Most Important
If possible I like to visit the site with my clients. When this is not possible, pictures and videos are a good substitute.

Clients needs, desires, dreams, ideas, likes, dislikes, boxes of pictures clipped from magazines, floor plans from other sources, art, poems, budget.

These are all means of communicating to me what the home will be about.

Depending upon the site, it may be necessary to get it surveyed and/or a soils test done.

Also, such information as lot convenances, zoning, septic requirements and anything else which would have the potential of defining the site.

Most Creative and Fun
With the site evaluation and client input, I'm ready to start working out the mystery of the new home.

This is done mostly in my sketch book(s) and out of my design studio with lots of tracing paper and some graph paper for scale.

For me, the early design process is one of discovery. I know there is an elegant solution 'out there' that will tie the sometimes contradictory aspects of the project together.

I know from years of experience that I can't force a creative design solution. Eventually, I'm familiar enough with the aspects of the design that the process moves almost totally into my mind
and imagination. Eventually, the 'eureka' moment when the design all falls into place.

At this point, I can put these design ideas into my CAD system to insure that everything fits together.

Intermixed within this process, I generate usually a series of conceptional sketches.

Design Presentation
" I know these plans look finalized", I always say to my clients. "But, please consider them as preliminary design ideas"

We go over the preliminary design together, either in person, phone or email. From this meeting, the plans are modified from client feedback.

The rest of the design process is a series of refinements and redesign until everything is just right. As part of this refinement, I construct a virtual model of the home. The software I use (SketchUp) has a free program that my clients can use to view
and manipulate these models.

After the initial meeting, email is a great tool for flushing out the design. I can attach drawings, floor plans and models so they can be viewed on my clients computers. This can save a lot of time.

Final Construction Documents (Blue Prints)
As part of the design process, I generate any number of
supplemental drawings (cross sections, framing plans, detail sketches, etc) to better show how the home is "put together".

When the design is finalized, I generate the rest of the drawings necessary to get the home built. However, instead of the traditional large set of blueprints, I 'publish' the drawings in a booklet format. I find these method saves me a lot of paper and time. And most of the builders I've worked with find them much easier to manage on the job site. They are easier to FAX to sub's and material suppliers. I also put all the drawings on a CD in PDF
format so others copies can be easily made as needed.