Consider these 4 things before you start on your dream home:

1. Survey
   Make sure you have a current survey of your property. The survey, at the very least, correctly shows the location of your home, driveway, landscape features, and any accessory buildings and/or pool. This is important for the building permit and will be required for the submission of permit. It is especially important if you live in areas governed by Conservation, Heritage, or other governing bodies. Talk to us to help coordinate with our survey team to have yours completed.
   
   
2. Wish List
   Everyone has an idea that they need to renovate or build, but not everyone has sat down and taken the time to write it all out. We suggest creating a scrapbook or binder that is broken down into categories. If you are building new, or are adding to your existing home, start with an "exterior" folder section. Paste pictures of architectural features, colours and styles that catch your eye and you would like to see integrated into your home. Remember, you are not looking for the perfect and complete design, but rather, elements that have perked your interest, such as front door styles, a siding colour, or a box bay detail. Next, break the rest of the binder into room by room sections and fill it with as many notes and pictures as you can. The more information you can give us, the more complete our design will be, incorporating every item to make it a perfect custom home for you! 
   
   
3. Budget
   To some, this is a dirty word! But to others, it is the driving factor of all projects. Everyone has a budget. The key is to make sure your budget expectations are in line with your wish list. This part of the project is critical to the overall design process. Contact us for a free initial consultation and we can help guide you towards establishing a realistic budget in relation to your wish list.
   
   
4. Location
   One aspect of the budget that is often neglected, is the neighbourhood in which you live. You may want to do a major renovation to your home and you have established a realistic budget, but have you considered the impact on the neighbourhood? That is to say, are you building or over-building for the value in your area? You may see development occurring around you that you feel would work for your home, but it never hurts to do a little homework up front. Contact a local real estate agent to get an idea of local listings. This will help give you get an idea of what your home is valued at and what you can or should do to bring it up to the neighbourhood price range.