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| Green and Green Style, Chatham |
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A note on Fees: Due to our low overhead and systematic process, we are considered one of the more reasonable Architects in the area.
I sometimes tell prospects that our services are free! That is because:
1. Proper planning and design will achieve a more valuable investment that will appreciate and hold value as the dollar depreciates. We don't just design "Buildings for the Human animal". We design "Architecture for the Human Being". and this adds value to your project.
It is now is a fantastic time to build if you have the money or credit.
2. Our professional administration of the Competitive Bidding results in a fair contract price.
3. Excellent contract documents reduce "Extras" during construction and we are available to support you through construction.
We offer a Feasibility Phase for a very reasonable flat fee. That service includes Measuring and Drawing the Existing Conditions, Design, Zoning Analysis, and Cost Estimate. You can't go wrong with that!
Once you approve a design and construction budget we will "fix" the total fee in dollars - no longer a floating percentage - before finishing the construction documents. That total includes the initial Feasibility Fee, - not in addiiton to it.
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Thanks for Visiting as we enter our 25th Year!
We've served 1000's of "Middle Class" families - Custom homes, Additions, and Renovations. - Healthy for you as well as Nature, Energy Efficient, Low Maintenance, Affordable yet Inspiring and Marketable.
We solve all the practical problems such as the various functions within the building, Zoning, Structural, Comfort, Nature - "Green" concerns etc., but we take it further. "Architecture" forces order, proportion, color, texture, scale, lighting, etc onto the practical, thus reflecting the invisible inner values, aesthetics, philosophy of humans, not just the biological needs.
Imagine our descendants excavating one of our neighborhoods a thousand years from now wondering why we went to so much effort to announce a "Front Entry Portico" or make a building symmetrical or inspiring. They would know they were looking at "Art" as well as a "Building". In other words, a building must be practical resolving many conflicting forces at work, but, in the end they must be beautiful, expressing the Human Spirit. It would be our privilege to be the "Unseen Hand" that helps to bring your "Home" into existence for generations to enjoy.
We want to educate you and assist with your selection process, but the Web site is just a start. We would be happy to meet with you.
Please call us at 800-234-9231 or use the contact form to enter your information and a note. Geoff or Jim will get back to you soon to schedule a complimentary consultation, followed up with a detailed proposal for the services you need.
We realize you might be reluctant to move forward with a project. It won't cost much to get plans started. The first meeting is free, and we offer a great "Feasibility Study" including the design for very reasonable a flat fee. The result will be a vision you can plan for. You can take a break before we proceed with Construction Documents, but don't wait too long. The cost of materials and labor has dropped significantly. As the FED monetizes the US Debt, lowering the purchasing power of the dollar, we should all make the most of the "Build-out potential" of our property now, even if it means going into debt at a low fixed rate. We are passing through a historic period of low interest rates, we should spend dollars on assets that will appreciate faster than our dollars depreciate. Take a few minutes and read about us, and more about our approach to Architecture.
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Why do clients select us?
It's not just about a visually attractive design or being "Green" and Efficient. We take it a few steps further, with adding to the value witn intangible services to help you get through the entire process as we:
• Maximize your site's "Build-out potential" - Experienced with Zoning Applications and most local boards.
• Preserve much of your existing asset as possible - without compromising the design so you don't pay just to replace.
• Work closely - listening to you, responding to your needs and budget
• Don't impose our own aesthetic, or think about how it will look on a magazine cover.
• Think through many options, responding to many competing concerns, before focusing on the solution for a design, yet it is far from finished.
• Too many buildings are built as "Rough Drafts". We apply years of experience and our "trained eye", to refine it with small adjustments, to the scale, proportion, acoustics, texture, light, color, vocabulary, and details.
• Understand you want to end up with the most appropriate solution, so you won't have any regrets or second thoughts later. You want to be confident in the decisions you made as construction proceeds, .
• We offer great design appropriate for you and your neighborhood, but "Beauty is only skin deep".
• We get more for your dollar - estimating the cost early - as we design - to suit your budget.
• The "Guts" or systems of a building should also function well to serve you as well as nature. When appropriate and preferred by the client, we find ways to connect the occupants through the building and its systems to the sources in Nature. This often means staying with natural materials, Arts & Crafts Detailing, and sometimes acknowledging the systems themselves.
• We specify materials that are reasonably priced but which will last many decades maintenance free. See the "Building Technology" Page form more on this.
• Don't just hand you a set of plans and say good bye. Our clients appreciate the assistance through the whole process including competitive bidding and construction.
• Combine Old School hand drawn sketches with "State of the Art" CAD · Professional Admin. of Competitive Bidding, Construction Contract, and Payment Schedule.
• You will work directly with Geoff, Jim, or Susana, and we answer the phone or get right back to you every time
• Low overhead operation · Reasonable fees · Excellent references ( and builders)
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