DESIGN-BUILD
Your Home. Your Dream. Our Expertise.
We get it. Your home is more than just a place to live. It's your sanctuary, your reflection, and your investment. That's why we're here to help you build the home of your dreams, from the ground up.
With years of experience and a dynamic duo, we're confident we can create a home that's both beautiful and functional.
We'll work with you closely to understand your needs and wants, and then we'll bring them to life. The following tabs will go through the design process we'll undergo as a team.
So what are you waiting for? Contact us today to start building your dream home!
Unlocking Clarity
Enter the realm of the Clarity Session, an insightful journey that commences our process. Immerse yourself in a comprehensive questionnaire with over 100 tailored questions meticulously designed to uncover your desires. In our collaborative session, we sit down to discuss and review these detailed queries. Every room is meticulously scrutinized, especially the kitchen, with extensive focus on understanding your unique requirements. Beyond mere aesthetics, we delve into understanding your essence by asking questions like, "How do you envision the feeling within your home?"
The magic of this session lies in the follow-up questions, sparked by your initial responses. These probing inquiries allow us to plumb the depths of your preferences and visions, ensuring that the home's functionality aligns precisely with your aspirations. Ultimately, the result is a design that resonates intimately with your individuality, making your dream home a tangible reality.
If you'd like a sneak peak at these questions, you'll find them here:
Unveiling Your Style
At SITE FORGE, we integrate Houzz extensively into our design process. Through this platform, every client crafts their distinct Ideabooks. These Ideabooks encapsulate a myriad of handpicked photos, each carefully selected by you. Crucially, each photo is accompanied by a meaningful comment explain why and what resonates with you. Your unique style becomes the compass guiding our design process. As we discuss approximately 20 images, your exclusive style unfurls, often diverging from initial perceptions, igniting an exhilarating revelation of your true design identity.
Site Visit
Embark on the journey of a site visit, where each home is perceived as a three-dimensional, sculptural puzzle. Our goal is not only to align the design with your preferences but also to harmonize it with the specific site characteristics. We use technology and intuition to identify viewpoints to accentuate and potentially obscure exterior elements from interior spaces, ensuring the creation of a personalized environment. Whether it's channeling morning sunlight into your breakfast area or orienting your home for optimal solar exposure, we collaborate to envision your home harmoniously integrated within its destined site. Together, we breathe life into your home's design, marrying your desires with the landscape it will inhabit.
Pioneering Floor Plan Innovation
Embark on our journey by focusing on the foundational element—your floor plans. These blueprints set the rhythm and flow of your home, two pivotal factors shaping its essence. In this phase, we explore various design possibilities, emphasizing the key highlights of each.
Here’s where the true magic unfolds. Clients take these designs home, allowing the concepts to marinate within their minds. They craft lists detailing the pros and cons, reflecting on how each design resonates personally. There’s no need to harmonize differing opinions. If one desires a larger room while the other envisions it smaller, we embrace these diverse viewpoints.
Meanwhile, as this contemplation ensues, we’re already sketching the exterior of your future abode. Using the compiled lists of pros and cons, we adapt the plans accordingly. By the second meeting, clients are usually brimming with excitement as they witness their envisioned home materialize in the realm of Virtual Reality. Our process propels forward, refining designs to mirror your unique aspirations, ensuring an outcome that resonates deeply with you.
Immerse Yourself in Your 3D Home
Witness your home plans come to life in a second unveiling where we, once more, seek your input. At this stage, I urge my clients to reassess by listing their Pros and Cons. The alterations from this short list are meticulously incorporated into the evolving design. We pivot towards highlighting the pivotal exterior elevation—typically the front, though sometimes the focus shifts to the back of the home. The elevation journey begins with a 2D drawing, leading to a 3D perspective and a captivating short Virtual Reality video. Experience your home's exterior from sunrise to sunset, evolving through different seasons, bringing your vision vividly to life.
Initiating the First Preliminary Cost Estimate
We take the lead in cost estimation, utilizing our comprehensive set of plans and 3D images to engage subcontractors. By doing so, we ensure that our projected budget aligns harmoniously with the estimates provided by these specialists. Our plans, encompassing basement, first, second, and roof details, along with an exterior elevation, select 3D views, and VR walkthrough, serve as the cornerstone for this preliminary estimation phase. This process guarantees that the projected cost range is specifically tailored to suit your chosen site and home.
Home Design Process
This is where the fun begins! We'll use our 3D modeling software to create a complete digital version of your home. You'll start by seeing six to twelve exterior views, but we can create as many as you need to fully understand the design.
Once the exterior design is complete, we'll create a fully immersive virtual reality (VR) model. Put on the VR headset and you can walk around your home, see every detail, and experience how it feels. This is a truly amazing experience, and it's something that very few architects
We use VR to not only show you what your home will look like, but also to give you a sense of what it will feel like. This is something that can only be done using VR.
By this point, armed with the Clarity Session, the initial floor plans and elevations, and the 3D drawings and video, you'll have a detailed understanding of your home and be able to fully collaborate on the design process.
The process repeats itself for the interior. We'll create 3D models and VR tours of all the rooms in your home, so you can see how tall the ceilings are, how big the rooms are, and what the views are from each window. You'll also be able to sculpt every detail to your style and taste.
At the end of Design Development, we'll share the updated plans, the new 3D views, the VR Home Tour, any material selections, and any bids with the contractor for another check to ensure that the design and budget are aligned.
We value your confidence, and we're committed to creating a home that you love.
Phases
The selections phase has two different (but equally awesome) phases. Each step is created in perfect harmony with the construction phases so that we can begin our dig as early as possible, and keep the flow of construction moving while we select each and every design element necessary to express yourself.
01
Phase 1: Structure & Function
We will work with you to finalize all of y our structural design needs so you have all your needs and wants covered before breaking ground. All structural selections must be finalized prior to dig and include:
-
Exterior Colors & Materials
-
Flatwork
-
Framing
-
Heating & Cooling
-
Garage Doors, Front Door
-
Window Wells - Material Selection
-
Air Conditioning
-
Plumbing Rough-in
-
Heating - Gas or Electric
-
Appliances
-
Electrical
-
Interior Stars
-
Plumbing Locations
-
Cable, Alarm, Audio Systems
-
Drywall and Insulation
-
Stairs and Railing
02
Phase 2: Design & Aesthetics
In phase 2 we will provide you with layout and design options to work with you lifestyle. Design selections must be finalized before the framing is complete and include:
-
Cabinet Colors & Layout
-
Countertops
-
Drywall and Insulation
-
Flooring and Tile
-
Interior Masonry
-
Plumbing Fixtures
-
Fireplace Design
-
Interior Hardware
-
Millwork
-
Light Fixtures
-
Mirrors & Glass
-
Paint & Stain
-
Interior Railings
Home Design Process
Once we have a finalized the house plan, we'll begin to create the detailed documentation that is needed to obtain building permits and get accurate bids from subcontractors. This documentation includes dimensions, structural requirements, and specifications for all aspects of the project, from the foundation to the roof.
We'll also coordinate with other relevant parties e.g. interior designer, kitchen designer, landscape designer, HVAC contractor, and electrician, to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that your best interests are being considered. We'll also incorporate the structural engineering details into the model to create a complete picture of your home.
This documentation will serve as the basis for your construction project, and it will be essential for ensuring that your home is built to your exact specifications. The next tab will cover the selection phases where specific building elements will be selected.
Site Visits
Watching your new home come to life is easily one of the most exciting parts of the custom home process! Every client at Site Forge work directly with Dave and Christian, you don't get passed of to some project manager that only now gets brought onboard. One of us will be there for each and every walkthrough with you, and will know how to answer any questions you can dream up.
We understand how important it is to see the various stages of construction first hand. We will schedule regular walkthroughs with you so that you can see every important stage of your build. You will be able to see all your selections come to life first hand.
VR Saves Time and Money
We'll use still shots from your Virtual Reality Home Tour to ensure that the design is being accurately realized. And that's one of the biggest benefits of VR - it virtually eliminates change orders.
99 times out of 100, the home is built exactly according to the plans. In the past, change orders happened when something wasn't built correctly. This almost always meant that the client didn't fully understand the design. Once the client gets to walk through the built home, they see things they didn't think of or couldn't envision in their minds. This is because they didn't go through a Clarity Session with their architect or use Virtual Reality Technology.
Change orders cost money and are never a bargain. They're more expensive to do at this stage because we're building out of order. For example, the framer may have moved on to another job and now has to come back to move a wall or make a room larger.
While working with Virtual Reality is fun because I can see complete comprehension on my clients' faces, it's worth more than its weight in gold simply to avoid change orders.
Construction Events
The order of construction varies from home to home. Some factors that may affect the order includes, weather, trade availability, and layout. Generally we follow this schedule of events. A more detailed construction schedule break down can be found here.
-
Excavation
-
Foundation
-
Backfill
-
Framing
-
Rough-ins (HVAC, plumbing, Electrical, Low Voltage)
-
Drywall
-
Prime, Paint
-
Finishes (Railing, Cabinets, and Millwork)
-
Carpet, Tile, and Hardwood
-
Finals (wrap up any loose ends or touch ups)
-
Possession
Yes! We Have A Warranty Package!
We follow and exceed Washington State New Home Warranty Program.
2-Year Workmanship & materials
-
Offers coverage for defects in materials and labor which include items such as flooring and fixtures for a period of one year starting on the warranty commencement date.
5-year building envelope coverage
-
Offers coverage against defects in the building envelope for a period of 5 years starting on the warranty commencement date.
2-year Delivery & Distribution systems
-
Offers coverage for defects in materials and labor related to delivery and distribution systems including heating, electrical and plumbing systems for a period of two years starting on the warranty commencement date.
10-year STRUCTURAL
-
Offers coverage against structural defects for a period of ten years start on the warranty commencement date.
-
Warranty Coverage Limits
-
The coverage limit is the lesser of the purchase price paid (excluding land) and $265,000.
Additional Living Expense protection
-
If a new home is uninhabitable as a result of a defect or during the rectification of a defect, then reasonable living expenses incurred by the insured will be payable by the Program to the insured to a maximum of $150 per day (not to exceed $15,000)