Many Clients ask me "what is the design process and how do we get started?"

Custom Search

From Design Concept to Reality

1) Concepts

95% of my clients will come to me with ideas, needs, wishes, budget and a general idea of how they want the home to look. In other words they know what they want and they know what they like. I have had very few clients come to me with no idea what so ever of what they wanted. So this is a good starting point. Create a list of ideas, likes and dislikes or draw general diagrams that will assist us in the development of your plans. We then take your ideas and work a basic general design to scale that will give you a good idea on size and shape of rooms and the over all size of the home.

2) Design review

The design is then sent back to you for review. This is an opportunity for you to review your ideas and make changes to the plan as you feel are necessary. Please keep in mind that this is YOUR project and not mine, and your desires are the most important, We will not be offended by changes and in fact we encourage them because it means you are looking hard at your future dream home.

We will repeat this process of #1 and #2 as many time as it takes until you are satisfied with the design, as the floor plan progresses we start to incorporate elevations and sections to help you understand the project better.

3) Working Drawings

Once the design is finalized we then move onto the drawing phase and complete the working drawings. These typically include

- floor plans, foundation plan, 4 elevations (minimum), Cross sections, site plan if required, basement development plan if required. Electrical plans and any other relevant details required.

As the wokring drawings are being completed most contractors can start the pricing phase and then finalize the price during the permit phase #4

Once the working drawings are complete you move onto step #4

4) Development and or Building Permits

Once the working drawings are complete you will then submit them to the local building authorities for their approval. Some areas will require a development permit application ahead of the building permit. This process is most likely to happen in a large center such as the City of Calgary. Smaller communities such as High River, Okotoks and Nanton and rural areas will most likely just go straight to a building permit. Please check ahead of time to ensure you know what you need to apply for first.

During this phase your contractor will be finalizing their price for you. It is always important to get at least 3 quotes, this way you will get the best company for the job.

Once you have the permits in place and the contractor hired you are ready to proceed with the construction.

PLP Design does have contractor's that we can recommend for you to talk to as well so please ask us.