Design & Build Process

We like to tell people that Southern Evergreen is a full-service firm that builds what it designs.

We provide a one-stop shop for our clients, and our skilled team includes an Architect, Interior Designer, Historical Preservationist, General Contractor and Real Estate Agent. We can handle all residential and commercial design projects, including new homes, commercial buildings, renovations and additions. Southern Evergreen is the local expert for historic preservation projects.

We specialize in designing and building high performance homes that are energy efficient. We build using sustainable construction processes. We don’t think of “green” as a buzzword, we just think it’s being responsible.

Style:

Our design team is often asked what our “design style” is… and if we had to define style, it would be “minimalism” with a respect for the vernacular, which is more a design philosophy than a style.

Style is influenced 100% by the clients’ desires and needs… but we admit that “less” is more and structure and simplicity is always in the fore-front of our mind.

The current portfolio is diverse: Mid-Century Modern, Contemporary/Modern, Craftsman, Queen-Anne, Bungalow and Prairie Style, and Vernacular “Traditionalism”. Beauty is always in the details.

What is YOUR style?

Southern Evergreen does things a little different. We have four very important phases in our Design Build Process.

I – Complimentary Site Consultation

We always prefer to personally meet with potential customer at site of the project. This meeting generally lasts about one hour, and it is a wonderful opportunity for our team to get an understanding of the scope of work, budget and schedule.

II – “Big Idea” Preliminary Design

Although we are happy to provide broad budget proposal estimates during the FREE Site Consultation (Phase I), we are not comfortable performing detailed design services or providing specific estimates to perform construction until we have had a chance to discuss the basic design opportunities and establish realistic budgets. This “Big Idea” phase provides preliminary solutions for the project and helps establish realistic budgets.

This phase requires a simple design contract for our Architectural and Interior Design services.

The sketches produced (deliverables) in this phase are intended to provide basic design ideas and basic parameters for determining feasibility. These sketches will help you decide on the project’s final scope and budget. The drawings are not suitable for permit or construction.

All sketches will be emailed in PDF format. We create preliminary budgets using our proprietary estimating Excel spreadsheet.

Video: example of computer models

III – Complete Design and Estimating

During this phase, we develop strong design ideas and consolidate them into one “buildable” design. This detailed plan allows us to prepare the drawings for detailed estimating, permit applications and construction plans. We also provide detailed estimates using our proprietary estimating Excel spreadsheet.

This phase of the process will be conducted under a standard AIA design. This process may be divided up into several smaller phases depending on the scope, budget and construction schedule.

At the end of this phase, you own all of the project sketches, drawings and specifications (deliverables). We will also prepare a written proposal or estimate for the work.

IV – Construction

When you are satisfied with the design and budget, we will prepare a Construction Contract to complete the construction. We are experienced with all forms of construction contracts, including Fixed Su” and Cost Plus. There are also many variations of these two contracts, including what we call a Variable Cost Contract that may be appropriate for your project.

Samples of our contracts and references are available upon request.

On behalf of our entire team, thank you again for allowing us the opportunity to work with you in the renovation of your home. We want the entire Design Build process to be a partnership between you and Southern Evergreen.

Partnerships

Southern Living combines unparalleled standards for design, construction and materiality. We buy our materials from local manufacturers and suppliers whenever possible, including members of the Southern Living Custom Builder Program and the locally owned Building Supply Overstock.com. We are happy to provide a complete list of our subcontractors and material suppliers.

Designed Finishes Catalog

Every home, every design, ever budget is different, and it is nearly impossible to “standardize” every possible design element that could be put into your home. However, we believe it is helpful to provide some “baseline” for pricing and budgeting. We have created a document that helps to establish a baseline, we call it the “Designed Finishes”. The Designed finishes catalog lists and provides pictures for the most typical finishes we build in most of our custom homes. It will give you a good idea of our typical “fit and finish” when we are pricing out homes. All of the images in the catalog are photos from homes we have built.

Download “Designed Finishes Catalog” PDF