How to hire a designer & what to expect in your first design session/meeting

Unless you are a Rockefeller, you probably didn't grow up watching your family hire designers.

The best way to start any major project is to talk to a designer and a contractor. Designers have the ability to think of creative solutions to your problems, solve design and permitting challenges, and create something beautiful. Licensed general contractors can see potential problems with the site, predict what may go wrong during construction, and identify ways to solve challenges. Your design–build team will be on your side throughout the project.

But what is the first step in hiring a designer and contractor?

All of our projects start with a free call to review your goals and introduce the best design–build team from our stable of vetted professionals.

During your call and initial meeting, we’ll ask a a lot of questions. The questions we ask you are based on 25+ years of experience and lessons from hundreds of projects we have designed and built.  Our questions may remind you of just one thing that you want to incorporate in your design, and that alone can save you a major headache and thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars during construction. This is because realizing important design elements during construction is expensive!

When a New Avenue team comes to work for you they will prepare beforehand, typically for 3-5 hours.  At the meeting, they will discuss the following:

• Goals

• Design ideas

• The 5 phases of your project

• Permit overview: an initial discussion of permitting rules in your area and the permitting process you are likely to experience

Most importantly, your team will show up ready to work, not to sell.  They will start talking to you about your program and will create a lot of value in this first meeting. 

The fee for this initial meeting is $600.

After your initial meeting, the designer and contractor will provide the following:

• Design proposal: A detailed, line-item proposal outlining your costs for design, permitting, and engineering.

• Construction estimate: Your contractor will develop an estimate of how much your project will cost to build. This will become a fixed-price bid once all design and engineering work is complete.

From there, you can ask any questions you have. If you choose to hire New Avenue to design, permit, and build your project, we’ll get started as soon as you’re ready.