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Designs, Permits and Feasibility
What is Pre-Construction?
No custom home or renovation project is the same. This phase is about gathering the details we need to plan your unique build and meet your specific needs. The scope of planning is important to us because it ensures your project will run smoothly and be an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. We want to make sure we iron out any complications or surprises early on and provide clear expectations before we start the actual construction work.
It is through our fine-tuned process of thoughtful, experienced planning that we build a success plan for the smooth completion of your project.
What is Possible on your Property
There are many considerations we take into account during pre-construction. It’s a detailed phase — there is a lot of red tape in the form of municipal and government regulations and continual building code changes to consider, so it’s easy to see why it’s a crucial but often avoided step. This phase can be scary because there are a lot of unknowns as we discover new things about your property. Don’t worry, we do this every day and will never leave you in the dark!
Zoning Analysis: Every project starts with a zoning analysis. This detailed process is unique to each property. Why? Because every municipality has its own by-laws which will determine the possibilities and limitations for your specific property.
Authorities Analysis: Municipalities don’t like to take risks when it comes to building projects, which is why they put approvals in place for any changes that will be made on your property. We need to identify which governing bodies will be involved in your project.
Professional Services: We’ll identify and consult with the industry professionals that we will need to work with to complete the design, permit applications and construction.
Design & Feasibility
This phase is all about finding out what is really possible for your property. While the sky’s the limit when it comes to the scope of design, there are a number of restrictions that will help determine what can and can’t be built, or what is legally allowed on your property. At the end of the day, we want to provide you with realistic expectations of what will eventually be approved on the permit application.
We work with a trusted team of specialist contractors and consultants to complete the work during this phase. They are trusted because we’ve worked with them before. We know we can rely on their timelines, commitment, and quality of work. These loyal relationships are a formula for successful projects. Some of these consultants include people who are contracted to write bylaws and zoning allowances for the municipalities themselves.
Design
This is where your project comes to life, and great design is an essential part of that. Not only does it set the tone and personality for your home, but it will ensure your valuable renovation dollars are spent wisely. How? Experienced, cost-forward designers will strike a balance between aesthetics, functionality and budget. We will translate your vision, goals and needs into a conceptual design. Once approved, that design will be reviewed and detailed to complete the scope of work.
Budgets & Schedules
No one ever has extra time or money! We usually find one of these comes to the forefront as the primary concern. That’s why we make your schedule and budget the backbone of all project planning. Before we get started, we will have a high-level conversation about timelines, budgets and your specific project to ensure we are aligned on general expectations. We’ll start by walking you through some of our previous projects that compare to what you want to do. When you are happy and want to move forward, we will start the design and feasibility phase.
Your project budget and schedule will go through two phases. The terminology we use here is based on the CCDC Agreement which defines a Class B budget as the “higher level” or “preliminary budget” and a Class A as the “detailed” or “finalized” budget. The Class B budget and preliminary schedule are an estimate based on the careful research we have completed during the design and feasibility phase. The finalized Class A budget and schedule accurately represent your exact project and the final decisions that have been made in the last phase.
Outcomes
At the end of this phase, you’ll receive a Feasibility Report that reflects the range and scope of this job, including:
- A zoning analysis and conceptual design for the project that meets municipal bylaw requirements.
- Professional advice on the best way to complete the project.
- Approximate timelines to complete the project (Class B detailed schedule).
- Accurate budget range to complete the project (Class B detailed budget).
With all the information at hand, you’ll be in an educated position to decide how best to move forward with your project. Now you have some big decisions to make about where you want to prioritize your spending. If changes need to be made to the project to make it feasible, we’ll work together to revise the scope to work for you.
