The client comes into my office and we get acquainted. They begin by telling me how large their family is, what some of their needs are, and they provide photographs and articles from magazines showing how the new home design is to look. Photographs are a great way for the builder and draftsman alike to visualise these features.
And then, my first question. HOW LARGE OF A HOUSE DO YOU WANT ME TO DRAW? The answer is a number. It’s the square footage of a house that I am looking for. Often the client will blurt out the square footage. And then I ask them how they arrived at that number. How do they know they can afford that large of a house? I do not mean to embarrass the client. Just trying to get more information. It is much better to discover how large the house is to be now, rather than later.
It is a big question and everything rides on the answer. It’s very important. I discover that they have pulled a number out of the air and they really don’t know if they can afford this size of house. So I tell the client “Ok, first do this”. Contact a builder and set up an appointment to meet. Tell the builder of your intentions to have a home built. Then describe your house to him. Will it have a porch? Two story? Three bedrooms? Three car garage? And then ask the builder to estimate, based on the AMOUNT OF MONEY that you want to spent on the home, how large should it be? Make sure you tell the builder that you won’t hold him accountable for his answer. That you just want an idea of the cost.
Bring his answer back and we will design your house based on that answer. After the first draft of the house plan has been completed, return it to the same builder and show him the design. Ask him to review our draft and tell us if the money is right. At this point, the builder ought to be more accurate in his estimate. But, it might not hurt to have a second builder review the same design and give his opinion, money-wise.
If there is any question to the size and it’s cost, we’ll reduce your square footage.