A Builder's View

Finding a great architect is not an easy task. Whether you are looking to convert a warehouse into a living space, build an addition, or construct your ideal home from the ground up, an architect plays a critical role.  Knowing the importance of this role, you do not want to leave anything to chance when it comes to realizing your custom home plans.  To ensure a successful project experience, it is important to do your homework.  Rest assured, it is not as difficult as it used to be. The Internet and social media are great resources to begin your search. Architect websites provide visual references and pertinent information about their unique qualifications. However, there are other things you should consider prior to making your final selection.

There is no shortage of great restaurants in San Francisco and Napa Valley.  It seems like every week, you can find announcements for new and exciting restaurants in EaterSF. If you are a restaurateur, you are thinking about the right chefs, desired location, preferred patrons, menu, pricing, promotion, and other details that will help you to differentiate yourself among the competition and realize your goals for success.  In the back of your mind, you know you need to think about a whole other realm of your dream establishment – planning for the functionality of your space. 

Are you spending the dog days of summer dreaming about your custom home improvement?  If you are starting to get serious about making this dream a reality, you can gather these custom home ideas with Pinterest. Pinterest is a website community where members can upload, save and sort and manage images, known as pins, and other media content through collections known as Pinboards. Accessing the Pinterest app via smartphone or tablet is a great way to assemble an archive of home interior and exterior design ideas. 

Look around your home.  Do you see room for improvement?  Are you thinking about a new home addition? Envision what it would be like to have a little extra space, a new bathroom, home office, or some added distance from your crazy teenagers – whatever the case, the motivations for your home addition seem endless.

It is always fun to plan a project.  First, you have an idea in your mind.  Then you begin to start to build upon that idea.  As your work through this idea, you find yourself sharing it with your family, friends and colleagues.  Before you know it, you are ready to set this idea into an actionable plan. Then you get that feeling – the feeling that you may not be able to realize your plans within a reasonable time frame. 

The budget is a critical component to any project planning effort.  The lack in ability to control expenses will most likely lead to cost overruns and, also, other delays, which could easily have a negative impact on the overall outcome of the project.  Without proper planning upfront, you could be venturing into an ugly money pit.  It is critical to understand the basics of effective budgeting so that you can actively work together with your project team to ensure the project is on time and on budget.