Many of our clients have never before been involved in the custom homebuilding process and they can easily become overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of choices that they are required to make. The following has been prepared as a broad stroke guide for those clients and is to provide some idea of what to expect when it comes to our services. This is, however, a guide.

Based on our experience, we are able to put these approximate time requirements to each stage. We based this on homes that range between 5000 – 7000 square feet. While some homes are smaller and some homes are larger, this should give a general sense where your home will fit in the overall scheme of things. Some clients are able to make decisions easily and quickly and require very few hours consultation, while others need more time to finalise their choices. At the end of the day – it really does depend on you. It is our goal to make sure your finished home really does reflect you, your family and your lifestyle.

Stage 1: Initial Client Consultation – (allow ~3-12 hours)
The initial client consultation stage includes an analysis of the client’s lifestyle and family dynamics; site visits to their current home and building location as required; initial and subsequent review(s) of their building plan; and, of course, personalisation of the proposed plan to suit the client’s lifestyle and needs, hopes and dreams. This is a very important time frame because this is where we focus on how you want your home to look and feel when we are done. We take into consideration all the bits you already have selected to make sure the end result is what you want.

Stage 2: Exterior Specifications (allow ~3-10 hours)
Stage two covers the sourcing, selection and colour co-ordination of all exterior materials. This may consist of any or all of the following: roof, gutters, stone or stone veneers, siding, shingles, windows, doors, facia, railings, trims, driveway and pathways, door hardware, exterior lighting, etc. The exterior specification stage will also most likely contain liaison with the general contractor, suppliers and sub trades where ever necessary.

Stage 3: Interior Specifications (allow ~15-40 hours)
The final interior specification stage comprises many and varied comprehensive aspects. Primary amongst these are plumbing fixture selection, lighting layouts, lighting fixture specification, kitchen(s) and bathrooms layouts, fireplace surround and mantle details, ceiling details and interior millwork, tile designs for floors, shower/tub walls and backsplashes, and, may additionally include if desired, final furniture layouts, window covering selection and planning, accessorising and final touches.

Stage three furthermore consists of sourcing, selection, colour co-ordination and detailing of all interior materials including, but not limited to: carpet, floor tile, hardwood, cabinetry, countertops, cabinet hardware, paint colours, wall tile and grout, stairway railings and handrails, shower doors, mirrors, closet organizers, bathroom accessories, etc.

Studio meetings, site visits and liaison with the general contractor, suppliers and installers are incorporated into this phase as needed. Detailed ‘spec’ lists for all involved parties – general contractor, supplier, sub trade and homeowner – are supplied.

Again, this is only a guide line. Your needs may differ from the stages listed above and accommodation to suit is not a problem.

We are here to assist you in achieving a home you can be very proud of. We are part of the team that makes this all happen. Our job is to make sure everything we do takes us to where you want to go. We can only do this if all changes that occur are shared with us so that we can make, if necessary, other changes to keep us on track.

This can be a very exciting time for you, the home owner, and I want to be there to keep it fun and relieve as much of the stress I possibly can

References are available upon request.

Tags: Home Construction Guide, Homebuilding process, Interior design, interior design contractor port moody