StevenGrootaert

The clients of this home desired to have a larger and more functional kitchen, dining room and mudroom space on the first floor, with a larger master suite above on the second floor. When a home is more than a hundred years old, challenges to the process surface in the form of unknown variables and proper allowances become part of the design process. Staying within a tight budget an excellent design emerged that gave the client everything that they wanted while maintaining continuity to the existing home.

I was involved with the project from Schematic Design and followed it through to bid set. I worked extensively on the interior elevations, floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, lighting plans, and exterior elevations. I also coordinated with the general contractor and client on design issues, and prepared documents for weekly meetings.

I enjoy working with the client to develop a layout that best articulates their needs, even if they can’t put into words what it is that they really want. This series of sketches shows the process of meeting frequently with the client to evaluate the design options, and distilling the final layout to move forward with a bid set. Phasing and alternates became a way for the client to manage their budget and determine what was best for them.

Creating detailed plan and sectional details help eliminate confusion for the contractor and helps the owner make decisions earlier on when changes are easier to make. While no two homes are alike, doing many of these details allows a deeper understanding of design implications on general constructibility.