Align Home Design's Process explained.
Are you a client of ours, a future client, or someone looking to understand more about the home design industry? If so, this blog post is for you! We know that industry lingo and processes can be confusing, especially if you don’t work in the industry.
That's why we have created this blog post to help explain our process so you can better understand it. At Align Home Design, we work like most design and drafting companies, but not everyone's process is the same.
What is Preliminary Design?
The first step in the custom home design process is preliminary design. We take your wish list, City or Town bylaws, and lot restraints and create the first draft of design drawings. Your final and approved prelims will look something like this:
To conserve your time and money, we do the preliminary design in steps. We make sure the main floor plan footprint is 100% correct before we start on another floor plan. This helps us avoid errors and efficiently use your hourly design time.
Main Floor Plan:
The main floor plan will include room names, room sizes, bathroom and kitchen layouts, and basic furniture, such as beds, nightstands, and dining room tables. After you provide feedback and we make the necessary adjustments, we will move on to the second-floor plan or basement plan (in the case of a bungalow).
Second Floor Plan:
The second-floor plan is much like the main floor plan and includes all the same notes and details. After we have your approval, we will move on to the next steps: the basement plan and front elevation.
Basement Development Plan & Front Elevation:
Depending on your specific project, the sequence of the basement plan and front elevation can be flexible. We decide this on a client-by-client basis, depending on time needed for the main and second-floor plans, your clarity on what you want, and if it’s easy to work on both at the same time.
What are Construction Drawings?
Construction drawings, also referred to as permit drawings, are the final plans you need to get quotes from suppliers, builders, and contractors. They include detailed and dimensioned floor plans, detailed and dimensioned elevations, building sections, and minor detailing. Once you have received the final construction plans from us, you can move on to the next steps, such as shopping for your builder or contractor and getting build quotes.
We hope this guide has provided you with a better understanding of our process and what you can expect from us. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for reading!