Rustic Warmth, Attention to Detail...

Since every project is unique we try an tailor the product we deliver and the fee associated with those services to each project. When beginning a project we start with reviewing our 4 basic categories for Design Services: Builder's Choice, Craftsman Collection, Architectural Elegance, and the finally Architectural Estates with the client to decide with best fits the clients needs. 

In general, design fees run from approximately 5 to 20% of construction cost depending on several variables. Prior to any design work commencing an agreement must be signed between parties and retainer delivered.

Building a home for the first time was a scary proposition for Walt and me. We were newly empty nesters and we rationalized that we should down size our life style. But part of us yearned for space, privacy and functionality. After 30 years of marriage and residing in 11 different homes from condos to single family, we were excited at the prospect of creating our dream home. A builder friend introduced us to Thom Oppelt and we immediately "bonded". Thom listened to every detail on our "wish list" and his creative suggestions were invaluable for those "blank stares" we gave him when we just didn't know what we wanted. Putting our past living experiences into one home was a challenge that Thom embraced and executed to our delight.   

His unassuming manner, easy going personality and his professional talent blended into making our first home building experience a joy. He took the time to understand our lifestyle, listened to our ideas and never made us feel uncertain in our requests. He is a sensitive, caring "artist"….sensitive to his clients needs not to his own ego.  

We love our home and feel that we truly had a collaborative project with Thom. His talent is amazing and is evident by the unsolicited compliments we continue to receive and requests for his name from my own customers. As a real estate broker in a new community, I have had the pleasure of referring my customers to Thom. We would do another home with him "in a heart beat" and someday we will. His work is most evident throughout our community and I look forward to his continued success here and beyond.  

Sincerely, Jenni Marquez 

The question always come up ....Do I need an architect?  Websites like Home Advisor and the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners offer explanations and flowcharts for building in the state of Texas that shows what does and doesn’t require an architect.  Attached is my favorite quote... 

"Some people may know exactly what they want and how to make it fit. Others may know that they need an extra bedroom but aren’t sure how to make it fit into existing construction. Or they may have a piece of land and know where they want the picture window and not much else. The architect plans will fit what you want even if you didn’t know you wanted it until you saw it! " 

Preliminary   Planning

The first step in any design project is defining your needs. First, analyze   your needs and list requirements such as room sizes, style, number of   stories, lot size and any other applicable conditions. Our free design   questionnaire will offer you the opportunity to list this information in a   question and answer format. After listing your requirements a priority list   must be made. Some clients develop collages of images of what they hope to   achieve in their project. This is particularly useful for us as we get our   first glimpse of what type of vision that you have for your project. In   addition on a case by case basis we may even tour similar projects and gather   information regarding scale, function, and even cost. A realistic budget must   be known before proceeding in the design process. A preliminary assessment   must be done to see if your design ideas are feasible. If they are not, your   priority list can help you decide on what to modify or eliminate.

Arrangement   of spaces
When your requirements fall within your budget, you can move to the   arrangement of spaces. Preliminary layouts should consider the property that   the project is to be built. Environmental conditions such as climate,   orientation, and terrain may affect the positioning of the rooms. Circulation   must be considered in your arrangement. How will your guests move within the   space? Use scenarios that represent the everyday living to ensure that the   spaces flow freely. We provide our clients with what is called a bubble diagram. This   graphic helps us brainstorm the arrangement very quickly with the client.   Early consideration of the arrangement of spaces will help eliminate future   design problems and ultimately make the project more functional.

Creation  of floor plan & elevations
After successfully arranging your requirements, we will begin to develop the   floor plan and elevations. In the beginning, the plan and elevations will   have little detail. The drawings will show the arrangement of walls, location   of doors and windows and roof shape. In addition we will develop a 3D massing   model to communicate the vision of the design.

Development of construction   documents
When everyone is in agreement on the floor plan and elevations, we will proceed   forward with construction documents. This process involves us finishing the   plan package with most of the designing done. There are some areas that we   will need to contact the client for consultation.

Review  of final drawings
A final review is done to clear up any last minute details before the plan  package is duplicated.

3D Visualization
Many clients have a hard time visualizing what the project will look like   when it is built. When this happens, we can do a number of things. We can   create simple cardboard models that can help a client through their   visualization. If that does not work, we can create 3D computer images of   your project. We can walk you through your project before it is built! This   process can be very effective in the design process and will increase your   understanding of the project.

Long distance design
The vast majority of our projects are designed and completed with long distance clients. We use the Internet, email, fax, and phone to communicate. We have become very good at communicating design ideas over a long distance. We have designed projects for clients from all over the United States and the world.

And finally, anyone can draw a plan, but architects are specifically trained to understand the process of design and the technical aspects of construction. 

In addition, the design experience that you have during the process of creating your dream makes a difference; it should be enjoyable. Selecting an architect should be done with care because they are not all the same. Hopefully you’re going to be working with this person for a long time. This should be someone that you should feel like that you can talk to about your dreams and how you live openly and freely. This should be someone willing to listen to you and if necessary offer suggestions to you on how to achieve a successful project. 

Here is a brief list of items and qualities that we believe that a client should look for in an architect:

• Genuine enthusiasm for your project. Everyone wants their project to have the top priority, so you should look for an architect who can place your project at the top of the list; sometimes the timing is just not right and both parties have to be open and honest about the schedule. 
• Ability to work together. Meet the people you will actually be working with. You need to be sure you both communicate well with each other and get along. It seems simple enough but chemistry is important.
• Ability to handle the size and scope of your project. Make sure that the project you are doing is within an architect's wheelhouse - not too big or too small. 
• How long does it take to design a project? There is no set of rules that are out there can predetermine how long a projects takes. This is a creative process and sometimes the project just snaps together and others we have to work harder to make dreams reality. We have some general rules of thumbs that present to potential clients  to help with initial expectations. In addition, we try hard to manage our project schedule on our end to only take on only as much work as we can carefully manage.