Key decisions within the design details

Once you get into the design details, you make numerous decisions and we will not attempt to catalog them here. However, to provide a sense of what we saw as key to building a modern and green house, here are some examples:

• While J wanted a kitchen that is not fully the "open plan" style seen in many modern homes, an acceptance of a design that partly opens the dining room/kitchen wall, with a horizontal "pass-through," plus this wall not going right up to to the sloping ceiling.
• Aluminum framed windows and exterior doors, both for the look and for no maintenance. All windows and doors going to the ceiling line, again as part of the look.
  
• Space-saving, in-wall pocket doors wherever feasible for the interior.
  
• No air conditioning so a lot of attention to cross ventilation, facilitated by three center hallway, operable skylights and also an operable internal window above the bedroom doors near these skylights - which also provide more natural light into those areas.
• The uses of structurally insulated panels (SIPS) for external walls, providing greater insulation and less waste from stick-frame construction. (Our builder had used these on a recent house.)
  

Developing the plan details: Lessons learned

Moving through the details of the design and plans was an interesting, sometimes frustrating, ride and we occasionally had to negotiate with our architect as to what we considered appropriate steps in the design process.

For example, our builder had provided a fairly detailed, line item estimate, based on recent houses using comparable materials and finishes. So, starting on the detailed design of windows and glass/metal framed exterior doors (W&Ds), we would check with him as to what assumptions he had made to get to his #. We would then use his #s to calculate the likely cost of the number and nature of our wish list of W&Ds.

In conversations with our architect about their number, placement, size and operability, we would then raise cost parameters and his responses left us feeling he was less cost sensitive than us. In discussing this, he defended his process as "you do not design to a budget" but develop your design and then cost it and "re-engineer" if necessary. Given we had that detailed, line item estimate/budget, we wanted to limit the number of costing and re-engineering steps. So we ended up "negotiating" a design process we could all live with.

So we offer the following counsel to anyone reading this with the intent of building their own home:

1. Have your architect articulate his/her design process, preferably with examples, from Day One and, if necessary, amend the process so you are all comfortable with it. Also, have a "process check" discussion every now and again.
2. Try to find a builder who'll provide a detailed, line item estimate/budget based on a "Preliminary Bid Instructions" package, to learn what the major cost drivers are. If some elements are not yet included, keep them on the list as pending, so you do not lose track of them.
3. Remember that the builder has made certain assumptions for each line item, so whenever you feel that your more detailed design and material choices for a particular element might be problematical, check with him/her.
4. Take full advantage of your builder's and/or architects access to current houses when you want to remind, or educate, yourself about what certain materials look like "in situ" or how certain things work, like the different window operability options. You never want to end up saying "I didn't know it would look, or work, like this!"