Feasibility Study
O N E S T E P A T A T I M E
Watch Your Step
Committing to a full project is an exciting and necessary step to getting your project built.
It’s also a big step.
A client of ours likened committing to a full project after an initial meeting to accepting a marriage proposal on the first date.
It’s also a big step.
A client of ours likened committing to a full project after an initial meeting to accepting a marriage proposal on the first date.
![Step [Full Project]](/uploads/4/4/3/4/44341209/editor/steps-full-project-maroon_1.png?1649180267)
|
![Steps [Feasibility Study]](/uploads/4/4/3/4/44341209/editor/steps-feasibility-study-maroon.png?1649180257)
|
It may work for some, but it's daunting for most.
Given that you’re considering spending tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars on your project, the prospect of a commitment of this size, this soon, can seem a bit premature.
Our Feasibility Study offers an alternative approach.
Given that you’re considering spending tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars on your project, the prospect of a commitment of this size, this soon, can seem a bit premature.
Our Feasibility Study offers an alternative approach.
Get-to-know-you Steps
Instead of a single, large commitment, you can make a smaller, more limited one. Detail and data about your project are delivered in small bites and provide clarity around project limits, opportunities, and costs, all with a more limited commitment in time and design fee.
Our Feasibility Study comprises the first two phases of the full residential design process, PreDesign & Schematic Design. In essence, we complete the first third of a full project and then hit the pause button (kind of like a design speed bump). During the Feasibility Study, both preliminary design direction and project costs are established - a design appetizer, of sorts.
Small steps. Smart steps. Get-to-know-you steps.
Consider them second and third dates (with maybe a quick stop at the future in-laws mixed in).
The big question may ultimately come, but later, once you're sure.
Our Feasibility Study comprises the first two phases of the full residential design process, PreDesign & Schematic Design. In essence, we complete the first third of a full project and then hit the pause button (kind of like a design speed bump). During the Feasibility Study, both preliminary design direction and project costs are established - a design appetizer, of sorts.
Small steps. Smart steps. Get-to-know-you steps.
Consider them second and third dates (with maybe a quick stop at the future in-laws mixed in).
The big question may ultimately come, but later, once you're sure.
P R O J E C T P L A N N I N G S E R V I C E S
Remodeling is a big step. Take a smaller one.
Discover how our Project Planning Services quickly and economically identify the critical factors impacting your project - zoning, project scope, and construction costs - all before committing to a full project.
K N O W Y O U R L I M I T S
Opportunities & Limits
It’s exciting to see the possibilities of what a project might be - the future state is full of promise. We love exploring the changes we can bring to your house and your family. The joy that springs from that effort is why we do what we do.
Knowing project limits, though far less sexy, is equally helpful.
> See how the Feasibility Study dovetails with a full project
It may seem counter-intuitive, but determining the limits and restrictions of your project is a good thing.
During the Feasibility Study we search for them (who is Batman, after all, without the Joker?). Zoning parameters, code compliance, design and budget limits are established and addressed. We welcome knowing where the project cannot go, for it makes clear the viable options.
The result?
At the end of the Feasibility Study, uncertainty is replaced by confidence, confusion by certainty. In our estimation, coming out of the Feasibility Study with a clear design direction is an inestimable advantage.
Should you decide to proceed with your project, you can move forward knowing what’s in store. Should you decide not to pursue your project, the conclusion of the Feasibility Study provides a quick and easy off-ramp. Though not the desired result, ending a project at this point comes far sooner and with far less investment in time and money.
Either way, the results of the Feasibility Study allow you to make an informed decision in confidence. And that's a good place from which to start a project.
Knowing project limits, though far less sexy, is equally helpful.
> See how the Feasibility Study dovetails with a full project
It may seem counter-intuitive, but determining the limits and restrictions of your project is a good thing.
During the Feasibility Study we search for them (who is Batman, after all, without the Joker?). Zoning parameters, code compliance, design and budget limits are established and addressed. We welcome knowing where the project cannot go, for it makes clear the viable options.
The result?
At the end of the Feasibility Study, uncertainty is replaced by confidence, confusion by certainty. In our estimation, coming out of the Feasibility Study with a clear design direction is an inestimable advantage.
Should you decide to proceed with your project, you can move forward knowing what’s in store. Should you decide not to pursue your project, the conclusion of the Feasibility Study provides a quick and easy off-ramp. Though not the desired result, ending a project at this point comes far sooner and with far less investment in time and money.
Either way, the results of the Feasibility Study allow you to make an informed decision in confidence. And that's a good place from which to start a project.
D E L I V E R A B L E S
So what do I get?
As mentioned, the Feasibility Study covers the first two phases of the design process - PreDesign & Schematic Design. From these two design phases come four documents that constitute the deliverables of the Feasibility Study - a Zoning Analysis, a Programmatic Statement, a SD Set, and a Construction Cost Estimate - critical pillars of any successful project.
In the Zoning Analysis, we identify the municipal ordinances that impact your property and project. They are commonly referred to as maximum allowable limits. This includes such things as maximum building height, finished square feet, lot coverage, impervious surface, and property setbacks.
This analysis is a peak behind the municipal curtain - a catalog of the opaque and sometimes obscure zoning ordinances that, if unidentified early, can derail your project later.
This analysis is a peak behind the municipal curtain - a catalog of the opaque and sometimes obscure zoning ordinances that, if unidentified early, can derail your project later.
Programming, where project scope and budget are established. is a road map guiding the design development process. We do not proceed to the design phase until you give us the authorization to proceed after reviewing and approving the Programmatic Statement.
Reviewing inspirational images, messy hand sketches, CAD layout options, maybe even a model or two are common components of the design phase. Initial design options are meant to be conceptually evocative, as they explore design possibilities, generate new ideas, and importantly, are developed with feedback from you during two design review meetings.
At the end of Schematic Design we will have a SD drawing set most often comprising floor plans, critical exterior elevation[s], and a building section. Enough information to guide the fourth and final stage of the Feasibility Study, costing.
At the end of Schematic Design we will have a SD drawing set most often comprising floor plans, critical exterior elevation[s], and a building section. Enough information to guide the fourth and final stage of the Feasibility Study, costing.
We run pricing estimates all of the time - for each proposal we write, as a budget check during projects, or to determine the impact of a change in project scope. But we are not pricing experts. That distinction belongs to builders. They are best-suited to review plans, dig into project details, and ask the pertinent questions.
Developing an accurate construction cost estimate is critical., because it's used as a guide to shape changes to the project, or even whether or not to proceed. To establish pricing, DLD elicits the assistance of a local, licensed builder to obtain real-world preliminary pricing.
Developing an accurate construction cost estimate is critical., because it's used as a guide to shape changes to the project, or even whether or not to proceed. To establish pricing, DLD elicits the assistance of a local, licensed builder to obtain real-world preliminary pricing.
