LandSmith Construction

120 Seale Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: (650) 328-4663
Fax: (650) 328-1833

info@landsmith.net

Selecting Your Home Design

by LandSmith Construction

When building a custom home there are design considerations dictated by the terrain, typical weather in the area and many other factors. Panoramic views are a large consideration in some areas so try to design you home to best take advantage of the views if available, while also accounting for passive solar heating and cooling factors that take advantage of trees and other landscape features. Palo Alto and Menlo Park don't have terrain considerations for the most part however they can crop up.

All types of floor plans are common, single story, two story and tri-level. The only real limit is your imagination. By far the most popular designs are single story on a concrete slab on grade largely because of cost. Make sure you choose a home design that meets your needs now and into the future, multi-level homes have their own challenges, namely, stairs.

Always review several completed homes in and around the area where you have chosen to build for solid examples of how other homes succeed, or don’t, in fitting into the landscape and terrain of the area. Your builder will be able to point you toward many floor plans to review as well. If you are unable to find a floor plan that suits your fancy you can start from scratch using your builder’s designer or a separate design firm.

Make a list of what you require, your dreams and desires in a home, for your dream design. Choose some floor plans that are close to your dream and give these and your list to your designer. Also make sure you and your designer meet at the building site to go over the terrain and landscape advantages and disadvantages so you can maximize the use of your property in your new custom design. Most likely you will find some feature of the property that you want to focus on, whether it be a view, a stream, a beautiful tree or what have you.

Choosing a builder with an in house design team, before you begin a design from scratch can save you much time and energy, and money. You will be assured you are getting a design that can be built within your budget, fills your wants and needs, and includes all of the latest green and other innovations.

Your safest bet is always a one-stop-shop because you get a team that works together well, knows the local challenges, has relationships with all the various subcontractors and will smooth the process as much as possible.

If your prospective builder offers interior designs services, be sure to take advantage of them. Ask for an interior designer referral if they do not have in-house services.

After you’ve viewed all the various floor plans and design samples, settled on one to your liking as a starting point, or started from scratch make sure that the plans are completed as per your specifications. This seems obvious, but all too often, some details can get overlooked, especially when basing a design on an existing floor plan. Prevent mistakes and future work stoppages by getting the plans right the first time. If any changes need to be made during construction, get another set of plans to replace the existing ones.

In addition to accurate plans you will need a comprehensive list of specifications from you builder. Clear, concise and complete specifications will tell you exactly what you get, and exactly what you don’t get. No gray areas. This comprehensive list will assure that you and your builder are completely in synch, have the same vision of your dream home, and will help assure you that your building experience will be an enjoyable stress-free one.

When changes do need to be made, always get a change order in writing. Communication and clarity, the cornerstones of a successful building relationship.

Once you have your design and specifications you will receive a bid, or firm price, for the complete home built on your specific property. This bid should include everything, be sure that the bid includes all dirt work, foundation, utilities, fees and so on, so there are no surprises. The best builders provide a firm price and come in on budget, unless there are changes.

Avoid cost-plus or time and materials arrangements. This is an endless hourly type situation that gives your builder a blank check to build and no incentive to control costs. Cost-plus or time and materials are very popular in the mountain area, this being one of the main things that separates the cream of the crop from the smaller contractors. This is not to say a small operation can’t do the job, but only an indicator of how serious a contractor is, and how capable they are at predicting and controlling costs.

Worth mentioning again is the relationship of your property to a given design of home. You may want to have a builder look at any prospective property you are considering to verify the soil type, ability to install a septic, driveway approach and so on.

Call, write, fax or email us:

LandSmith Construction

(650) 328-4663
(650) 328-1833 fax
Construction@LandSmith.net