Before we begin designing your dream home, it’s essential to diagnose the possibilities. We start by understanding your goals, lifestyle needs, and aspirations. Then, we analyze the site, zoning, building codes, and local restrictions to identify both challenges and opportunities.

Imagine telling your surgeon what to do and expecting him just put you on the operating table and start cutting. Sounds crazy? It happens every day, but not here.

Think of it as laying the groundwork: we ensure that your vision is not just ambitious but achievable. This critical step gives you clarity and confidence about what’s possible on your property.

Some key questions we address:

What can be built on your land?

How can we maximize the potential of your property?

What do local regulations and your HOA allow?

Most importantly: Can we build the home YOU envision?

By addressing these questions early, we ensure that every step we take aligns with your ultimate goals.

Even clients well seasoned with construction experience have found this to be an essential and confidence building step.

Great design is an evolution. It's not about imposing a predetermined style—it’s about uncovering your needs, refining ideas, and creating a space that feels uniquely yours. In this phase, we explore different design solutions, test ideas in 3D models, and walk through every possibility in our minds and on paper.

Imagine all your wants and needs coming together in an “e=Mc2” simplicity. In between is a state of ferment: sketching radically different ideas, design meetings, product selections, and technical detailing.

Each design meeting is an opportunity for you to visualize your future home and refine your ideas with us. From material samples to virtual walkthroughs, you’ll be part of a dynamic process where we combine creativity and practicality to create a cohesive and functional design.

Sketching and exploring concepts: Multiple ideas take shape before settling on the one that resonates most with your vision.

Designing with intention: Every decision, from layout to materials, is made with your lifestyle in mind.

Virtual ‘try-on’: Experience the space through renderings and drawings to ensure it’s perfect before we move forward.

Construction is too unpredictable to wait till the end of design to get pricing.

It also leaves a lot of potential collaboration on the table. Once we have a design fleshed out that you love, we take a PAUSE, invite some contractors who are right for the job to give early estimates, and you choose the one you want to do the job. With a builder on board early, we can quickly address more issues, stay on target with pricing, and develop our working relationship early so once construction begins, we are a well oiled machine.

If you like the idea of Design-Build for efficiency, you’ll love what The PAUSE does for your artistic home build.

This is where the abstract becomes reality. Construction drawings are the output of our design process. Builders price the jobs from them and building departments review them for permits. A quality set of construction documents is essential to getting the project built as intended.

What people call blueprints* are now regular paper printouts of construction documents. If you like details, seeing how materials come together, and all the nitty gritty of what it takes to build, you will enjoy looking at construction documents.

Whether you’re interested in the big picture or want to dive into the construction details, we deliver both. These documents reflect the design vision we’ve honed together and ensure that the builders understand every aspect of your custom home.

The construction documents are what we submit to your town for permits and what we present to your contractor to build the home.

*They used to be blue. As an intern, I ran enough paper through those blueprint machines to turn my hands blue.

Permitting is often seen as a hurdle, but we view it as part of the journey. As your architect, we handle the process, working with local authorities to ensure your project moves forward as quickly as possible. We take a proactive approach to address any concerns or adjustments required by the plan examiners, helping to streamline the process.

Even with the best planning, unexpected challenges arise during construction. That’s why we’re with you every step of the way, answering questions and providing solutions. Regular site visits and meetings with your builder ensure that the project stays on track and your vision is realized.

Start your project off right with a free 30-minute "Ask the Expert" call. In this consultation, we will:

Provide clarity on how to move forward confidently with your custom home project.

Outline the journey of our process and how it’s tailored to your needs.

Give you an actionable next step based on your specific goals and current situation.

Let’s bring your vision to life—schedule your free call today.