Planning to Build a New Home? Here's Where to Start

Over the past few months I've received a few emails and phone calls from people asking me to take over their project. The conversationhas gone something like this: "We purchased plans, or hired adraftsperson, and it hasn't gone as we planned." Typically, they're asking me to fix their construction drawings, and it needs to fit into the style they already had in mind.

I'm always happy to have that conversation and take a look at the projects currant state. But it usually means we're jumping into the middle of aprocess that would have gone more smoothly if we'd started at the beginning. Unless we're able to start over from the beginning to fix the project, I usually have to turn down these offers. I understand that isn't always possible for clients who have already invested a significant amount of money in their current plans. The architect really needs to come in at the very beginning.

So before we talk about architects, or draftspeople, or builders, I want to back up further than that. Here's where I think every new build should actually start.

Before You Hire Anyone, Ask Yourself This

It's tempting to jump straight to "who do I call first." But a few honest questions before you pick up the phone will saveyou time later:

• Do you already own land, or are you still searching for the right lot?
• What's your budget, and does it cover design and permitting, or just construction?
• What's driving this project? More space, a life change, or something you've wanted to build for years?

You don't need firm answers to all of these. But having arough sense of them makes every conversation after this one more productive,whether that conversation is with me, a builder, or anyone else.

The Order Things Usually Happen In

In simple terms, most new builds move through the same fourstages:

1. Site and budget reality check. Understanding what your land allows, and what your budget realistically supports, before any design work begins.
2. Design. This starts with early concepts and moves toward a full set of construction documents, the drawings that communicate the design to the city and to your builder.
3. Permitting. Getting those drawings approved by your local jurisdiction before construction/demolition can begin.
4. Builder selection and construction. Bringing the design to life on site.

People often try to shortcut this order. They'll hire abuilder before any design exists, or skip straight to drawings without a realdesign process behind them. I understand the instinct. It feels like progress. But skipping steps usually means paying for them later anyway, just with morestress and less control over the outcome.

Where an Architect Fits Into That Order

I've written before about the difference between hiring an architect and a draftsperson, so I won't repeat all ofthat here. But the short version is this: a draftsperson produces drawings,while an architect makes the design decisions those drawings represent.

That distinction matters most at the very beginning of the process, before a single line has been drawn, when the site, the budget, and the goals for the project are all still being sorted out.

What This Looks Like in Lexington

Every project starts on a specific piece of land, in aspecific city, with its own rules. Here in Lexington, that means understanding things like zoning and floor area ratio before design work goes very far. I've written more about that here, and it's worth a read early on, not after your design is already underway.

Final Thoughts

A new build isn't just a set of drawings and a builder. It'sa sequence, and each step sets up the one after it. The goal isn't just to endup with a finished set of construction documents. It's to have someone who can walk the whole path with you, from the first idea to the day you move in.

If you're still in the early stages of figuring out whatyour project needs, that's exactly the right time to start the conversation.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to reachout if you have any questions about your next project.

‍Jason Zavala, Architect

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