Full Design and Build Services for Custom Homes

 

We are a great option because we integrate architectural design with an understanding of construction methods, since we are also the builders. This allows us to create unique and beautiful homes for as low as $150 per square foot, and we can build high-end homes for around $250 per square foot. We are now fielding requests for people who are buying land and would like to have their dream home built. This is becoming a popular inquiry, particularly in New Hampshire, because buying existing homes in this extremely competitive real estate market with low inventory is very challenging. Also, finding the exact house that matches your unique needs is rare. If you are in need of a real estate agent to assist you with your land search, we'd like to recommend our friends at Porcupine Real Estate. Once you find land you like, we can visit the parcel with you to determine what is possible in terms of building.

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The Design-Build Advantage

 

Typically, people shop for house plans online or hire an architect to draw custom plans, and then they take those plans to a contractor who tries to follow those plans and build the house. Architects today are trained only as communicators of design, a limitation that often leads to projects being over-budget because architects usually do not have a deep understanding of what labor and materials cost. Because a design-builder does both jobs, it ensures that clients won’t be paying for the difference when there are discrepancies between the design and the execution of the project. Design-build also eliminates the huge up-front design fees that architects charge, as well as the secondary design fees that will most certainly occur when the builder finds problems with the initial design.

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How Our Design-Build Process Works

 

​Once you have land, our company can start the design process with you. This involves understanding everything you want from a home, your unique needs, and the unique place you have chosen for your project. A well-designed house will capture the magic of everything around it. The iterative design process involves several meetings and continually adjusting the design until it fits everyone's needs. Once there is a design that everyone feels good about (the engineer included), we will submit drawings to the building department. These drawings are a roadmap for the construction of the rest of the project, and also cover necessary permits for the build. Because we are also building the project we are designing, we have a good idea of what it costs each step of the way. This means that we can keep you aware of the budget during design.

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Post Frame Construction 

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Post frame is a great option because it allows for a lot of space at relatively low cost. Post frame is an old construction method, and was used to build homes in colonial New England. It became antiquated by new styles, forms, and shapes, however, it has become revitalized due to advancements in building technology, which includes the use of trusses and engineered lumber. We believe good architecture is about space, not form, and that a simpler design is a more effective design. This approach lends itself to open floorplans that connect the public spaces together, and draw the outside in. Modern post frame construction works perfectly for this philosophy of architecture.  We like this simple framework because it allows us to sink costs into other features and make high-end homes without the high costs. One client of ours wants a basic post frame, cladded in wood, with one giant 20 foot window looking out into the woods. The result will be a project that is a lot greater than the sum of its modest parts.