Building a new house can be one of the most challenging as well as one of the most satisfying projects that you will undertake. With limitless options, having a trusted collaborator translate your needs, desires, and budget into detailed drawings is the best use of time and money you can spend.
Every client comes with their own palette of desires and images. Some want a change from the house they’re living in; some want to capture the feeling of a house where they spent the summer; some are seeking formality, some are comfortable with balanced asymmetry; some come with collections of antique furniture or numerous pets; a few come with no treasured belongings and no preconceptions. Our approach starts with learning all we can about your lifestyle and preferences.
In addition to your dreams and desires, there are practical concerns to be addressed. Climate, codes, building technologies, schedules and budget all make demands. Years of experience with practical issues and close rapport with our clients take the stress out of the process.
Our houses evolve out of their sites, responding to surrounding features as well as climate, views and sun orientation. We want them to be personal, practical, and fun to live in. While we enjoy working on designs of all types and scales, we are particularly adept at making the most of available resources, both for the benefit of our clients and for the well-being of the planet. We study carefully proportion, rhythm, scale, materials and the way a house looks as you view from the outside, but most important is the way it works and feels for the people who live in it.
After site visits, discussions about your wishes, and layout sketches, each project is modeled in CAD format, making it easy to visualize and simple to modify. Once you have approved the preliminary design, we translate that into drawings that can be used for approvals and construction. These may be abbreviated if the design is uncomplicated and you are working with a contractor who can fill in the blanks, or they may be fully detailed to include custom details, choices in finishes, colors and lighting fixtures. With decades of experience in designing for the Maine environment, we bring creativity, empathy, efficiency and innovation to every project we take on.
