Boise Home Builders

Home Design

The first step in designing your home

is to translate your ideas into a preliminary plan which can be used to generate blueprints and a rough budget. Typically, people start with a look or an interior layout that they like. With modern construction methods, most floor plans can be designed to match the desired exterior look.

Boise Home Builders has access to a wide range of home plans you can fully customize. We can introduce you to design experts who can help you create your own unique design or produce blueprints from your architect's concept. The benefit of using a good design system is that it compels up-front planning and minimizes changes once construction has commenced. This results in significant savings in many phases of the whole project.

• Why Site Specific Design is Important
• The Design Process
• Input for Budget Preparation
• Advantages of Working with Professional Designers

For this reason, it is essential to use skilled people to prepare your plans. A common mistake is to try and save money at the design stage. This is, in fact, the most crucial stage as it will have a major effect on the outcome of the project.

Why Site Specific Design is Important

A true custom home incorporates site specific design features. Site specific design considers the actual design of the house and its placement on the property. This means it fully considers the characteristics of the property as well as meeting building code and permitting requirements. The following key issues need to be considered when creating a site specific design:

• Elevations / exterior look / floor plan
• View / orientation / natural light
• Exposure / weather conditions
• Setback / access / zoning
• Slope / natural land features
• Geo-technical / engineering / well / septic

The first step in designing your home is to take your ideas and develop a preliminary plan, which can be used to make any changes necessary. Once the design concept is finalized, it can be used to create blueprints and a working budget.

Blueprints are also used to obtain building permits and for actual construction purposes. Getting planning approval can be a lengthy process. This means you should apply for permits as soon as you have finalized blueprints available.

The Design Process

The design process can be quite lengthy with more complex homes. There are a number of key steps involved and some important decisions to be made to get a good finished result. The decisions you make at this stage will affect every aspect of your project from concept to completion.

The design process starts by determining an exterior look or an interior layout that is attractive and suits your lifestyle. Most floor-plans can be designed to match the desired exterior look by using modern construction methods and materials.

The next step is to take your ideas and develop a preliminary plan, which shows floor plans and exterior elevations. These can then be used to generate a concept design. The concept is then turned into a preliminary plan drawn to scale. These working drawings are amended as necessary and, when finalized, are used to create construction blueprints. Blueprints are needed to obtain building permits and for construction purposes as well as the basis for creating a realistic budget.

In developing preliminary plans you need to consider how the home will be placed on the property. This requires looking at the characteristics of the building lot from both a features and technical perspective. Construction method, engineering, setbacks, zoning, placement of wells and septic fields also need to be taken into account.

Getting planning approval can be a lengthy process so you should apply for permits as soon as you have finalized blueprints available. It can take from 4 to 12 weeks just to get building permits. This is why you should apply for permits as soon as you have finalized blueprints available.

Input for Budget Preparation

The design chosen and resultant blueprints are the first critical step in budget preparation. An accurate final budget can only be produced when the information contained in the blueprints is available. Not only does this cover the size of the home and construction method, but also the type and quality of materials to be used.

If there is a maximum project budget specified, then some changes can be made to the design and materials selected to meet this requirement. Because of the nature of custom home projects it is generally not realistic to use average per square foot prices. There are major variables involved in the calculation of per square foot costs of decks, covered porches, garages, finished basements and main living areas.

This is why you need to prepare a budget based on project specific information. Any other way of calculating can result in serious budget overruns.

Advantages of Working with Professional Designers

Custom homes can be built using different structural methods. Conventional homes typically involve standard framing and a truss roof structure. More complex homes may include post and beam, timber-frame and log construction or a combination with conventional framing. Not only does the design need to be optimized for best use of materials and construction practices, it also needs to be properly engineered so that it is structurally sound and loads are distributed properly.

This is why it is essential to use skilled people to prepare your design and blueprints. A common mistake for homeowners is to try and use standard designs that are not suitable for their property or cannot be easily modified. The selection of design is, in fact, the most crucial stage and will affect the outcome of the entire project.

Boise Home Builders has access to professionals who can produce a concept design or modify most custom home plans to suit the Boise area. Alternatively, they can take your concept plans and produce high quality blueprints.