At ELD, our approach to designing a home starts with cultivating meaningful connections with each client throughout the design process. We deeply value the relationships we build with our clients, understanding that designing a home involves more than just drawings. A successful design is built from understanding individual client goals as well as their day-to-day routines, and curating a solution that is uniquely responsive to the project’s surrounding environment. Our site specific design considers natural light and ventilation, views, and natural landscape features. We believe in fostering a collaborative approach throughout the project with our clients, General Contractor, Structural Engineer, and often Landscape Architects and Interior Designers. At ELD, our commitment lies not only in creating beautiful homes, but in fostering enduring partnerships grounded in trust, creativity, and functionality.
We offer an initial meeting at our office or via video conference at no cost to review the project parameters and pre-design questionnaire. From there, our services are broken into four phases which include: Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Interior Design, and Construction Administration.
We utilize advanced three-dimensional digital modeling throughout all phases to create a detailed visual representation of the client’s home. Our real-time 3D visualization serves as an integral design tool for our team, and helps clients get a strong sense for how their home will look and function. Our visualization capabilities are integrated with our design and construction drawings to create a seamless process and powerful design tool. By working in a single 3D model from the start, we ensure a collaborative and efficient process, making it easier for our clients to visualize their home before construction begins.
Schematic Design
In schematic design, we carefully consider your program, style, site characteristics, and budget to create floor plan options and three dimensional concepts for your home. Our team explores multiple design approaches, ensuring each concept thoughtfully aligns with your goals, property, and realities of the project budget. Whenever possible, we meet on site and collaborate closely with the Landscape Architect to better understand the land and its context.
This phase includes a series of collaborative design meetings where we review inspirational imagery, discuss spatial relationships, and explore how the home connects to its surroundings.Throughout the process, we share three-dimensional model imagery of both the interior and exterior, along with interactive walk-throughs that allow you to experience your home digitally from your own computer. These tools help bring the design to life, allowing you to truly understand how the spaces will feel and enabling us to engage more deeply in the design process together.
Design Development
Following the completion of Schematic Design, we continue working closely with you to further refine and develop the design. During this phase, we thoughtfully advance material selections, window compositions, cabinetry layouts, and other key architectural and interior elements that define the character of the home.
We collaborate with the Structural Engineer to establish initial structural concepts and coordinate with the General Contractor to review systems and preliminary pricing studies. This phase is critical in ensuring the design reflects your style, remains aligned with the project budget, and complies with all applicable zoning and building codes.
At the conclusion of Design Development, we issue a progress set of drawings suitable for permitting review and for qualified General Contractors to use in developing project pricing and budgets.
Construction Documents
During the Construction Documents phase the ELD team will work closely with the project team (Structural Engineer, General Contractor, and often Landscape Architect and Interior Designer) to refine and develop the project details and assemble a comprehensive drawing set and outline specification. This package will include a site plan, floor plans, building elevations, building sections, wall sections, details, interior elevations, schedules, structural plans, electrical plans, as well as selections for finishes and fixtures. Throughout the 3-phase design process we build upon our 3D model and real-time visualization techniques to enhance and refine the design principles and details of your project.
Construction Administration
During construction, we provide Construction Administration services to support the successful realization of your home. This includes periodic site visits, preparation of sketch revisions (SK drawings), review of the General Contractor’s submittals and shop drawings, and ongoing coordination with both the contractor and client. Our role is to answer questions, clarify design intent, and help guide the project toward completion as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
While every project presents its own unique challenges, ELD brings the experience and technical knowledge needed to navigate the construction process with confidence. By choosing to work with ELD, you are not only selecting an architect and designer, you are choosing a trusted partner committed to bringing your vision to life.
