The Complete

10-Step Bankable Technique to Design Better & Faster Selling New Homes that

Crush Your Competition

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History

Good Designers Study & Comprehend the Most Popular Architectural Fashions Because They Comprise the Majority of What the Market Demands. The Secret: All Good Design Is Timeless & Deserves Replication.

Classical Relates to Traditional Design Rooted in Ancient Greece & Rome; I.E. Georgian or Colonial Revival Regional Relates to a Common Vernacular That Develops Into a Distinct Style; I.E. Spanish Revival Modern Relate to New Methods, Materials, & Attitudes; I.E. Mid-Century Modern Become Familiar with the Ten Favored North American Styles Below as Well as Your Regional Vernacular

1 A Crash Course In Arch. History (Without Falling To Sleep)

Whether you prefer modern or traditional architecture is irrelevant. Whether you understand modern and traditional design is essential. Allow yourself personal preference, but you must comprehend and appreciate all fashions of architecture. One theme is not better than another, and there are good and bad examples of each style. Understanding the distinctions that set various stylistic trends apart is the best way to discern successful architecture. All good design is timeless regardless of its theme, and discerning good from bad design as well as how to go about designing dwellings is the point of this guide. Time itself shapes an architecture. An adaptation of a type of architecture occurs in a specific moment and must reflect constraints encountered in real-time. An example of this is the ancient classical system of order and proportion. While the ancients built temples of stone and timber, modern-day interpreters of traditional themes replicate in dimensioned lumber with brick, wood, and plaster details. Modern architecture strives to employ new methods and materials and the precision of machine finished elements. Within each of the three primary roots, architectural styles develop, evolve, languish, or fade over time. Many fashions borrow elements from one another and create an overlapping of themes. It is essential also to understand that most residential structures lack fashioned design, which is referred to as the vernacular. In the homebuilding business, it is not uncommon to import a couple of features from a pure architectural style onto a particular house that otherwise has no resemblance to the referenced theme. I'm afraid this is where the word “ticky-tacky little-houses“ deserves use. Elements tacked on to imply architecture out of context, don't affirm confident design. You know better than that with this guide.

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Programming

Programming Involves Gathering Data To Shape the Direction and Theme for a Project. PREP for Best Results: Prepare a Thorough Investigation With Contingencies as Well Because You Will Still Miss Something Research Codes, Ordinances, and Property Encumbrances Until You Can Search no More Examine Everything That Is Possible To Influence Design as if You Are Obsessed & Double Check It Too Pass to the Next Phase Knowing You Covered all Requirements, Contingencies, and Expectations

2 Smart Design P.R.E.P.

In architecture, programming is the task of gathering all information that influences the design of the project. You must know all of your requirements and constraints before ever considering a plan. Thorough programming ensures that everything that needs addressing appears together in one analysis where any conflicts or limitations determine the scope and success of a project. Consider it a written list and research that describes the goals for the design. You also must understand which architectural direction to take a project. Traditional styles rely on established themes popular through time. Regional influences deserve consideration and might allow contemporary interpretations. Modern design, whether established or innovative, sets the tone for singular creativity and flexibility but demands close attention to unique details.

Colonial Revival French EclecticAmerican FarmhouseGeorgian Italian Renaissance

Popular American Home Styles

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Structure

A Handful of Standard Structural Systems Comprise the Majority in Residential Architecture. Familiarity With Conventional Structural Systems Is Essential. Alternates Such as Steel & Modular Systems Require Specialized Study.

Study Foundations Configured of Either Concrete Slab, Crawl Space, or Basement Configurations Study Floor Structure, if Not Concrete Slab, Framed With Dimensioned Lumber or Engineered Floor Joists, & Steel Girders or Beams at Excessive Load Bearing Points Study Walls of Either 2x4 @ 16" on Center, 2x6 @ 24" on Center, or 2x6 @ 16" on Center, for Example Study Roof Framing of Either Dimensioned Lumber or Engineered Wood Trusses

3 Sticks & Bricks - 101 for the Mathematically Challenged

It is your job to comprehend the structural methods you employ for your projects. Foundation, wall, and structural roof systems have regional influences, so you must study what is common to your locale. That said, work with those who specialize and are state licensed in structural systems to ensure you do it right. DISCLAIMER: This guide does not address specific structural design. Each project is different, and it is your responsibility to ensure that you handle all building codes regarding structural questions on a case by case basis. The information within this guide merely gives you an overview, not specifics on structural systems. The information contained in this document does not address engineered structure, but you need a basic knowledge of the types involved.

Ranch Mid-Century ModernMinimal TraditionalCraftsmanSpanish Revival

Popular American Home Styles

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Dimensions

Scale Serves as the Touchstone in Architecture. Familiarize Yourself With Spatial Quantity, Dimensions of Building Components, Standardization, and Required Tolerances in Space and Materials. For Example:

Sizes Needed for an Area To Function As Intended, Such as a Garage Sized To Hold an Average Car Dimensions of Typical Architectural Structural Members Used in Wood and Steel Framing Standard Door & Window Sizes, Cabinet Dimensions, & Furniture Dimensions Common to a Region Typical Fixture Sizes Such as Refrigerators, Dishwashers, Toilets, Sinks, & Bathtubs

4 Scale is the Builder’s Touchstone

There’s no whining in architecture! If you believe you are not any good at math, it’s just that, a belief. It isn’t true. If you downloaded this guide, you have enough smarts to figure out how to manage your math abilities. Admittedly, the Imperial measurement system is a pain in the ass. Fractions are confusing, but that does not mean you can’t learn how to handle them. We all learn in different ways. Determine how you learn something most effectively and study until you become confident. If you are lucky enough to work in the metric system, it’s easier to get by because it all breaks down to digits with decimal points. Units of measurement and dimensions define the process, and the proportions make or break a design. All designers need a sense of scale and an ability to grasp how parts of buildings fit together. You also need to imagine how the dimensions of spaces that you design will feel to the inhabitants. For example, there is a balance between too tall, too low, too wide, and too narrow that you want to contemplate as you address proportions. Standardized dimensions of building elements in contemporary construction assist in simplifying the challenge to put all of the parts together. Some examples:

• Which bed size fits within a specific bedroom, and have you accounted for the space needed to arrange other bedroom furniture while considering door and window locations and sizes?

• What is the accepted kitchen countertop depth typical in your region? Americans build the base at 24” while some on metric may use 60 cm as a standard.

• What garage size requirements must you meet for your client's needs as well as for the governing zoning ordinance?

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Codes

Critical at any Stage, Zoning Ordinances & Building Codes Mandate Essential Elements & Dimensions. Extreme Conditions Require More Complex Attention to Structural Parts Including Engineering. Prepare To Deal With:

The Planning Department, the Scorched Earth - Ordinances Affect Everything on a Piece of Property Design Review Boards, Hell on Earth - Often Held as Public Hearings, Attend One as Spectator, You’ll See The Building Department, Down to Earth - While Worded as a Byzantine Puzzle, the Codes Are Bedrock

5 A 21st-Century Byzantine World

In all areas of the United States, the Building Department is a local public agency that issues building permits. You must submit a set of your blueprints for them to review before you break out the shovels and bulldozers. Either the city or county government has jurisdiction over real estate property located within their boundaries. In some areas, there is an additional layer known as the Planning Department. The difference is that the BD oversees building codes while the PD administers the zoning ordinances. Comprehending the distinction between these entities is essential. As well, public utility entities get involved in some instances. Properties located within an HOA, often also have specific requirements and limitations on what they allow homeowners to build. The complexity of the approval process is the one thing that most astonished me when I started my career. I had no idea how all of the regulations influenced the design and construction of any building. Adding to the complexity, requirements vary tremendously from region to region. One of the first things to learn in the building business is how codes and oversight agencies influence your design. You will come across language within zoning ordinances and building codes that freeze your brain. Grammatically, they are poorly written, at best, and they can be so confusing to understand that it becomes a Byzantine experience. Your best resource is books written specifically to help you understand specific model building codes. As for zoning ordinances, you must depend on your local Planning Department for help, so learn how to work with them constructively.

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Principles

These Five Design Principles Help You Formulate an Architectural Theme: 1. History - Grasping the Roots in Architectural History Saves You Time, no Need To Reinvent the Wheel 2. Composition - Go Ahead, Make It a Mess and Waste Your Money or Take the Advice Here 3. Form - Confident & Elegant Kills Your Competition, and It Simplifies Your Design Saving You Money 4. Perforations - Keep Doors, Windows, Roof Openings, Voids, & Screens Simple & Orderly To Save $$$ 5. Details - the Most Visible Parts Reveal Your Most Vulnerable Holes, To Be Blunt

6 A Home Designer’s Secret Sauce

1. HISTORY - Establish a historical context by selecting traditional design based in classical architecture, regional design based on a vernacular theme, or modern design which does not rely on precedent, but on innovation and creative material application.

2. COMPOSITION - Develop an arrangement that contemplates hierarchy, scale, balance, axis, rhythm, and architectural expression that is cohesive.

3. FORM - Develop the building's style with continuity between the foundation, layout, walls, roof, and extensions of these primary forms.

4. OPENINGS - Carefully arrange doors, windows, skylights, and voids in spatial volumes while considering their delineation, proportions, and impressions within their context. Pro Tip, you should not have more than about seven different window types/sizes in the design of an average house, consistency is key.

5. DETAILS - Architectural refinement comprises your final design message where finish materials, wall-to-roof juncture, columns, chimneys, railings, and finish embellishments confirm your theme and give your design character. This aspect alone sets you miles ahead of your competition.

The above five design principles describe the features that give structures a unique identity. They set up a physical and visual experience by how the parts work together for the occupants, which defines and delivers architectural character.

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Schematics Is Conceptualizing the Information Gathered in Programming. Designers Need the Ability to TBC: Talk: Verbalize Design Goals & Assimilate Data Into Well-Organized Categories That Affect a Design Brainstorm: Sketch Building Context, Layouts, & Roughly Conceived Building Details Convey: Visually Communicate Ideas, Concepts, & Requirements Graphically & Verbally

Schematics7 First, Let’s Play in the Mud!

Not until you reach step number seven, are you ready to pick up a pencil or start a new document in your CAD software. Your Programming exercises arm you with the information that you need to start a design while your knowledge of architectural dialects gives you a place to begin. The five Design Principles guide you into a cohesive theme, and the Nuts & Bolts of structure and building codes establish the smart knowledge essential to creating well-designed dwellings. The Schematic Design phase is meant to be loose and flexible while still maintaining all of the parameters in which you must develop your project. Give yourself the freedom to choose a method that works best for you. Studies indicate that not everyone learns and solves problems in the same manner. For example, I concluded after many years, that I need to approach problem-solving in three dimensions. I must consider a scheme by looking down as in a floor plan, from the sides as in an elevation, and then in perspective or axonometric view simultaneously. I use CAD to do so. That may sound complicated, but what I am doing is switching back and forth to understand how one part is affecting another. The process you choose ensures that a schematic is heading in the desired direction. A more three-dimensional workflow helps me know if an issue is better addressed in floor plan or building section, for example.

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Development

Once Schematic Diagrams, Concepts, and Sketches Illustrate the Desired Goal, You Develop the Design Into Dimensioned Plans. Plans Establish the Groundwork for Moving a Project Toward Construction Documents.

In the Architecture Profession, This Phase Is Called Design Development Assemble Your Dimensioned Drawings at This Stage and Finalize Your Design Address Structural and Architectural Detail but Save Refinement of Them Until Construction Documents Goal Is a Set of Plans That Illustrate the Architecture, but Not Specific Structural Components and Codes

8 A House, At Last! (Without Paying an Architect, oh, wait…)

At last, you get to design the real thing. Once you and the client, if involved, feel satisfied that you've covered your Programming, practical issues, and the concept for the structure, you move to complete the design. It is time to assemble all of your research into a realistic vision, that is, a set of drawings. From your schematic diagrams, you start the process of laying out dimensioned plans that include all parts necessary to explain and graphically illustrate the proposed project. At a minimum, you need floor plans, exterior elevations, building sections, site plan, and a roof plan. Think of this process as a set of instructions on how to assemble your building, similar to a set of guidelines you get when you buy a product that you must put together yourself. We all know how frustrating poorly illustrated instructions make you feel. So, it is your job to be sure that this is not the experience of the people out there building the house from your plans. Specific methods for producing high-quality construction documents reach beyond the scope of this guide; however, your Design Development drawings establish the base that supports concise graphical information that takes on further detail during the construction document phase after your design is accepted and approved. The Foundation Plan, Framing Plans, Building Sections, Building Details (Structural & Architectural), and Interior Elevations, are part of the construction document phase.

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Management

When You Set Up a System for Developing a Design, Be Conscious of Your Ability To Quickly and Efficiently Make Changes, and Especially Understand the Implications, Whether Instigated by Client or Unforeseen Requirements:

During Design? Sure, No Problemo! After All, This Is What the Intention of the Design Process During Permitting? Well, OK, but Expect Delays, Once You Submit Plans for Review, Your Time Is Theirs During Construction? Ka-Ching, Dumbass, Avoid Changes During Construction as Much as Possible

9 Move that Wall Three Inches!

Brace yourself, my friends, the dreaded change to your design is inevitable. You survive these disruptive situations expecting that they will happen. Develop your plans so that should an alteration arise you handle it with grace, speed, and ease, at least from appearances. Whether out of a client's preference or from design review board demands, this will happen. While not always possible, allow changes only into and through the Design Development process. Changes instigated during construction document development, and the physical building is challenging to manage, but be prepared to handle those circumstances. Clients should be confident that the design meets their requirements by the end of the Design Development phase. Warn people who work with you that alterations during construction lead to expensive change orders and even reconstructing the affected parts of the project. While there are still a handful of people drawing plans by hand, it's wise for the sake of managing changes to have work done in CAD software. Pencil and vellum and erasers make a mess. CAD lets you change your drawings and once printed, no one knows the difference. It's a cleaner process, but you must also carefully consider whatever change you make is reflected throughout your drawings. Depending on how you set up your drafting system, you might need to go back and check everything. You must review the floor plans, versus the elevations, versus the building sections, and so on.

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Every day I get at least one email from someone wanting to sell me their "rendering services." (Why don't they sell the hard part, creating construction documents?!) Emails come from people all over the world. I think there are a couple of things happening here worth noting. First, computer-generated renderings are relatively easy and quick to produce. Second, people love renderings, or should I say pretty pictures. Who doesn't like beautiful images? There is an opportunity as well as a trap within this circumstance. The opportunity is that you can have other people create presentation images for you quickly and inexpensively if it's a reputable professional with reasonable rates. The trap is that it may be the lipstick on a pig phenomenon. Homebuilders are guilty of this all of the time. You can make almost any house, whether interior or exterior, appealing with the right colors, textures, and complementary features (aka costly upgrades). Good design does not need dressing up. Successful architecture appears pleasing furnished as well as unfurnished, landscaped, or not. Carefully conceived, executed, and subtle details create architecture that stand the test of time. Highlight your project's excellent features in presentations and renderings. Allow the building to serve as art. Anything else in the image should fade into the background of one's perception. Produce presentation images yourself if you have time and the resources and emphasize the subtlety of your creation's architectural refinements.

In Other Words, Make it Pretty & Convince MePresentation

Technology Aids in Delivering Impressive Graphics Quickly. Either Learn Presentation Skills or Plan To Hire Others That Can Assist Your Workload. It Is Wise To Limit Time Spent on Presentation Work Since It Has Low ROI.

Communicate to Your Team Effectively & Clearly With Exciting Images, Sketches, Thumbnails, & Diagrams Communicate Documents to Oversight Authorities Ensuring That They Grasp all Facets of Your Design Communicate Pleasing Graphics to Clients To Ensure That They Understand What They Are Getting

10

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Conclusion - Commercial and institutional projects lack an intricacy that residential design demands. Home design is considered one of the more difficult project types within the architectural profession. As well, designing houses is more gratifying because you see the results of your work in the real world with relative speed. Homes created for speculation do best with a generic formula but are still full of problems to solve. Personal preference varies dramatically, so custom houses are remarkably distinct. For a few reasons, designing homes is also challenging and exciting. Much of the hard work to accomplish a design is tedious, difficult, dull, and frustrating at times, and it involves assessing information carefully to produce a successful solution. Creating enduring residential architecture takes a broad understanding of architectural history and an ability to assimilate complex parameters pleasingly. You need knowledge of classical, vernacular, and modern design theories as well as skills that involve analytical, technical, structural, and interpersonal relationships.

1 • the Fable of the Gratuitous Keystone, Death by Collapsed Archway 2 • Easement Un-Easement, You Failed To Check ALL Parameters

3 • That Beam Has no Support, Not Consulting Engineers or Other Pros Early 4 • Whining “I’m Not Good at Math.” Bullshit!

5 • When You Don’t Ensure You Cover all Code Issues, You Pay for It, Dearly 6 • Do You Design From Outside in, or Inside Out? Both, and Don’t Forget It

7 • the Simple Mistake of Skipping Schematics Altogether 8 • Delivering Work With Unresolved Parts & Not Conveying the Design Clearly

9 • Putting Off Design Decisions Until Construction, Bad Idea 10 • Overlooking the Effectiveness of the Presentation Tool

Steven Corley Randel works in California as a licensed architect specializing in residential design. Do you want to learn more about how to design dwellings? Visit homedesignmentor.com and The Home Design Mentor channel on YouTube. Material presented is for informational purposes only and not intended to be used as a specific reference. Seek local professional guidance in the construction of buildings. Construction document production follows the fully developed design and requires another set of particular skills beyond the intent of this Guide.

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