15 Mar What to Expect During Phase 2: Design Development

During this phase, we meet to finalize your design selections, select all features and materials, and determine firm pricing. Meticulous advance planning is what keeps construction on schedule and on budget.

When you work with Lee Kimball, we have a comprehensive project planning process that’s designed to ensure we capture your vision and translate it into a beautifully workable design, while ensuring transparency on timeline and costs. In an earlier blog post, we discussed Phase 1, Conceptual Design and Feasibility, which builds on the in-home consultation to present initial design options.

Once we’ve completed Phase 1 and agreed to work together, our next step is Phase 2: Design Development. In Phase 2, we’ll move from the conceptual to the concrete, finalizing the design plans, materials, and costs. To ensure we are clear on our responsibilities and promises to you regarding our proposed designs, detailed floor plans and elevations are required. In addition, we provide structural, mechanical, electrical, and lighting plans. We also provide material and finish recommendations to help you with your final selections. A detailed set of specifications is developed to support the design plans and firm up pricing. Payment for this phase is due to start the design development process.

It might surprise you to know all the details that are involved in finalizing a design plan and all that goes into it. This is a very deliberate and creative process, and there are immense benefits to taking time and care in mapping out your project detail by detail.

As we start to detail your selected concept plan, we’ll revisit your goals and vision and look for opportunities to further fine-tune your initial design. This could mean leveraging previously unused space or finding creative ways to overcome construction or design challenges. We’ll map out every feature to the smallest detail, and work with you to select the final materials and fixtures. 

It’s important that you can “see” the final design. Plans and elevations document the design accurately and to scale, but we also present your design in 3-D as well as through a birdseye “dollhouse” view that allows you to visualize your new spaces. But sometimes there is no substitute for immersing yourself in a space where you can see, touch, and feel what a finished result might look like. That’s where our Design Studio can be an invaluable resource. It’s a warm, intimate space that fosters creativity while providing physical and pictorial examples of reimagined home environments. Our Design Studio also features a wide range of material samples – cabinetry, textiles, floors, hardware, and more. If we don’t have something you’d like to see, we can likely get a sample from one of our vendor partners. It’s important that you are able to make the most informed design decisions possible. 

It’s only when we have agreed on all the details, including final pricing, that we’ll move to the next milestone, which is the actual construction agreement. For us, transparency and our client’s satisfaction are paramount. 

Look for our next “What to Expect” installment where we’ll discuss what’s involved in drawing up the actual construction agreement and what that covers. You can subscribe to our monthly email newsletter below to stay informed. 

This is only a broad overview of these important first steps in working together. No two projects are the same. At Lee Kimball, our passion is partnering with each homeowner to uniquely transform their personal living space. We love the work we do and doing it together as a dedicated team. Are you ready to explore your vision for your home with us? We’d love to talk. Reach out to our team here to begin a conversation about your project or connect with us on Facebook or Instagram to see what we’re currently working on.