Architectural Custom Home Design and Detailing Services are the most complete and detailed services that Warren offers for new home construction projects. Service Level B provides an extensively detailed set of house plans which document the home inside and out. Where the Designer Service Levels stop regarding the level of detail in the plans, the Architectural Home Design Services continue on to specify, detail, and coordinate into the plans specific products, finishes, fixtures, and equipment to be installed in the home. Detailed drawings are also generated with this service to document what the interior of the home will look like and how to properly install exterior doors and windows, flashing, roofing, and more. In addition, Warren has coordination meetings with the MEP engineers/designers (Air Conditioning, Electrical, and Plumbing) to verify that all desired aspects of the design are being accounted for in their design and that conflicts are resolved prior to construction. Construction documents resulting from this service can easily be 20 pages or more for a single story home. For a detailed list of drawings included in this service, and the others, please review the “Service Comparison Chart”.
The Architectural Home Design Services include all which is included in the Home Designer Service Levels (Levels C and D) but incorporates the additional specifications and drawings mentioned above into the final construction documents. The advantage of this service, in addition to those listed in the Designer Service Levels, is that every aspect of the home, inside and out, is designed, detailed, and specified in detail prior to beginning construction. The level of detail put into the construction documents with this service helps ensure high quality construction as well as helping to ensure that the client will be receiving the end result which they desire; aesthetically, functionally, and mechanically.
If considering home design services at an Architectural level, you should be aware that having this level of detail in the construction documents will typically add additional labor and materials during construction. This service will therefore increase the construction cost in comparison to constructing the home to simply meet code or to utilize the contractor’s standard construction methods. Constructing a home only to meet code is what many (but not all) contractors do if not provided with construction documents of this type. The building code is a minimum standard and does not guarantee high quality construction, it only requires it to be safe to occupy.
Service Level B does not include construction observation. If this level of design and documentation is desired, Warren strongly recommends considering Service Level A which includes construction observation. If construction observation is not obtained, it is very likely that the contractor and sub-contractors will not construct the home to comply with the details within the construction documents. This can occur as a result of them not adequately reviewing the drawings, simply ignoring them to eliminate the hassle, to increase profit, or for a number of other reasons. If this occurs, the substantial amount of additional time and money invested in drawings of this type is likely to be wasted.