Name
*
First Name
Last Name
Email
*
PROJECT SCOPE / Is your project a Renovation, Addition, New Construction, Outbuildings, Garage, Pool, Guesthouse, Barn, Shed, Other?
BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR PROJECT
WHAT ARE THE PROJECT GOALS? WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE?
SCHEDULE / When would you ideally begin construction? Is it flexible?
EXISTING DOCUMENTATION
Legal Lot Information
Site Survey
If Yes, is it digital (PDF, DWG)
Topographic Survey
Existing House Drawings
If Yes, are they digital (PDF, DWG)
Septic Plan
Known Development Restrictions
If yes, please describe:
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS / Are there obstacles, constraints or special needs that may influence the project, in design, time or cost? Access, occupation during construction, site contamination, special permitting procedures?
ESTIMATED CONSTRUCTION BUDGET / What resources do you plan to commit to the project? The construction budget typically does not include soft costs - design fees, engineering, or permitting. We’ll work on this together to make sure it matches the project goals and space requirements, we’ll use this is a starting point.
Do you anticipate this project being negotiated with a single contractor or put out to bid with several different contractors?
What do you consider special about the place you’ve chosen to live – your building site?
How do you envision this project relating to your site? Does it sit above it? Is it nestled in it? Is it a combination of both? Does it defer or dominate?
Are there significant site features the home should orient to or away from? Views, trees, neighbours, water bodies?
Are there particular interior spaces that should orient to particular exterior views or locations?Please describe any transition areas between the house and site (decks, terraces, walks, porches).
Please describe any significant outdoor spaces required (lawn, courts, pool, terraces, gardens) or activities to plan for.
How do you envision arriving to your home?
Vehicle requirements? Garage? Carport? Parking spaces, equipment provisions, parking court, turning areas, loop drives?
Describe your attitude toward vehicles (hidden, on display, indifferent)
Describe any site access constraints (long drive, easements, etc.)
Gardens? Access to?
Will you be involving a landscape designer in your project?
Who will be living in the home? What’s the purpose? Is it a vacation retreat, family gathering spot, a place to raise your family, a place to entertain clients? If you build it, who will come? Guests, friends, family? How many at a time? What leisure activities are important to you? Do they take place in the house or on the property? Anything special required to accommodate those activities?
What work activities are important to you? Do they take place at home? In a dedicated space? Anything special required to accommodate those activities? Are work and home compartmentalized and kept separate?
Is there a particular style that you relate to or like?
Are your sensibilities formal, modern, casual, country, minimalist, industrial or an eclectic combination? Any one you gravitate toward more than another?
What feeling should the finished home convey: calm, energizing, vibrant, relaxed, highenergy, formal, campy, insert your own descriptor?
Do you entertain often? For how many?
Is cooking a priority? Should the kitchen incorporate professional equipment?
Do you envision a kitchen open to other spaces? Enclosed and separate?
Is the kitchen a place to eat as well, or just prepare?
Is there a separate dining space? Formal, informal? How large is your dining table?
Is TV or movie viewing a focus, occasional, or unimportant? How does it relate to your living spaces (separate space or integrated)?
Is music (playing, listening) a focus? Should it be incorporated into the design? Any large instruments to be accommodated (piano, drums)?
Do you regularly read for pleasure, if so where? Is dedicated book storage important?
Any special equipment (exercise, tools) to accommodate in the house?
Where do you spend most of your time in your current home? What’s the character of that space (cozy, open, bright, dark)?
Are high ceilings important to you? What height?
What’s your predominant colour sense? Bright, colourful, muted, neutral, earthy? Are you sensitive to sounds? Should certain spaces be sound isolated from others?
Do you anticipate an elderly family member living with you in the future? Should this be provided for in the design?
Describe any important adjacencies between rooms? Bedroom must be near the library, etc.
Is single-level living an important design consideration? All spaces, or certain ones?
Is there a particular way that you would prefer to work with me or something for me to be aware of or be sensitive to? What’s your preferred mode of communication?
Is there anything else I should know about you or your family that might impact the project?
RENOVATIONS + ADDITIONS / If your project is a renovation, should the fundamental character of the space be altered + reinvented, reinvigorated, or restored?
What do you like about the existing structure?
What would you change about the existing structure?
Does the existing structure adequately meet your space needs? If not, where specifically is it lacking?
How much time do you spend in the living areas, bedroom, kitchen, outdoors?
Is there a favourite space in the existing house? Why?
Is there something that must be preserved about the existing structure? Something sentimental or otherwise?
Are you open to the possibility of demolishing the existing structure and starting from scratch?
If you’re considering an addition, what spaces should the addition contain?
What relationship should the addition have to the existing? Connected, separate, similar, different, distinguished?
Please list any existing liabilities or hazards that you’re aware of: geotechnical, structural, mechanical, energy, mold, rot, envelope problems, etc.
GENERAL (NEW CONSTRUCTION + ADDITIONS/RENOVATIONS) Please list all of the spaces you’d like in your home (your wish list). For the major spaces it’s useful to list the character of those spaces as well (wood ceilings, cozy, bright, dark, etc.)
Are there any of these spaces that you would deem less important or that could be eliminated if budget were an issue?
Do you have an idea of the final size of the home (SF, # of floors)?
What is the solar orientation of your site? Where is the sunniest or shady spots on your yard?
List any critical adjacencies here (office near entry, bathroom away from living, etc.)
Please describe any architectural preferences, inspirations or stylistic predilections that would influence the design (i.e.: you absolutely hate shed roofs, etc.)
Are there special features that should be included in the design (fireplace, bowling alley, sunroom, etc.)?
Any particular material preferences or dislikes (concrete floors, hardwood, plywood, steel, glass, granite, shingles, think both exterior + interior)? Do you prefer natural materials to synthetic?
Are you interested in alternative energy sources: geothermal, solar, wind?
Have you chosen your wall, floor and roof types for the house? Normal construction or Super-Insulated?
Have you chosen a mechanical system for your homes? (furnace, radiant heat, fan coil, electric, gas, etc)
