Uprise Design's Houses

Unlimited budget?  Unlimited space to build? I didn't think so!  So how can you organize and simplify your wish list into a meaningful guide that leads to a great house design?  Start with these questions to clarify and condense your needs, wants, must-haves and nice-to-haves. 1) What's my lot type? Understanding the lot type will drastically reduce the extent of your search. The typical types are: Walk out, walk up, and patio. Find out more  here .  Also check out the description of the  main story .  2) What’s my budget?  In some ways this is one of the most important questions to figure out. This will help establish parameters such as size, complexity and level of finishing for your house. You can read more about budget  in this post. 3) Who’s living here/ What phase of life am I at?   A family in the middle of raising kids will have different needs than a retired couple who frequently travel.  4) How many bedrooms and how many bathrooms? Include the primary bedroom and ens

The obvious goal is to start building, but there are a few more steps.  You need a Builder, and a Budget and a Building Permit.   Builder We encourage builder engagement as early as possible to make the transition from design to construction smooth.  On the other hand, maybe you're still considering the options and want a couple of builders to look at the documents before moving forward. Both paths are acceptable and have their own benefits.  In both cases the next step is to provide your builder with the Construction Documents. With them they will start the  tendering  process and begin assembling the required papers for permits. Budgeting Any of the ballpark pricing up to this point will now be developed into a working budget. In practice, every consultant, trade and supplier will now review the drawings and will submit quotes back to your builder.  Is there more to it than that? Yep!   Because your house is made up of many parts, assembled by many people involving many decisions

What needs to happen  between “the decision to build” and “shovel in the ground”? This a two part post, because You're obviously interested in the design timeline, but   also when you can start building.    The first post will cover the design phase "the decision to build" and the second post will cover most of the downstream activities up to "shovel in the ground".  After you understand the process, we’ll go over common timelines. If you’re really in a hurry, you can always scroll to the bottom.      A couple notes:  1) We'll assume you will be selecting a Pre-Designed plan, as the custom process is a lot longer and will need its own explanation.  2) You'll notice a lot of links to other pages. These links will give you a deeper view of each step.      Here we go!  1. You have a beautiful lot and know the house type you’ll be building. 2. You've narrowed down your wish list to the top 100 must-haves 😁. 3. You have browsed the House Plans catalog

Maybe your perfect plan already exists? The allure of a custom designed house is understandable. Every decision is designed for you, your family and your lot. While that works for some people, not everyone has the desire, the time or the design budget to invest in the custom process. If you want a running start and are less interested in the step by step of starting with a blank screen and all the possibilities before you, choosing a pre-designed house plan is a great way to go. A house plan allows you to streamline the process and get building  more quickly. 10 reasons to use a pre-designed house plan. Cost: You save money. Pre-designed plans are less expensive than a custom design and ensure lower design cost. Why? Savings are found by leveraging the effort the design team has already put into floor planning and exterior creativity. Win! What’s more valuable than money? Time: You save time. Most plans are construction ready and can go directly to your builder. You will be up and ru

Are you dreaming of building a home? Not exactly sure what you're getting into? We hope that you'll find this blog helpful. We want to answer all of the “What do I do now? Why is this important?” questions along the house design path.  From understanding the land you just purchased, through the process of design and the path forward into construction. The journey can seem overwhelming at times, but you’re going to be prepared. Our goal is to give you the language and identify the landmarks along the way to help you make the best decisions for your new home. We’ll follow a similar, but not identical path to many people who have travelled this road before. Along the way we’ll also introduce you to other cooperatives on the journey, until you can comfortably cross over to the experienced team of your selected builder. Who are we? Why do we have any authority to be your guide on this adventure? We are Uprise Design and we have over 12 years of experience bringing clients through th

Ten Steps to a Streamlined House Design Let's be upfront about it, house design is a complex and time consuming process. E ven the idea of starting can be overwhelming.  But despite the many decisions in front of you, house design can be made manageable - with the right guidance! We have compiled what we think are the 10 best strategies to a streamlined design process. 1) Understand your lot: Your building site may be the single largest external influencer on your homes design. Start by getting to know both the physical and legal features of your lot. By understanding the limitations, decision making becomes simplified.  I suggest reading our post  You have Dirt...  to get a deeper look at site analysis. 2) Know your budget:  How do you determine your budget? I believe it's a two step process that involves your banker, your builder and your house plans...twice.  Start by seeing your mortgage broker to determine your borrowing potential. Factors including: your down payment, you

Understand your site with these questions. I t’s temping to jump into the wish list phase of house design , but slowing down and understanding the site will give you the insights you need to move in the right direction. We've compiled the most important questions we discuss regarding site to give you the right start on your project. 1) Where is the site? This will give practical information on how the climate will impact the design. Rainfall levels, wind speeds, snow loads and seismic areas will all be considered during design, permitting and construction. This may lead your thinking further into resistant house design: preparing the house for more extreme weather events like flood, fire, draught, extreme heat and extreme cold. 2) Do you have the registered plan? The registered plan describes the legal boundary of the property as well as any additional legal claims to the property. These could include access easements, restrictive covenants or environmentally sensitive areas. The