Robert Klob Designs, Inc. - Design Process

The Best Home Value is a Home that is Designed to
Live with your Family, Lifestyle and Budget

PHILOSOPHY

As a firm specializing in residential design, we are very aware how important a home is to its owners, what enormous emotional energy is lavished upon it, and how unnerving it is to be at the mercy of others in the shaping or reshaping of that home. We have developed our services to eliminate as much of that stress as possible. Our project designers are not only trained in design, they love houses and have chosen to spend their lives creating residential projects. They understand the importance of communication in that process.

FEES

There are a number of ways to determine the fee for your project. Of course, the fee is dependent upon the level of service. One common method by architectural firms is to pay a percentage of the overall construction cost, usually 6-15%. Another common method is hourly compensation for actual time spent on the project by the designer and others who are involved. This method is most commonly used when it is a small project, a simple consultation, or in a particularly complicated project where the full scope may not be known in advance, for example, the remodeling of an old home. Robert Klob Designs has determined a fee based on the livable square footage of your home. We feel that this is the best way for you to have a controlled budget throughout the design process. The square foot fee charged is determined by the scope of the project and the level of the designer’s involvement in the various phases. It is also possible to create a combination of approaches to the fee, such as hourly charges through design development followed by a square foot charge for the remainder of the project. Because of the relative complexity of small projects, fees for smaller projects can sometimes be proportionally higher than for projects with larger budgets. Travel necessary for meetings or construction observation can also impact fees. We can discuss various possible approaches and determine what will be most satisfactory for your project.

THE PROCESS

When you hire a designer you’re hiring a highly trained imagination, a person skilled in thinking three dimensionally to envision the best possible solution to your needs. You’re paying for professional expertise in defining your requirements, creating construction documents to address them, coordinating with the contractor and making sure that the home is built as specified by the plans. The designer is your advocate in the fascinating and complex process of turning dreams into reality. Several factors will impact the decision regarding the appropriate level of design services for your project: its size and complexity, the location, and the budget as well as your own experience and involvement. Each project is unique and each designer works in a distinct way.

Robert Klob Designs is organized for optimum efficiency with many unique relationships & individuals such as designers, consultants, contractors and municipality officials. The general process of a design project can be broken down into phases, each of which focuses on a different aspect of the project. Though these phases sometimes overlap or are combined, depending upon the nature of the project, an understanding of each is important in order to grasp the full scope of the design process.

THE PROGRAMMING PHASE

Deciding What to Build

The first phase, called Programming, is a time for information gathering. It is our time to listen, question and explore possibilities. It is vital for the staff at Robert Klob Designs to understand your tastes and preferences. Many people like to gather appealing pictures from magazines and books. This is your opportunity to indulge in a little creative daydreaming. The goal isn’t simply to list elements or features that are appealing but to understand the reasons behind those choices. Many other methods are available to help describe your dreams. You may write about the activities you do in your home or prepare wish lists and reality lists. You might find it an interesting exercise to walk through your existing home noting your likes and dislikes, which areas you use frequently and which you hardly ever use. One last recommendation is to utilize a disposable or digital camera to take pictures of homes or elements that interest you. The point is to utilize whatever works best for you, realizing that the more you can tell us about what you like and need, the closer we can come to fulfilling your design dreams. We believe that you should not focus only on what you like, but also information on what you don’t like will help to ensure that the design you are initially presented with will match your dreams.

Thorough programming doesn’t take a tremendous amount of time, but it certainly requires more effort than simply listing the rooms and features you want. It will give you clear criteria by which to evaluate our work and make it much more likely that your new home will live up to, or better yet, exceed your expectations. Naturally, you will be asked for input throughout the entire process, telescoping gradually from larger, more general concerns to smaller, more specific ones. Other tasks also need to be accomplished before the start of design. You will need to provide us with a site survey so that factors affecting the building can be analyzed. If you are remodeling or building an addition, it is necessary for us to document your existing house. Documentation includes taking photographs, measuring and preparing scale drawings. Even if you have original blueprints, some verification of existing conditions will be necessary. Houses are not always built exactly according to plan!

THE SCHEMATIC DESIGN PHASE

Rough Sketches

Once you have decided what to build, the actual design begins with a series of rough sketches known as schematic designs. These sketches show the general arrangement of rooms and the placement of the building on the site. Ideas are explored and evaluated with you through the use of drawings until a direction for the design is set. The actual process will vary with your ability to visualize as well as with the project designer you are working with. These schematic design sketches convey the overall design by illustrating the shape, slope of roofs, approximate size and location of walls, windows, doors and cabinets. These sketches’ are adequate for gathering preliminary cost figures based on area, but do not contain the resolution or detail required for construction. There are still many more details to be established about your project and cost feedback at this point is very general. It is difficult to predict market conditions, the availability of materials, and other unforeseen circumstances at the time your construction documents are complete and actual bid prices can be obtained. It is vital that these schematic designs capture the essence of what your project will be and that you and your designer are in agreement about the design direction. It is much easier to make changes at this stage when your project is in sketch form rather than later when a great many hours have been spent working on construction documents or even later when foundations have been poured and walls erected.

THE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PHASE
Refining the Design

This step, called design development, is when the designer prepares more detailed floor plans, elevations and cross sections to illustrate other aspects of the design. All decisions that are to be documented in the blueprints need to be made. These include decisions about interior and exterior materials and finishes, lighting, windows and cabinets. Other technical matters such as the type and placement of insulation, the structural system and moisture protection must also be determined. Many of these decisions impact other decisions. For instance, the depth of a structural member can affect the ceiling height in a room, the light fixtures and the amount of insulation in a ceiling. These in turn can affect compliance with either building or energy codes. Whenever a change is made, a ripple effect is created, requiring adjustments elsewhere. When looking at these drawings, try to visualize yourself actually using the spaces. Do the traffic patterns flow well? Does each space serve its intended purpose? Do you like the way it looks and the materials that have been selected?

THE PRELIMINARY BID PHASE
Protecting your budget

Robert Klob Designs does its best to stay on top of the costs of labor and materials in the construction industry. However, that is a nearly impossible task given today’s volatile market condition. Prices increase and decrease almost daily. We have added this phase to ensure our client’s budget expectations are met. Once the basic conceptual plans are complete and the design has been approved by you, the plans are ready to be reviewed by general contractor and/or sub-contractors for bids. We have run into resistance from contractors in the past because they would like a full set of plans with engineering and approvals to bid from. However, it’s your money! There is plenty of information regarding sizes, quantities and locations of materials that a quality contractor should be able to prepare a preliminary bid. The goal with this phase is to get a “ballpark” price for your design – it is not intended to be a final contract bid. Once contractors understand this, they are much more receptive. These bids will determine if the design works within your budget or if adjustments need to be made. Often during this phase, contractors will provide feedback to reduce costs that could be incorporated into the final plans. This is also a good opportunity to interview contractors to see who will be a good fit for you. The contractors you feel most comfortable with will be “shortlisted” and those contractors will get another chance to bid again once the plans are complete.

THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENT PHASE
Preparing the Working Drawings

The next phase sets down on paper all the decisions made to this point so they can be incorporated into the built project. These working drawings, which can also be called construction documents or blueprints or CD’s as they are referred to in the field, consist of both drawings and specifications. The drawings are detailed and illustrate the quantities and relationships of all work required to build the project. The specifications are a comprehensive written documentation outlining the levels of quality to be met in materials and workmanship. The contractor will use these documents to establish the actual construction cost, and to build the project. These construction documents become a part of your contract with the general contractor or builder and establish his contractual obligations. As a result, anything not contained in the documents is left to the contractor’s discretion and may potentially lead to additional charges for you. Complete documentation means that there will be fewer problems and delays during construction, since most decisions have been made before construction begins. The more detailed and complete the construction documents, the more accurate the final bid price can be.

There is not a set standard regarding how many drawings or what is included in a set of CD’s. The key is the more information the better. While many designers can obtain a building permit with just 5 or 6 drawings we feel that is not enough. Or plan sets typically have over 20 drawings associated with your project. When you meet with a design professional, ask to see a sample set of CD’s, make sure you are getting the best value for your money and you will be working with someone that is looking out for your best interest, not the contractors. A typical set of construction drawings by Robert Klob Designs consist of the following drawings or sheets.

Project Cover Sheet
Project Data Sheet
Architectural Site Plan
Floor Plan(s)
Exterior Elevations
Interior Elevations (when required)
Building Sections
Roof Plan
Ceiling Plan (when required)
Architectural Construction Details
Structural General Notes
Foundation Plan(s)
Foundation Construction Details
Shearwall Plan(s) (when required)
Roof & Floor Framing Plan(s)
Framing Details
Mechanical Plan(s)
Mechanical Construction Details
Plumbing & Gas Plan(s)
Plumbing & Gas Details
Electrical Plan(s)
Electrical Calculations

Additional drawings and engineering such as Renderings, Civil Grading & Drainage, Fire Sprinklers and Landscape Design to name a few, may be required by the city or Home Owners Association (HOA) where you intend to build or remodel your home. Robert Klob Designs has extensive knowledge of the local cities and their requirements. We would be happy to help you in preparing a complete set of documents to make the building permit process as easy as possible.

One last note when it comes to drawing preparation. Once the drawings are completed, they will be submitted for a city plan review. This process can be extensive depending upon which city your home will be built. This process can take anywhere from 30 days to 6 months or more, depending on the municipality. Many people forget to allocate for this time when planning for their new home. Hiring a quality designer will help in making the city plan review process smooth, efficient and much less stressful.

Once the plans are completed and a permit is granted, the design process is complete. Many design services end their process here, RKD continues its services during construction until you are ready to move in. Here is what you can expect after receiving your permit. Depending on the complexity and time involved additional fees may be required for some of these services.

HIRING A CONTRACTOR

There are a number of ways to select a contractor. When the time comes to hire a contractor, we can provide assistance in evaluating their qualifications and bids as well as in negotiating a contract. The first and most traditional approach is to ask 2 or 3 general contractors to bid the project using completed construction documents (typically those that were selected after the preliminary bid process). As the designers of your project, we are in the best position to coordinate the bidding process by answering bidders’ questions, evaluating requests for substitutions, providing updated information to all bidders, establishing a bidding format and analyzing the often confusing bids. The lowest bidder is often selected to do the work, but not always. RKD can help you make the contractor selection based on the best value. Another approach to selecting a contractor is to pre-select the general contractor early in the design process and work together to obtain input during the design process. When construction documents have been completed, your contractor will often obtain competitive bids from subcontractors. This approach is used quite commonly, particularly when contractors are especially busy. You get their early input, get them lined up on your schedule and still have competitive prices for the majority of the project. RKD can be extremely valuable in helping you to obtain a complete and carefully bid contract with your general contractor. While we may suggest potential contractors and assist in the selection process, the final choice is up to you.

CONSTRUCTION

Robert Klob Designs involvement normally does not stop with the preparation of construction documents. We can act as your representative by monitoring the contractor’s work for conformance with the working drawings and contract. Even the best two-dimensional documents cannot fully convey all aspects of a three-dimensional building without being open to interpretation. Knowing the intent of the drawings is crucial to proper interpretation. As your designer, we are the best qualified to provide assistance to ensure your finished home is built as intended. This assistance to the contractor usually consists of answering questions by phone, providing regular site visits to observe the work, providing supplemental drawings as requested by the contractor, reviewing shop drawings, materials and product samples, and reviewing requests for design changes. RKD’s involvement in this phase can make a smooth transition from construction documents to a completed project. Other services that look out for your interests are also available. These include reviewing and approving the contractor’s applications for payment and keeping you apprised of the project’s progress. The contractor typically has sole responsibility for construction methods, techniques, schedules and procedures. Robert Klob Designs are highly trained and experienced professionals representing you in this complex process. We can ease the way by helping you avoid wrong turns and can also direct you to solutions you never considered. The result is a unique home created to meet your needs, is built within budget, express your individuality and LIVES with everyone who uses it.

We hope this outline will help you to identify the services that would give you the best value for your investment. We at Robert Klob Designs hope to have the opportunity to assist you in turning your dream home into reality.

.....We look forward to working with you!