are typically $80.00 to $200.00 per square foot of constructed area (as defined
below) for
custom and semi-custom homes, but can easily exceed these average costs with
high end
finishes, extensive built-ins, and highly detailed touches. The constructed area should not be
confused with “Living Area” which excludes large portions of the built
environment such as the
garage, hallways, basements, storage and/or walk-up attics, bathrooms, etc.
Photo of completed Project Computer
rendering of project
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Third,
determine your strategy to have your dream home built. You have several options and
we have listed some of these options here:
Ø
Select
a Design/Build team or contractor/builder with in-house design capabilities and
negotiate the services and cost of project from a single source for your custom
designed
and built home. This process has
distinct advantages, as it can establish a relative fixed
cost to the construction process, reduces your contact and coordination to one
entity, no
division of responsibility exists if or when clarifications are required, and
construction
benefits from a coordinated team effort throughout the process.
Ø
Select
an independent Design Architect to prepare a custom design of your dream home
and prepare construction documents for competitive bidding from qualified
contractors or
a negotiated detailed bid from your pre-selected builder. This process when used for
competitive bidding can provide your lowest fixed bid cost to build your home,
but does
carry substantial risks due to the adversarial relationships setup inherently
in the process.
The detailed negotiated bid method may not provide the lowest possible
construction cost,
but does provide for a cooperative environment where you have tighter control
over the
project and its costs.
Ø
Purchase
home plans from a plan service or plan book and acquire permission to modify
the plans (copyrighted material) by your Architect or Design/Build team. Utilize a modified
approach to the previous two methods to have your home built.
Ø
For
a total hands-on opportunity, you can contract with a Design Architect to
prepare
your design and construction documents to your liking and build the home
yourselves. This
method allows for the greatest level of involvement for you in the
process. You will have the
greatest amount of control over costs and can save 15%, 20%, 25% or more of
conventional
methods described above. This process
allows you to contract directly with
sub-contractors and material suppliers negotiating direct costs and
services. You
schedule all work to be performed, schedule delivery of materials, obtain all
permits, contact
inspectors for all appropriate inspections, make all field decisions (both
technical and
aesthetic), prepare and certify “Sworn Statements” or other required paperwork
related to
financial institution payout request requirements, and complete any portion of
the project
you feel competent to perform.
Ø
Lastly,
once your construction documents have been prepared, a “Construction Manager”
can be hired to perform all the tasks that would be performed by you if
constructing
the home yourself. A CM (Construction
Manager) will hire all the sub-contractors, buy all
the materials, do all the scheduling, coordinate the project from beginning to
end, fill out all
paperwork, detail all aspects of the project and report directly to you. Usually, CMs do not
perform actual construction with their staff, they are coordinators and
facilitators. A CM
charges either as a percentage of the construction project, hourly, or a fixed
fee.
Photo
of completed project (front entry) Photo
of completed project (rear lake side)
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Fourth,
do your homework as it relates to what you want your home to look like: its
style,
possible color schemes, key features, etc.
Think about your lifestyle, how you might use your
new rooms, spaces, outdoor life. What
possessions, family heirlooms, furniture, etc. will have to
be incorporated into the design? How
many vehicles (and their sizes) need to be housed or
covered or parked, do you have a boat, trailer, camper, bus to be accounted
for? What hobbies
do you have and what are their needs?
Home theater? Media Room? You get the picture.
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Fifth
and last, contact us, Steven L. Glenn, Architect/Builder to arrange an
appointment to
design your new Custom Dream Home. We
will be happy to team up with your pre-selected
builder, suggest one or more custom builders with which we have a close
relationship, team up
with a well respected local custom builder to form a Design/Build Team, or work
directly with
you as your independent Design Architect.
Ø
Address: 8014 West Latter
Rd.
Empire,
Ø
Phone: (231) 334-6436
Ø
Fax: (231)
334-6437
Ø
E-mail: slglenn@chartermi.net
See below for our typical services provided for the
design of your custom home (Conceptual
Design Services) and the development of builder plans (Construction
Documentation Services)
which are used to acquire permits, prepare construction bids, and construction
of the
residence.
Photo of completed project Photo
of completed project
New Construction
Projects
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN SERVICES:
Services
include –
Fees
shall be calculated using the total enclosed building area under roof. Area is to be calculated
from the exterior wall sheathing and basement / foundation wall exterior face,
including garages,
finished basements (unfinished basements are to be calculated at 50% and crawl
spaces are not to be
calculated), and covered porches / decks are to be calculated as enclosed
building spaces.
AREA (S.F.) COST .
0 - 1,000 Hourly
1,001 – 1,600 call for current rates
1,601 – 2,400 call for current rates
2,401 – 3,500 call for current rates
3,501 - call for current rates
Uncovered Decks call for current rates
Revisions to initial concept shall be performed hourly at
current rates.
Exterior rendering of concept design Interior
rendering of concept design
CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION SERVICES:
Services include –
Construction
documents shall be generated utilizing the design as developed in the
Conceptual Design
phase listed above or other documents equal to that developed from those
services. Minimum
documentation shall be: fully developed design plans with basic exterior
dimension shown and interior
room dimensions indicated; preliminary elevations showing materials and general
details; and, plot plan
with basic terrain features (topographical information) and structure
located. Fees shall be
calculated using the total enclosed building area under roof. Area is to be calculated from the exterior
wall sheathing and basement / foundation wall exterior face, including garages,
finished basements
(unfinished basements are to be calculated at 50% and crawl spaces are not to
be calculated), and
covered porches / decks are to be calculated as enclosed building spaces.
AREA (S.F.) COST .
0 - 1,000 Hourly
1,001 – 1,600 call for current rates
1,601 – 2,400 call for current rates
2,401 – 3,500 call for current rates
3,501 - call for current rates
Uncovered Decks call for current rates
Services not included –
Services not included in fee schedule can be
performed on an hourly basis at current rates and / or
invoiced at cost plus 15%.
Concept rendering of front of
home Concept
rendering of rear of home