Process
Work with Environment Associates for Your Green Home, Addition, or Remodeling Project. We help ease the process!
Designing a new, high performance green home or home remodel is an exciting undertaking. Environment Associates draws on nearly four decades of experience to make it as easy, enjoyable, and stress-free as possible. Our design process has been refined over the years and helps assure success every step of the way.
Initial Contact
Call us! We are honored that you want to work with the EA team. We will ask a few questions over the phone to learn about your project. Do you plan to build a new home? Do you want advice on how to improve your existing home? Are you planning a remodel? Would you like our input on the purchase of land? We will then schedule a meeting to learn more about your desires and to share how we can serve you. We give you documents that will facilitate the design process.
Some clients hire us for design counseling and technical consultation only. We welcome the opportunity to be involved at any level in your green building project.
To receive our brochure and to schedule an appointment, call 713-528-0000 or email us.
Introductory Meeting
In our first meeting we will discuss the goals of your project. Are you building a new home and want to incorporate as many green technologies as your budget will allow? Are you planning an addition or looking for ways to make your home more functional? As you remodel, would you like to make your home healthier for you? Will you be seeking LEED certification? Or do you just want to build an addition that is exceedingly energy efficient?
At this meeting, we will ask you about your goals, budget, and the results you want to achieve, explain our design methodology, share some of the results we have achieved for our clients, and discuss our process and fees. Many of our clients are ready to sign an agreement at this time. Some prefer to think about it.
Design Process
After we assess your property and review your design requirements, we create a conceptual design based specifically on your criteria and your site’s conditions. Sometimes we need to tweak the design, but once we have a floor plan that you approve, we then develop exterior elevations for your approval. (There are exceptions to this process when certain historic styles are desiired.) Approved plans are then submitted to qualified contractors for estimates or to your builder if you have one. We can perform value “archineering” if the costs need to be adjusted. Construction documents are then developed, along with the structural design with a structural engineer. These plans identify the details, from HVAC specifications to flooring, lighting, and cabinet finishes. These are also used to secure neighborhood and building permits.
Construction Follow-Through
Many architects require involvement throughout construction. We give you the option to allow us to observe the construction to help assure that it is proceeding according to plan. Most of our clients want to verify that the specified technologies and materials are used and best construction practices are followed. However, we have had clients who hire us for our healthy green home design expertise so that they can work directly with the contractor. Some clients even act as their own contractors, overseeing the project themselves, with our input when desired. While this flexibility in working with us can save you money, the architectural results are best when we are fully engaged for construction follow-through services throughout the bidding and negotiation and construction administration phases.
Click here to learn about our four levels of service. You will find the perfect solution for your new home or remodeling project that meets your budget.