Preliminary Design Analysis
The Problem:
It’s not uncommon for people to know they want to carry out a project, and to have thought it through, yet have no idea how best to start. Regularly, we see people moving projects into the design phase without carefully establishing the groundwork for the project.
Just as a Surgeon wouldn't operate without a proper diagnosis, the Preliminary Design Analysis (PDA) works on the same principle.
It will allow you to carry out a needs and options review to understand your requirements and the potential obstacles.
Our Process:
The consequence of inadequate research is like building a house on bad foundations. The foundations are the most important part of the house because everything is built on top. It’s very expensive to change the foundations once you’ve built upward. But they’re very simple to change when they're just lines on a plan.
There are six important steps for your project:
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Research
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The Preliminary Design Analysis
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Concept Design
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Design Development
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The Construction Document Phase
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Construction
The PDA is the first step as it starts a strategy designed to precisely understand your requirements, and then gives findings and recommendations, and a plan to move forward with a timeline and a rough construction estimate to establish your budget.
When shortcuts are taken and people rush into the design phase then they may not discover all the options they had (or what they really wanted) until the concrete has been poured.
What You Get:
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Our opinion on the feasibility of the project - one which comes from more than 15 years experience working on residential projects
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An outline brief that provides the “DNA” for the project; aesthetics, detailing rooms, materials, orientation, etc.
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A review of local Planning Policies and potential site constraints
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Preliminary diagrams of possible layout options
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Preliminary rough estimate of costs of construction to establish a realistic budget
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An approximate timeline for design and construction
The above will be presented in a report which is yours to keep. You are free to do with the PDA Report what you like - you can even take it to another Architect, should we decide we are not right for each other.