If you plan to hire a construction design company to help you build a brand-new home soon, then you should learn about the main construction design phases now. Learning about these phases will help you understand what to expect during the home design process and learn how design experts break the home design process down into smaller steps to aid in project efficiency. 

Read on to learn about the first three main construction design phases and what these phases entail. 

Programming Design Phase

While some building designers offer a programming, or pre-design, phase to their clients, others combine this building design step with schematic design. However, when offered as a standalone service, this phase is when you inform your building designer what you want and need out of your new home.

For example, if you desire three bedrooms in your home, two full baths and one half bath, and/or a fitness room that is a specific number of square feet, you would inform your building designer of these wants or needs during the project programming phase. 

Additional programming phase tasks include forming a budget for your new home build and creating a building timeline with your desired move-in date in mind. 

Schematic Design Phase

During the schematic home design phase, sketches of your desired home design and building site are created. Sketches will include not just the layout of the rooms in your home, but also the building systems, including plumbing, HVAC, and electrical system components. In addition, the schematic designs will also include desired landscaping plans, including any land grading or leveling that is needed. 

During this phase, every aspect of the design will also be evaluated for safety and compliance with local building regulations. 

Design Development Phase

When you reach the home design development phase, additional details are added to building schematics and any changes needed to keep the home design under your desired budget are made. Details added to your home design during this phase may include your desired window type and placement in each room, the type of flooring you desire in each area of the home, and even smaller details, such as your chosen kitchen sink and backsplash material. 

During the design development phase, you can also ask your home designer to make changes to the original home design, such as a change in the type of home heating system you prefer, if desired. In fact, this is the phase when you want to look over all design plans to ensure you are still happy with all of the design choices made, because design changes become more difficult after the official construction blueprints are then created. 

Now that you understand how the first three stages of the construction design process work, you can contact a building design professional with more confidence that you understand what the home design process will entail. 

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