Modern Home in Carmel Valley, CA

We have a 1-acre site on a slope in Carmel Valley, and are planning to build a site-built modern home. We have a well permit and the well is underway. Because of the unique views, we are decideing that site-built is going to be our preference over prefab. We are looking at about a 50 x 50 building envelope, with a southeast view on approximately a 12% grade (it still is not surveyed yet). But we have a small budget. We are thinking of a cost of around $225 - $250 per square foor, and with our modest needs of between 1500 - 1700 square feet, that will place the budget at about $375,000 to $425,000. We now know some local builders familiar with the Byzantine local permitting codes, and they have hooked us up with the well permit. But we are thinking that because of the small budget and our particular needs (3bdr, 2 ba, open floor plan, mud room, garage), and our desire to be as green as possible, we may need to hire an architect. We are starting to understand that this can wind up amounting to about 10% of the budget. Does anyone have suggestions about architects that might consider this scale of a project? ~CH

Well...

If you are interested in local talent then your best bet is to wait around for some referrals on the board. If you are open to working with remote talent, via the internet and snail mail, and a few site visits, then you should look through some of the other regional boards at LiveModern, as there are quite a few active designers/architects that offer up info on a daily basis. I for one would be interested in a project of that scope, and I'm sure you would find many others on this board that would be interested as well. It is good to know that you have a fairly accurate understanding of the cost of the design and administration process to begin with.

Also know that you can go with a pre-fab solution. Although not modular and delivered mostly complete to your site, working with pre-fab panelized solutions (SIPs, etc) will allow for the customization to suit your site, as wll as ramping up the speed of construction. If you have some idea of which structural solution would work for you at the outset, your designer/architect could work within that system to facilitate an easily constructed design solution.

Regards,
Mark Meyer

CH,
I would also be interested in talking with you about your project if you decided to work with a designer/architect outside of California. I have been up in that area a couple of times and it would be a great place for a modern home. I look forward to hearing how the project goes on the forum.

Respectfully,

Jeff Kalm

Thanks to both Mark and Jeff for your encouraging words. It is an exciting process. I will keep the forum posted. ~CH (Charmaine)

We definitely want to keep the out of state designers/architects in mind! Although I suspect it's going to make communication difficult (and we need four-way communication: between us, architect, builders, and government permit-issuing types). So that's something to consider. ~Charmaine

Charmaine,

A third party architect sounds like fun....but there is plenty of risk built into this approach. It occurs in the gap between the architect and the builders and nearly always leads to cost inflation and delays. Plan for a %20 contingency. In addition, plan an aditional %10 for your Project Manager - you will need one.


There are many builders who also have inhouse architects or who will take 100% responsibility for the design; design-build. Try and get a fixed price, fixed delivery, liquidated damages and most important a performance bond.

We design and mfg 100's of prefab homes (locked-in-cold and complete)to customer requirements and supply a complete bill of materials for finishing. A hybrid on the design-build approach which eliminates a lot risk that you get with independant builders and architects.

Peter

Charmaine,
I would have to disagree with Peter on his above post. I have worked for a few architect firms and am in the process of starting my own design firm. But I have also worked for a builder that does design build with an architect on staff. My experience with that is even thought it may be designed by an architect they are usually cookie cutter designs that you see on every other block thru out the US.

Also on the basis of fees, he is correct that you need to figure in for a contingency, I would say if your designer and general contractor work together they can get it down to as little as 5% instead of 20%. You would also have that in an estimate from a design built firm also. You always have to expect the unexpected. And the 10% for a Project Manager should not be needed because that should be part of the designers and generals fee to cover that not an extra. That is all I can think of at this time.

Jeff

Hi!

I sincerely hope you decide to hire an architect for your house. True, we have to keep ourselves alive, so I am arguing for my livlyhood and that of my fellow architects, but I feel you will be happier with your home if you have a good architect or architectural designer work closely with you on your design.

Now, having said that, if you are still looking, I'll throw my hat in the ring! I am relocating to Palo Alto in Jan for several months and will be out there several times this fall (starting this tuesday!)

My firm was recently named a 2005 winner in the Young Architects Forum, sponsored by the Architectural League of New York, and my Heavy/Light House project won a Progressive Architecture Award Citation and a Boston Society of Architects award for unbuilt architecture (both 2004). I have been published in several magazines, including Architecture, The Boston Globe Magazine, and Dwell.

I currently have a modern home under construction in Carlisle MA. (3800 SF, about $200/SF).

You can see my work, and find contact info on my website, at http://danhiseldesign.com

And feel free to give me a call. If you decide not to, best of luck to you on your project!

Dan

A local architect you might want to talk with is John Thodos www.thodosaia.com. I've admired his Scenic House for years and love to walk by his office on 7th and oogle. Best of luck.

hi-
this might be a little late but i work with a great architect. he is LA based but is doing residential work both there and up north. he's young, does modern work, and is super detail oriented. he can definitely find a way to do things on a budget. the website isnt up yet but if you want some snaps feel free to email Tom Perkins at tom@parc.la

We are in the early phases of designing a small modern vacation house in the Southern California high desert. I do most of the creative design work (I'm creative but not a pro) but I work closely with a local CA architect which is essential when it's time to get your building permit. CA has many codes and rules you must follow, mainly for your own good, largely having to do with energy conservation and seismic safety. I have been through a similar process, with the same architect (like many things creative, the personal relationship is VERY important) twice before with additions to my house in Los Angeles over a period of about 12 years. If you have modern style in mind, like the classic modern CA architects of yore, such as Neutra or Frey or Lautner or Soriano or Koenig or Schindler, you will need MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS in your thinking because much of their basic concept of merging inside with outside, opening up with expanses of glass, the elegance and light weight exposed structural shapes, are now legally out of the question. If you follow the basic code, for example, in CA you will find you can't meet the rules if your glazing is more than 16% of your floor area! Figure out how little that is - even a conventional ranch house would exceed that. You need a professional who has one of the state-approved computer programs to run test energy calculations to find out what kind of a house you will be allowed to build, what trade-offs you can make, and who can come up with ways to approach what you want to have and still meet the rules. Otherwise, no permit. If you have a steel-frame structure in mind, as we are planning, you will also need a structural engineer. If you are on a steep grade, like your 12%, and you have to do a lot of grading work, you will also likely need an engineering report in many areas, by a civil engineer. Many (most?) prefab buildings will not meet CA's very strict rules new (10-1-05) rules. It is time to get seriously creative if you want your modern dream to come true, or you will be whittled down to an expensive standard-issue box with little slits for windows and you will not be happy. In short, I suggest you need a local architect, and you need one who is expert in meeting CA state regs, regs of your city or town (if in one), and regs of your county, both of which may be above and beyond the state's requirements that apply everywhere. Good luck!

Hello! We are building a modern home in San Diego and we LOVE our architects! I totally urge you to call them if you have not already found someone. They were recently featured in Better Homes and Gardens - that is how we found them. Our budget is the same or even less than yours and they are very comfortable with creating something beautiful with that. They are called Davis Davis Architects. Located in Hillcrest. Phone is 619-296-1533. Ask for Bob Davis and tell him Lisa sent you. You can come look at our construction site if you want to.

I have a small (2 person) office in La Mesa doing custom residential work. I have built on slopes as great as 30% and enjoy working on such sites.

I would be interested in talking to you if you are still looking for an architect. Please feel free to contact me if you would like.

Kent Coston, Architect
kc@kentcoston.com

I live in the Valley and am beginning the odyssey of building a green home. We have propert in upper CV and would be interested in sharing notes with you...

Steve

Hope you're getting along wellwith your Carmel Valley house. It's a beautiful area; we get up there usually every year or two (this year, twice already!) for social events or the Monterey Historics weekend and associated Concorso Italiano. We've stayed at what we'd call upper CV at the Blue Sky Lodge. Is your place above that? Clser the the Grade? Do you have special fire requirments?