10 Step Guide: for designing happiness into your Custom Home.
Western Home Award Matrix Beach House, Stinson Beach, CA: 3,000 sf. A grid plan creates two living space wings off an entry cylinder of curved glass windows and doors. Transparency from front to back offers views of the Seadrift canal and Bolinas lagoon. Snowshoe Cabin, Soda Springs, CA: 1,200 sf Designed for deep snow.
Equinox House, Tiburon, CA: 8,000 sf Renovation of a mediterranean hillside house into a modern indoor/outdoor retreat.
Radius B House, Tiburon, CA: 4,500 sf Following concentric radii the gallery plan overlooks bay views & curved infinity pool.
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10 steps to happiness in custom home design: 1) Your Design Team The design and construction of your home, whether new ground-up, renovation, or a re-build, is your chance to dramatically improve your quality of life. Your project will need to navigate a sometimes complicated approvals and permitting process and respond to the demands of your budget and the aspirations of your life-style. Don’t underestimate the opportunity for enhancing your success by working with the best architectural talent available. Select the most experienced, responsive and creative team of consultants including Architects, Soils, Civil, Structural, Energy, Mechancial/Electrical/Plumbing (MEP) engineers as well as Landscape Architect, Interior Designer, and a General Contractor (GC).
2) Zoning, General & Specific Plans, E.I.R. The rules of the game are enshrined in the local Zoning regulations, the General and Specific Plans (Coastal, Fish & Wildlife, District, Neighborhood & HOA design guidelines) affecting your property. Knowing them well can make the difference between overlooked obligations and valuable opportunities. Start with a detailed boundary / topographic survey and soils report. Determine if focused Environmental Impact Report (E.I.R.) studies are necessary. Work with consultants knowledgeable with the existing & pending regulatory documents impacting your project. Each County and Municipality will have its own mix of guidelines & restrictions but all will include limits on setbacks, height, and square footage.
3) Programming & Dreaming Your home design will only be as good as your programming. Provide your architects with a detailed list of your space needs, your budget, your schedule and your goals for living, along with magazine, book, & digital photos of places you find beautiful. Make room for your dreams. Think big and in detail. Give your Architects access to your entire family to make sure everyone’s expectations and needs are taken into account. They should be able to help you sharpen your vision and offer new ideas. Organize your family for clear-cut consensus decision-making and maintain strong communication with your Design Team.
4) Entitlements & Neighborhood Outreach To win Planning & Agency Approvals for any design seeking more than a “by-right” buildout often requires a well-orchestrated campaign coordinating Planning Department support with effective community engagement. The art of community outreach includes identifying all stakeholders, listening carefully to their concerns, and responding appropriately to both real & perceived issues. Make sure your Team has the skillset & personality to collaborate successfully with the neighborhood and secure entitlements within a reasonable timeframe.
5) Integrated Indoor/Outdoor Design Your land can become a logical extension of your interiors to create an integrated indoor/ outdoor design solution for your home. Early collaboration between Landscape and Design Architects delivers the best results. This approach expands your useful square footage and establishes a strong connection with the natural environment. Climate-responsive siting that takes advantage of morning & end of day sunlight as well as orientation to best views and preservation of privacy provides a strong blueprint for successful floorplans. Consider making space for edible gardens, ornamental hedges, iconic trees, & level yards with low-water and native plantings. Features like pools & game courts, writer’s sheds & meditation gardens further extend living space into your landscape.
6) Authentic Architecture & Interior Design Your house design should be based on a strong concept that authentically reflects your sensibilities and your aesthetic. Your floor plan should offer flexibility and seek to balance practicality with an artful composition of space and light that engages the landscape. Your interior spaces can be rendered in a palette of sustainable materials with rich textures, organic finishes, and subtle colors. These can serve as a canvas for the interior design that animates your residence: high quality hardware, creative fixtures, well designed furniture, brilliant wall, floor & ceiling coverings, exceptional artwork, finely crafted cabinetry and beautiful appliances. The array of product choices for exterior and interior finishes is breathtaking and opportunity abounds for turning the everyday into the extraordinary. The quality of your life at home is also determined by the versatility and reliability of your security, wi-fi, audio-visual, and heating and cooling systems that are integrated into solid overall construction of a high-performance building envelope in terms of waterproofing, natural ventilation and sound attenuation. The key ingredients for successful architecture are geometry, daylight, and simplicity. Living within a Euclidian geometry can provide a deep sense of security and satisfaction. Creative daylighting and dramatic lighting by night can bring a natural warmth and mystery to spaces used for a full spectrum of personal activities from individual reflection to social events. Strive to simplify as a path to happiness.
7) Budget, Schedule, Nuts & Bolts In the back and forth of developing the best design solution, it is advisable to work with a General Contractor as early as possible to generate preliminary and progress budget estimates for the options in play. A reliable budget will guide the design and assist the approvals process. A reputable Contractor can also offer advice on cost-effective building systems relative to marketplace labor and materials prices. Formulate an initial schedule then be prepared to revise it to reflect shifting priorities that occur from unanticipated contingencies. Keep your Architect in the loop regarding budget and schedule to enhance the odds of meeting both. With your team take a deep dive into the nuts and bolts of your project design to avoid unpleasant surprises during or post-construction. Assign a single point of contact and a chain of command that can deliver timely, on-going decisions. Equinox House: living rm. Panoramic views thru double glazed windows w retractable shades tilted to minimize reflections. Maple floors & sound absorbing fabric ceiling.
Matrix Beach House: living rm. Fir ceiling shelters a granite fireplace with water view window. Polished concrete floors offer low maintenance & thermal mass.
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8) Energy Conservation & Sustainability The decision early on to design for passive energy conservation can be made with minimal budget impact, but with big benefits to your home utility costs. The proven strategies of sun-shading, daylighting, night ventilation, thermal mass, solar hot water & photovoltaic systems can combine with recycled materials and energy efficient glazing & HVAC systems to create a highly sustainable residential architecture. Net Zero Energy design and LEED Certification offer even higher levels of environmental performance.
9) ConDocs & Building Permits Once entitlements are awarded production begins on a thorough set of construction documents that should result in timely Building Permits and bid documents that will incur a minimum of change orders. Conformance with all applicable codes is critical. A dedicated leader must coordinate a Design Team that includes Code and Waterproofing consultants, as well as a GC for budget control. The goal is buildable details & costefficient solutions fulfilling design intent. Pro-active management is necessary for long lead times of utility hookups or well & septic installations. See if the Building Department can expedite plan checking and issue separate permits for demolition & foundation work.
10) Contract & Construction The construction phase is the moment of truth for your schedule, your budget, and the quality of your built project. Working early with a GC on a negotiated bid basis can result in a smooth on-target construction process. Competitive bidding may produce the lowest construction cost, but make sure the low bidder is also qualified in terms of experience, licensing, bonding capacity, lien & CSLB history, access to subs, and client satisfaction. Have a knowledgeable real estate attorney draw up your contract with the GC. Be sure your Architect has the commitment to follow through during construction to manage GC questions, issue clarifications & change orders, troubleshoot problems, represent your interests, secure the occupancy permit and complete final punch list. Your completed project should exceed your expectations, fulfill your financial objectives and deliver to your family a large scale residential sculpture that is the source of pride and happiness you call “home�. Equinox House details: Horizontal granite Stone Villa, Oakland, CA: 5,500 sf Renovation retaining original fountain designed to reflect light through the metal sash windows to daylight breakfast nook; new steel structure day; steel staircase behind frosted glass wall. opens up the kitchen with concrete counters & cherry cabinets.
Philip Banta
Norman Hooks
Izumi Masuda
Robert McGillis
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Architects specializing in Custom Residential Design pbanta@bantadesign.com 6050 Hollis Street, Emeryville, CA 94608 Tel: 510-654-3255 x 212