Pre Design Phase 

What is Your Vision:

Our initial meeting should clearly articulate your needs and your vision. We want to get to know what you like and do not like, how you live and your family lives and what your goals are for the project. This is the time we want to gather as much information that will allow us to define your everyday patterns in helping us prepare a program. This program defines your wish list for your new home or renovation.

We will talk about your budget and your priorities will be set in terms of cost, time, and quality.
 

Schematic Design Phase

Generating the Big Idea:

This is the creative period where we consider all the options and will present you with several design concepts, through a series of drawings including site plans, floor plans, exterior elevations, perspective sketches, and/or computer renderings. We will explore how the design is experienced at this early stage walking you through each scheme. Working in collaboration, we invite your feedback and ideas on creating the best design that suits your program and budget.

Material options start to become part of the discussion and we will provide you with an approximate construction budget, based on a price per square foot associated with each scheme presented.

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Design Development Phase

Deciding the Look and Feel:

When you have agreed on the schematic design, this phase is devoted to the refinements were we will test the ideas and refine the details to shape the final design of your building. We will further develop floor plans, exterior elevations and details to further describe the character of the project. Information from other consultants, like the structural engineer, is developed and coordinated with the design drawings.

We continue our collaborative process by allowing our clients to make decisions at a more specific level of detailing. Specifications for materials, fixtures, and appliances will be selected by the client. We will provide interior elevations as necessary to describe locations and arrangements of finishes and fixtures as well as relevant code information into the project.

 

Permit Documents:

A set of permit drawings is a simplified construction set.  The permit documents are used to submit, coordinate, and obtain the building permit from the city or county. It is typically an effective use of time to turn in a permit set early. This covers the requirements and gets the ball rolling with the city while Latitude Architects continue to work on a more thorough drawing set required for construction.

 

Construction Documents Phase

How it Goes Together:

Latitude Architects will take all the information gathered from the previous phases to produce a drawing package that will be used to communicate to the General Contractor how it all goes together. This intense phase will result in additional details and documents to the simplified permit construction set.

 

Bidding/Selection of a General Contractor:

Latitude Architects will assist the client with bidding your project to qualified general contractors. We will coordinate, meet and help the client interview selected general contractors. We will assist in evaluating the bids received and awarding the contract for construction.

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Construction Administration Phase

Overseeing the Finished Product:

The documents and drawings for the project are now complete and construction begins. Typically with a project of any complexity Latitude Architects is retained to answer questions, deal with clarifications and administer revisions, if necessary. We are there to protect the interests of the homeowner and the integrity of the design.

During Construction Administration Phase we will attend project site meetings with the client and the General Contractor, visit the site as necessary to observe the progress of the work and determine whether the work is in accordance with the construction. We will document the process by providing detailed Field Notes for everyone involved to keep track of the construction and any issues that may arise.

We will review all invoices, overall costs and scheduling from the General Contractor. When the General Contractor successfully completes a portion of the work and is due payment, we will certify that payment is due.

We will review any change orders from the General Contractor that may change the scope of work or materials, before you are asked to approve them.

At Substantial Completion, we will prepare a “punch list” of work to be corrected by the contractor and review work through Final Completion.