The Designer Level Services are Florida Architect Warren E. Barry’s most popular services for obtaining house plans. Warren’s Designer services have a very high value per dollar spent and are what he recommends for most single family home construction projects.
Service Level D2 is Warren’s most heavily utilized service and is intended for clients who have designed (or want to design) the basic floor plan layout themselves but would like Warren to review the plan for recommended improvements, would like assistance with designing attractive exterior elevations, and desire a quality set of plans that have an appropriate amount of detail for a typical custom home.
Designer Service Level D2 requires that you provide, at a minimum, a preliminary plan layout that is either drafted to scale or a proportionate sketch which provides general dimensions. This plan layout should locate all walls, doors, windows, cabinets, appliances, equipment, and plumbing fixtures. This plan is not required to be completely finalized but it should be resolved enough to give Warren guidance on what rooms you want, how large you would like them to be, how you want them arranged, how you plan to lay out your bathrooms and kitchen, etc. . The home design which you provide must also not infringe on any copyrights. In addition, you should provide a photo or drawing of the outside of a home that has the exterior character and detailing that you would like your home to have. This image is not required to match the floor plan you provide, it is used simply to gain an understanding of the “style” and level of detail you would like.
Designer Service D2 (and above) begins with a startup meeting, which typically takes from 4 to 8 hours, where Warren utilizes a detailed 18 page questionnaire to extract in detail your wants and needs while making recommendations when appropriate. This questionnaire, created by Warren, brings up many topics which most clients have typically not thought of previously and often initiates many questions from the client. During this meeting, Warren also reviews with you anything that you have collected to assist in communicating your wants and needs such as photos, sketches, and clippings. Beyond the design requirements, during this meeting Warren reviews the service contract in detail, discuses the design process, and answers any questions that you may have. As part of the project startup process, typically not on the same day as the startup meeting, Warren visits the site that the home is to be built on. This site visit allows Warren to have an understanding of the homes surroundings, context, neighboring homes, tree locations, ground slope, and more which all help with determining where the home should be located on the property, what the best orientation is, and if there are any other special considerations that should be considered.
After the startup meeting, Warren draws the floor plan of the home into the computer. With Designer Level D2, in addition to resolving issues relating to constructability and code compliance, Warren also shows recommended floor plan improvements off to the side of the main floor plan when he finds something that he would suggest doing a little differently. Plan options and improvements are shown to the side so you can compare the recommendations with the original design and make a decision for yourself as to if you want to utilize the option(s) or not. The number of recommended improvements varies from project to project depending on the quality of the design being provided and the feedback obtained during the startup meeting. While drawing the homes floor plan, Warren places furniture into the plan which is an asset to the design process in many ways. Placing furniture in the homes floor plan allows you to have a better understanding of the sizing of each room and how circulation will flow through the home. The furniture layout also greatly aids in the placement of doors, windows, light fixtures, and electrical outlets. Once the floor plan is complete, it is e-mailed to you for review. It is important to note that the fee for the Designer Level Service D2 (and above) includes client requested revisions until structural coordination has begun as long as the revisions are requested at the appropriate time in the process, are within reason, and are not circular in nature.
Once the floor plan has been approved, Warren designs the exterior elevations to suite the approved floor plan and your desired exterior design style. With the Designer level services, the exterior elevations curb appeal and on site perception is given great consideration. This aids greatly in not only your enjoyment of the home but the homes resale value and ease of sale as well.
After the exterior elevations are approved, the remainder of the process for service level D2 is the same as level D3 with the exception of the fee including requested changes when requested at the appropriate time in the process as discussed previously. Warren adds all the remaining architectural detail that will be utilized in the final construction documents so you can do a complete review prior to beginning structural coordination (structural coordination will be discussed later). Information added at this point in the design process includes, but is not limited to, a roof plan, a ceiling plan with details, an exterior wall section, elevations of all interior and exterior doors and windows with general specifications, a detailed schematic electrical plan designed to provide quality lighting (not to simply meet code, unless that is desired), a foundation plan with details, and miscellaneous text, tags, and dimensions.
Once the final review set (Design Development Review Drawings) has been approved, Warren begins the structural coordination process with the truss company and structural engineer. Warren has preferred truss companies and a structural engineer that have proven to do quality work at a reasonable price but can work with those you select if you have a qualified, experienced, and properly licensed person/company that you would like Warren to work with. The larger and more complicated a project becomes, the more important, and at times critical, this phase of the project becomes. With all the Designer and Architectural Services, Warren reviews the truss package provided by the truss company in detail to check for compliance with the architectural design and to coordinate the location of interior bearing walls and columns. Warren also verifies with the truss layout that light fixtures, HVAC ductwork, and plumbing can be installed as desired and needed. If conflicts are found, Warren coordinates with the truss company to resolve such issues. Once the truss package is finalized, it is forwarded along with the architectural drawings to the structural engineer. The structural engineer provides structural specifications such as the sizing of beams, steel reinforcement in the foundations, spacing of roof sheathing nails, hurricane straps, and more. Once this package is complete, Warren picks up the package from the engineers office and compares it with the architectural plans to assure that all documents are consistent and to resolve any conflicts that may exist. This structural coordination process (when provided by an individual with the construction knowledge to do it properly) makes the construction process go very smoothly. Once structural coordination is complete, Warren e-mails a .pdf copy of the architectural plans to you for your records and obtains full size (24”x36”) prints for sign and seal by Warren and the structural engineer. Once the plans are signed and sealed, Warren’s services are complete and the plans can either be picked up or mailed to you. Once you have received the final plans, you are ready to proceed with the contractor of your choice.
In summary, this service provides a set of house plans that are based on the your floor plan, have recommended improvements incorporated when approved, have construction issues resolved, and have an amount of detail that is appropriate for most custom homes. This service level typically results in 10 to 15 pages of construction documents for a single story house.
The disadvantage of Designer Service Level D2 is that it is based on a floor plan designed by the client. This causes the visual appeal and functionality of the home to be somewhat limited by the design abilities of the person who prepared the original floor plan. Although Warren provides recommended improvements to the floor plan, the plan is not drastically redesigned. For this reason, if the design budget will allow, Warren recommends considering Service Level D1 which is the same as Level D2 with the exception of the floor plan being custom designed by Warren instead of being designed by the client. However, Warren is happy to provide whichever service level you prefer.