The 5 Steps To Designing Your Dream Home

Fratantoni Design • January 6, 2021

At Fratantoni Design, we can design your dream home in these five simple steps.

  1. Finding a Name You Trust

Choosing an architect you can trust is the most important step when designing your dream home. The company you choose to work with should have the experience and knowledge necessary to adhere to your lifestyle needs. Once you are comfortable with the architect of your choice, you should feel they fully understand your vision, and that they are capable of meeting your expectations. When choosing a renowned & respected custom design/build firm, you can be confident that your dream home is in the care of handpicked experts.

  1. Initial Meeting

The second step to designing your dream home is to meet with your architect to discuss your family’s needs & desires. This will be the time to define your desired timeframe, floor plan requirements, style & design aspects, and your likes & dislikes. All this information is essential in developing an accurate blueprint to execute the vision of your dream home.

  1. Walk Through

Your architect will want to walk your property & scout out the area. This will allow your architect to understand the location, the best views & terrain, and ultimately visualize the entire project.

  1. Plan Design

Once your layout requirements & styles are defined, the fourth step to designing your dream home is to start the plan design. This is where your architect will begin generating floor plans to reflect the home layout and creating exterior elevations. Once approved, the ceiling & roof design are generated to ensure each detail represents the most elegant and luxurious design. Your architect will also incorporate the electrical system. This will make sure every outlet and light fixture is optimized per your specifications. And finally, the landscape is designed so you can visualize your future pool, spa, and outdoor living to finish out the property. All these plans will be developed in a 3D rendering program to provide a realistic & accurate representation of your dream home.

  1. Final Phase of Design

The final phase of design is the submission of the blueprints and paperwork. After permits are approved, the architectural process can begin. This is the phase where you sit back and relax while your architect team takes the reins to execute your complete floor plan design.

 

Are you ready to start designing your dream home? Reach out to us. Our architecture firm is ready to get started.

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480-621-7878

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