Architectural Design & Drafting | Custom Home Design

---

The process we utilize when it comes to taking a clients ideas and goals and focusing them into a design and plan from which the project can be built is really fairly simple. It typically starts with a phone call consultation that lasts typically no more than 15 minutes to determine if this project is good fit and if there is the opportunity for that relationship to be built between our design-build team and the potential client. Not every project is a good fit, and we have found that the best project also required a good relationship with out clients as well. Sometimes a very basic ballpark type target budget estimate can be developed without a plan, just by using some basic square footage costs from similar projects and with contingencies added in. However, we always use a plan to provide us with the information we take on in order to get the costs to build, and to give our team of professionals the ability to both accurately price the scope we take on and build a quality product. Taking your ideas, goals and even dreams and creating a design and plan that is more than just sketches on paper or pictures in your mind or saved on a computer or file on your mobile device is something we strive to accomplish.

 If we both decide Mountain Modern Design+Build is a good fit for a custom home design or other building design service and the potential for a good building relationship is present, we schedule an onsite meeting to get a better idea of what you want to accomplish. Depending on how much information we gather during the phone consultation and site visit meeting, we may be able to provide you with a basic proposal of estimated costs with a target budget range. If it is going to take more than the information gathered at the initial meetings we will let you know right there at the meeting and provide options to move ahead.  

Sometimes those ideas and goals change during the design process. We have managed the design of numerous projects and we understand. Additionally our experience and education in the various building trades gives the architectural design team at Mountain Modern Design+Build the ability to know if something might not work as a client has anticipated. Or how an idea or goal a client has might be enhanced or how it may affect the overall design. At Mountain Modern Design+Build, we believe in a collaborative design process that involves our clients every step of the way. We price our design work to get the plan done right, even if it takes several times to finalize the overall design and draft the plans. And, if we don't use up the budgeted cost to produce a design, we only charge for the time that was spent working on your behalf.

 From initial concept where we work with your goals, ideas and plans... to final close out of the construction process, we work closely with our clients to ensure their needs are met.

• Custom Homes, Shops, Garages, Barndominiums, Outbuildings & Storage
• Additions and Whole House Renovations
• Decks, Patios and Pergola Systems | Outdoor Kitchens and Living
• Light Commercial Buildings and Tenant Improvement Projects
• Custom Carpentry, Shop and Storage Systems and Woodworks

There are numerous valid definitions of Sustainable Design. Here are the key aspects we try to focus on with an emphasis from top to bottom of the list.

Sustainable architecture aims to incorporate structural and Plumbing, HVAC systems and Electrical systems in building designs that engage positively with their surroundings.  Our emphasis on sustainable design leans towards the following:

• Walls which are highly insulated, air barrier focused and significantly better designed that the typical homes wood framed wall systems.
• Energy-efficient lighting fixtures and appliances
• Efficient heating, cooling and ventilation systems
• Water-saving plumbing fixtures
• Windows placed strategically to maximize natural light
• Landscaping with native vegetation
• Incorporation of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power
• Using local construction materials to reduce transportation distance and costs
• Incorporating old structures and using recycled materials
• Focused drainage systems including the incorporation of rainwater recycling if it makes sense to do so. In Idaho our climate is not always rainfall heavy at times so the expense to focus on rainwater reclamation is often one of the last items on the list.