Welcome to Owner Notes, a free newsletter for anyone planning on (or dreaming about) building a custom home.
๐ If you enjoy Owner Notes, share this link with pals or read past issues.
Hello friends!
Last week, our focus was designing your home for wildfire safety. This week, we'll look into your initial discussions with builders and architects and what you can do to prepare.
In planning a home, ideas are always flowing through your mind. The possibilities seem endless and you're constantly saying "what if we.." It's productive, fun, and free. Part of the magic of building a home is anticipation.
Inevitably, we must come back to earth and communicate what we want to the people who will make it happen. How we do it matters. If we're thoughtful and prepared, we can provide the pros with a strong starting point that helps them get to work quickly. If we're disorganized and unprepared it can create delays and even frustration.
The key is preparation and organization. Your team will thank you for it.
Architect Questionnaire
Your architect or designer is likely to provide a questionnaire that helps them develop a clear picture of what you want. The questions often cover a lot of ground, from the size of the home, to daily activities, to home styles. Filling out the questionnaire can be a daunting experience. It's a first taste of the thousands of decisions you'll be making. Here's an example.
Your Creative Brief
Before you talk to an architect or builder, you can start to develop your own creative brief. This is a summary of what you want and need regarding your home. It lists some of the basic requirements, like numbers of bedrooms and baths, along with more subjective or aesthetic items, like materials or colors. The creative brief provides a concrete resource for documenting and organizing your ideas (and dreams).
I recommend this process because it comes at no cost, helps you stay organized, and highlights gaps in your planning. It will help you feel more confident when working with the pros.
In our Home Planning Course you can download PDFs we call "cheat sheets". We created a cheat sheet that guides you through the creative brief process and we're sharing it below.
โคต๏ธ A Free PDF: Brainstorm Your Creative Brief โ
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Coming Soon:Working with Construction ProsAn eBook for HomeownersAs a homeowner, your project depends on a team of professionals, like general contractors, architects, and more. This is your guide to hiring, evaluating, paying, and working with them during one of your life's biggest projects. โ |
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That's what I have for now. See you next week!
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Lee LeFever, Build Livableโ
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We're homeowners helping homeowners navigate custom home construction via online education. Owner Notes is a weekly email with expert tips and advice for anyone planning (or dreaming about) building a custom home.
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