New Build Home Design for the Bay Area

Ground-up Single Family Dwellings, ADU’s, Detached Offices, Pool Houses, and Beyond.

We offer full service residential design services for homeowners who would like to develop their property. After we have developed a conceptual design with you, we work together with other specialists to produce permit drawings and construction documents.

We introduce you to contractors to estimate on your project, and work with you to decide finishes, fixtures and fittings. We use 3D modeling and renders to design and communicate ideas between all parties, so you can be assured you’ll love the design before you break ground on your new build project. We’ll then dial-in the perfect interior design materials, furniture selections and colors to tie it all together.

During construction we provide design administration services to contractors and their subcontractors, keeping your project’s vision on track.

“During our purchase of the vacant lot we looked for architecture firms that matched our modern aesthetic, and out of four Sam impressed us with his enthusiasm for the project and initial ideas in our first meeting that stuck with us.
...
We’ve lived in our home for over 6 months now and enjoyed hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas for our family. ”
— Jeri V. (Client)

Featured New Build Projects

Our Process

  • Pre-Design

    We’ll start with permit history research to understand site constraints, followed by an on-site dimensional survey. Then, we’ll review your project goals & budget to lay the foundations for the rest of your project.

  • Schematic Design

    Initial concepts are worked out, with your first look at plans, sketches and volumetric studies to help you get a feel for your project. Presenting multiple options, we’ll work with you to help you arrive at a design direction you’ll love.

  • Design Development

    Your project’s vision comes to life. We’ll collaborate to select fixtures and finishes, including visits to vendors. We’ll create a set of detailed plans, including 3D renders to dial in the specifics. Once the estimation set is ready, we’ll set up contractor interviews to find the perfect fit for you and your project.

  • Permitting

    With a general contractor picked and a rough estimate in hand, we’re ready to produce a final set of permit drawings. We’ll be working with any specialists that a required such as structural engineers and Title 24 energy calculation specialists. Finally, document preparation and permit submittal.

  • Construction Support

    Construction begins. We’ll help tie your project together with finer interior design details, including furniture selections. We provide extra details in response to any changing or found conditions. All the while, advocating for you to ensure your project’s vision stays on track during construction.

FAQ

  • The design phase to permit submittal for a Single Family Home usually takes between 6-9 months (4-6 months for smaller projects), depending on the decisiveness of the client, the availability of specialists like structural/ geotechnical engineers, and how quickly a contractor is chosen. The permit review time varies greatly between different jurisdictions and on the type of project. However that time is valuable; during that period we produce extra construction details for your contractor and finalize the interior design so that your contractor can hit the ground running once your permit is approved.

  • Depending on the age and condition of an existing structure it may be cheaper to remodel an existing building rather than build new, especially in dense urban locations. However remodel projects can easily become a ‘Ship of Theseus’ where you might spend more in labor to replace parts than you would have spent in new building materials.

    As this question might require heavy consideration depending on the project, we can determine what the best path for you is through a Building Feasibility Study in the early stages of a working together.

  • After a free consultation to evaluate the scope of the project, a total design fee will be created on a flat fee basis. This flat fee is then split up between the different phases of the project outlined above, giving you financial runway as we work through the project.

  • 2024 saw the adoption of state-wide regulations that aimed to ease the housing crisis by making the construction and use of Accessory Dwelling Units more flexible. This included expedited timelines for permit review, and relaxed building setback, height and parking requirements. However there are still site-specific constraints that may make an ADU untenable, so before design begins we would advise using a Building Feasibility Study to outline design parameters.

  • We certainly do! Before we embark on any project we will always offer a free consultation so that we can get to know each other and see if we’ll be a good fit. If so, we’ll be happy to provide design services, including consultation, for projects big or small.

Service Areas

…and throughout the Bay Area.