ABOUT DESIGN ASSOCIATES

As you consider Design Associates as your design firm for your project, we have outlined below several aspects of our organization and our project delivery approach.

DESIGN ASSOCIATES: The Office

Design Associates is an architectural design firm of seven professionals comprised of three registered architects, three architect interns and one information systems manager/office manager. The majority of our architectural design projects are single family residential in nature and, as a result, this is our area of interest and focus. We generally maintain an active project list of 15 to 18 projects, all in various stages of design and construction. As we practice in a studio environment, all of our projects benefit from the forum review from our entire design team.

DESIGN ASSOCIATES: Project Approach

Design Associates has been providing comprehensive architectural services for new construction, restoration and renovation projects throughout New England. We strive to provide architectural design solutions that are in response to our clients needs and requirements. Our projects are conceived and designed in a restorative manner using siting, massing and period details to create buildings and homes that are evocative of another time. We strive to balance present day lifestyle and technological requirements with American architectural styles and details of the past two hundred plus years.

Having provided architectural and design consulting services for twelve of WGBH-TV’s This Old House projects, we bring a traditional, history-based approach to our architectural projects. Our over twenty-five years of experience with historic buildings gives us a broad understanding of the massings, details and moldings of many architectural styles.

We seek the full participation of our clients in all phases of the design for a new home, resulting in a completed project that bears the distinct signature of our clients. Typically, we encourage our clients to provide us with magazine articles, photos of other residences, etc., to assist in defining their distinct requirements, for the inside as well as the outside. This exercise often results in the creation of a storybook of architectural and aesthetic preferences, which enables us to advocate certain design solutions on behalf of our clients and provide a clear and direct design direction.

We strive to develop a keen understanding of our client’s wish list prior to putting “pen to paper,” including the research of architectural pattern books for developing architectural design solutions which are sympathetic to your existing home or your stylistic preferences. This is consistent with our process of developing an architectural design, regardless of whether it is Colonial Georgian, Colonial Adam, Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Stick, English Arts and Crafts or the Colonial Revival style.

We seek to prepare several different design options in the schematic design process to permit our clients to more easily participate with the design process and to allow them to make the informed choices about the scope and direction of your renovations. We ultimately believe that it is our role to present our clients with a creative range of options and opportunities for their program requirements so that they can make the thousands of decisions inherent with any residential design project. We assist our clients with our professional assessment each and every step of the way and act as their advocates throughout the process from design through to the completion of construction.

DESIGN ASSOCIATES: Residential Project Design Timeline

From the time we have an executed Owner/Architect agreement, we are able to commence the Preparation of As-Built, Existing Condition drawings. Follows below is a timeline for the architectural design phase of a typical residential renovation project.

Preparation of As Built, Existing Condition Drawings 2-4 Weeks

Preparation of Schematic Design, Floor Plans and 6-8 Weeks

Building Elevations

Preparation of Permit Construction Drawings and 4-6 Weeks

Specifications (Limited Services)

Preparation of Construction Documents, Drawings and 8-12 Weeks

Specifications (Full Architects Services)

Bidding to Selected General Contractors 4-6 Weeks

Review of Bids/Selection of General Contractor/ 3-4 Weeks

Negotiation of Construction Contract

Construction Commences

DESIGN ASSOCIATES: Method of Compensation

With respect to the scope of our services, most of our residential projects can be segmented into six distinct phases, Preparation of As-Built, Measured Drawings of the Existing Conditions, Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding/Negotiation of the Construction Contract and Construction Administration. For the full range of the Architects Services, our architectural fee is typically between 10%-15%, working on a time and materials basis, of the Market Construction Costs for the services outlined above, except for the Preparation of the As- Built drawings. For projects of limited Architects Services, our architectural fee is typically between 6%-8% of the Market Construction Costs. The main advantage of this method of compensation is its adaptability to changing needs and the unforeseen aspects of any project. It is fair to you and to us, inasmuch as our compensation matches our effort.

Relative to the phases outlined above, our total architectural fee can be further broken down at each phase. The percentage of our fee typically associated with a particular phase is noted below. These breakdowns are for budgetary planning purposes only but do provide a benchmark for assessing our performance against a projected construction budget.

BASIC SERVICES

• Schematic Design (15-20%)
• Design Development (5-10%)
• Construction Documents (40%)
• Bidding/Negotiation of the Construction Contract (5%)
• Construction Administration (30%)

Note that the preparation of the As-Built Measured Drawings typically constitutes an additional service and is excluded from these Basic Architectural Service projections.

Reimbursable expenses are in addition to our compensation for Basic Services and include but are not limited to: structural, mechanical and electrical engineering services, long distance communications; expense of reproductions, travel, postage, handling of drawings, specifications and other documents; and the expense of renderings, models, mock-ups and presentation drawings.

SUMMARY

We always encourage our prospective clients to visit our Cambridge office where we can better demonstrate our residential design process from schematic design to the successful completion of a residential project.

Sincerely,

Christopher L. Dallmus, AIA
President and Principal