Space Engineering

To clarify, no we don’t work for NASA. Space engineering to us means maximizing square footage to meet our customers’ need. This begins at the building site and ends with finished, usable, space.

Building site

We have all heard the old adage, “location, location, location.” We believe this to be as true today as when the phrase was first coined. The building location is an integral part of the design process. Whether you are considering building a rancher on 1000 acres, or a 2-level in a subdivision, careful thought should be given to placement.

Placement includes where your home will be located on the property, but before that more important is SHOULD your home be placed on the property. Here are just a few questions to consider before making the decision:

• Does the building site meet your needs?
• Is this an area where you really want to live?
• Is it a high potential appreciation area where you can turn the house and make a profit?
• Is there planned future development in the area that we don’t want to be around?

There are many more questions that need to be answered before committing to anything. Some things we have no control over, but this is one we do. Part of the due diligence on our part to achieve the peace and freedom we desire is to find these answers before proceeding.

One other item worth mentioning is the prospect of designing the home BEFORE the property has been secured and all the questions about that property have been addressed. This is a costly mistake that many over-anxious people have made in the past. We have to ability to draw from these mistakes and not repeat them. Here are some questions to consider as a part of the pre-purchase process:

• What are the annual property taxes now and when the project is complete?
• What are the conditions for water, power, sewer, etc hookups?
• How is the road access to the site?
• What are the setbacks and other covenants regarding the property?
• Is there development around the site that could affect traffic flow?
• Has the property been surveyed with elevations showing slope?

We at Moore Quality Design help you find answers to these and many other questions that are critical to securing the proper building location. Good information helps make good decisions. When the purchase is possibly the largest you will make in your life, isn’t it worth the time and effort to be well informed?

See an example of how we used the setbacks and the view to optimize the property. (Setbacks and View Optimization)

Pre-planning

Assuming that the lot questions have been answered and the lot has been secured, we are ready to move on to the next phase of the design process and that is the actual home. This is where the fun begins!

Most people set out now and say, “OK, we want 3 bedrooms, 2½ baths and an office, with a 2 car garage.” This is one way to start, but if we want the best, let’s back up for a minute. There are a few more simple questions that we can ask that will greatly assist in the design process.

How will we use the home? This might include:

• Entertaining guests? (How many, how often?)
• Our personality? (Food, pets, home entertainment, etc?)
• Our style? (Clean lines, curves, open, private?)
• Children? (How many? Leaving soon? More coming?)

Again, these are just a few of the questions we think need asking before actually beginning the floor plan. Having this information in writing will greatly increase the chances that your custom home meets your needs.

Many people in the pre-planning phase have already thought through these questions and have a pretty good idea of what direction they want to go. However, we encourage everyone to put these thoughts and ideas on paper. Having your thoughts in writing will greatly assist in communicating your wants and needs to the home designer.

Another common area of concern is form over function. This might be the biggest area of conflict in the design phase. “We don’t need that.” We hear that statement made on a regular basis. Well, maybe you don’t need that, but then again, maybe you do. This goes back to having good information about how you are going to use the space.

Here is an example. “I don’t want a bar that is over 6′-0″ long, that makes the kitchen way to big.” Well if we go back to the questions above, maybe we discovered that on a fairly regular basis we have teenage kids coming and going from the house. We don’t want those teenage kids sitting at our $5000 dining table on a regular basis. Who knows the damage they might inflict. As a part of the design process, we may conclude that we want those kids sitting at an island covered with a very durable solid surface, and tile on the floor. To accommodate that volume of kids we may need 10′-0″ minimum.

Well this situation may not apply to you, but the point is, having good information will assist us in making the best choices. To arrive at the point where we are ready to begin designing, it is critical to ask the right questions.

Design

The site is secured with good information. The questions are answered about how we are going to use the space. Now it is time for the pencil to meet the paper (or the mouse to meet the monitor). If you are comfortable with the information you’ve gathered and you think you know that direction you would like to go, you might want to try our pre-designed homes for some options. If you have been looking at plans for months, are fed up with searching, and need some guidance, we can help!

We have a systematic approach to designing your dream home. We use a tried and proven process to making sure all of your needs are met. Creativity is essential to drafting your drawings, but creativity is hindered by confusion. That is why we use quality controls to monitor every step our your custom home design. From the initial consultation, to the day you walk away with your completed set of drawings, you can have confidence in knowing that what is promised will be delivered!