The Design Build Process - the Four Step Process

Southern Evergreen does things a little different... our Design process.

We like to tell people that Southern Evergreen is an a full service firm that builds what it designs.  We provide complete Architectural Design, Interior Design, Historical Preservation, and Kitchen and Bath Design services for all residential and commercial design problems, no matter the budget or scope, including new homes, commercial buildings, renovations, and additions.

We have four very important phases in the Design process.

_I - Complimentary Site Consultation

We always prefer to meet with potential clients at site of the project.  This meeting generally last about 1 hour and is an 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" budge proposal estimates during the Complimentary 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 will provide preliminary solutions to the problems and help establish 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, basic parameters for determining feasibility, and help you decide on the final scope and budget. The drawings are not suitable for permit or construction.

All sketches will be emailed in PDF format.  The preliminary budgets will be created using our proprietary estimating excel spreadsheet.

_III - Complete Design and Estimating

This phase develops one or two strong ideas and consolidates them into one "buildable" design, and presents the drawings for detailed estimating, permit, and construction.  We also perform 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 the design process you own all of the 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 Sum" 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 and Construction process to be a partnership between you and Southern Evergreen.