fänas architecture

The home that's right for you.

Your home may well be the most complex, interesting and expensive project you’ll ever undertake. Architects are educated to help you define your needs, present options you may never have considered and help you get the most for your valuable investment. There is a certain magic that can be seen and felt in homes created through the close working relationship between owner and architect.

At fa’nas architecture p.c., we’ve been specializing in residential architecture since 1992. We listen carefully to our clients and strive to integrate your needs and dreams with your budget. We work with each of our clients to create a total home environment, both interior and exterior that is visually interesting and exciting as well as functional.

We provide a range of residential architectural services to clients from complete architectural services for a new home to assistance with additions and remodelings. We take the opportunity to work with you on such an important aspect of you life very seriously. One of the most enjoyable aspects of our work is that we are hired to create wonderful places for daily living. Owner & architect Dale Smith is involved personally on each project, so you know exactly who you will be dealing with. It’s a very rewarding
experience for both architect and client.

Non-Residential Projects

Although the foundation of our firm has long been residential design, we will occasionally pursue non-residential projects, which possess the same special qualities found in our residential work. Dale Smith has extensive commercial project type experience, ranging from smaller tenant finish projects, condominium and multi-use buildings, to office towers and airports.

The Process

Each project & owner are individual and unique, and as such will work somewhat differently,
but the general process of designing a home or addition can be broken down into phases, each of which focuses on a different aspect of the project. Though these phases sometimes overlap or are combined, depending upon the nature of the project, an understanding of each is important in order to grasp the full scope of the architectural design process.

The first phase, called Programming, is a time for information gathering & sharing.
It is our time to listen, question and explore possibilities. It is vital for your architect to understand your tastes and preferences. Many people like to gather appealing pictures from magazines and books. This is your opportunity to indulge in a little creative daydreaming. The goal isn’t simply to list elements or features that are appealing but to understand the reasons behind those choices. Many other methods are available to help describe your dreams. You may write about the activities you do in your home or prepare wish lists and reality lists. You might fill out questionnaires provided by architects describing your family’s daily life. You might find it an interesting exercise to walk through your existing home noting your likes and dislikes, which areas you use frequently and which you hardly ever use. The point is to utilize whatever works best for you, realizing that the more you can tell us about what you like and need, the closer we can come to fulfilling your architectural dreams.

Thorough programming doesn’t take a tremendous amount of time, but it certainly requires more effort than simply listing the rooms and features you want. It will give you clear criteria by which to evaluate our work and make it much more likely that your new home will live up to, or better yet, exceed your expectations. Naturally you will be asked for input throughout the entire process, telescoping gradually from larger, more general concerns to smaller, more specific ones.

Other tasks also need to be accomplished before the start of design. You will need to provide us with a site survey so that factors affecting the building can be analyzed. We can assist in procuring the survey, or for that matter, we welcome the opportunity to provide input into the site selection process. If you are remodeling or building an addition, it is necessary for us to document your existing house. Documentation includes taking photographs, and measuring and preparing scale drawings. Even if you have original blueprints, some verification of existing conditions will be necessary. Houses are not always built exactly according to plan.

Schematic Design

Once you have a direction as to what to build, the architectural design begins with a series of rough sketches known as schematic design. These sketches show the general arrangement of rooms and placement of the building on the site. Ideas are explored and evaluated with you through the use of drawings and cardboard models or 3-D computer models until a direction for the design is set. The actual process will vary with your ability to visualize as well as the project architect you are working with. These schematic design sketches convey the overall design by illustrating the shape, slope of roofs, approximate size and location of walls, windows, doors and cabinets. These sketches are adequate for gathering preliminary cost figures based on area, but do not contain the resolution or detail required for construction or final pricing. There are still many more details to be established about your project and cost feedback at this point is very general.

It is difficult to predict market conditions, the availability of materials, and other unforeseen circumstances at the time your construction documents are complete and actual bid prices can be obtained.

It is vital these schematic designs capture the essence of what your project will be and that you and your architect are in agreement about the design direction. It is much easier to make changes at this stage when your project is in sketch form that later when a great many hours have been spent working on construction documents or even later when foundations have been poured and walls erected.

Design Development

This step, called design development, is when the architect prepares more detailed floor plans, elevations, and cross sections to illustrate other aspects of the design. All decisions that are to be documented in the construction drawings need to be made. These include decisions about interior and exterior materials and finishes, lighting, windows and cabinets. Other technical matters such as the type and placement of insulation, the structural system and heating and cooling systems must are determined. Many of these decisions impact other decisions. For instance, the depth of a structural member can affect the ceiling height in a roof, the light fixtures, and the amount of insulation in a ceiling. These in turn can affect compliance with either building code or energy codes. Whenever a change is made, a ripple effect is created, requiring adjustments elsewhere.

When looking at these drawings, try to visualize yourself actually using the spaces. Do the traffic patterns flow well? Does each space serve its intended purpose? Do you like the way it looks and the materials that have been selected.

Construction Documents

The next phase sets down on paper all the decisions made to this point so they can be incorporated into the built project. These working drawings, which are also called construction documents, consist of both drawings and specifications. The drawings are detailed and illustrate the quantities and relationships of all work required to build the project. The specifications are a comprehensive written documentation outlining the levels of quality to be met in materials and workmanship. The contractor will use these documents to establish the actual construction cost, and to build the project. These construction documents become a part of your contract with the general contractor or builder and establish his contractual obligations.

As a result, anything not contained inthe documents is left to the contractor’s discretion and may potentially lead to additional charges for your project. Complete documentation means that there will be fewer problems and delays during construction, since most decisions have been made before construction begins. The more detailed and complete the construction documents, the more accurate the bid price can be.

The Bidding Process

There are a number of ways to select a contractor. When the time comes to hire a contractor, we can provide assistance in evaluating their qualifications and bids as well as in negotiating a contract. The first and most traditional approach is to ask 2 or 3 general contractors to bid the project using completed construction documents. As the architects or your project, we are in the best position to coordinate the bidding process by answering bidders’ questions, evaluating requests for substitutions, providing updated information to all bidders, establishing a bidding format and analyzing the often confusing bids. The lowest bidder is often selected to do the work, but not always. Your architect will help you make the contractor selection based on the best value.

Another approach to selecting a contractor is to pre-select the general contractor early in the design process and work together to obtain input during the design process. When construction documents have been completed, your contractor will often obtain competitive bids from subcontractors. This approach is used quite commonly, particularly when contractors are especially busy. You get their early input, get them lined up on your schedule and still have competitive prices for the majority of the project. Your architect can be extremely valuable in helping you to obtain a complete and carefully bid contract with your general contractor.

While the architect may suggest potential contractors and assist in the selection process, the final choice is up to you.

Making it Reality

The architect’s involvement normally does not stop with the preparation of construction documents. Your architect will act as your representative by monitoring the contractor’s work for conformance with the working drawings and contract. Even the best two-dimensional documents cannot fully convey all aspects of a three-dimensional building without being open to interpretation. Knowing the intent of the drawings is crucial to proper interpretation. Your architect is the best qualified to provide assistance to ensure your finished home is built as intended.

This assistance to the contractor usually consists of answering questions by phone, providing regular site visits to observe the work, providing supplemental drawings as requested by the contractor, reviewing shop drawings, materials and product samples, and reviewing requests for design changes. Your architect’s involvement in this phase can make a smooth transition from construction documents to a complete project.

Other services that look our for your interests are also available, these included reviewing and approving the contractors’ applications for payment and keeping you apprised of the project’s progress. The contractor has sole responsibility for construction methods, techniques, and schedule and procedures. Your architect is a highly trained an experienced professional representing you in this complex process.

The architect can ease the way by helping you avoid wrong turns and can direct you to solutions you never considered. The result is a unique home create to meet your needs, express your individually and to provide enjoyment to everyone who uses it.

When you hire an architect you’re hiring a highly trained imagination, a person skilled in thinking three-dimensionally to envision the best possible solution to your needs.
You’re paying for professional, creative expertise in defining your requirements, creating construction documents to address them, coordinating with the contractor and making sure that the residence is built as specified by the plans. The architect is your advocate in the fascinating and complex process of turning dreams into reality. Several factors will impact the decision regarding the appropriate level of architectural services for your project; its size and complexity, the location, and the budget as well as your own experience and involvement. Each project is unique and each project architect works in a distinct way.

There are a number of ways to determine the fee for your project. Of course, the fee is dependent upon the level of service. A common method is to pay a percentage of construction costs. The percent charged is determined by the scope of the project and the level of the architect’s involvement in the various phases. Another common method is hourly compensation for actual time spent on the project by the project architect and other who are involved. This method is most commonly used when it is a small project, a simple consultation, or in a particularly complicated project where the full scope may not be known in advance, for example, the remodeling of an old home, or perhaps when dealing with a design review board. It is also possible to create a combination of approaches to the fee, such as hourly charges through design development followed by a percentage of the construction costs for the remained of the project.

Because of the relative complexity of small projects, fees for smaller projects can sometimes be proportionally higher than the fees for projects with larger budgets. Travel necessary for meetings or construction observation can also impact fees. You and your project architect can discuss various possible approaches and determine what will be most satisfactory for your project.We utilize various forms of agreement, including standard American Institute of Architects contractors, as well our own, typically simpler, agreements, depending on the scope of the project and/or the clients’ preference. They do a good job of defining the responsibility of both the architect and the owner and of setting out of the agreement regarding the scope of services and of fees. They also provide a good reference for you as you proceed through the project.

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