From first conversation to finished building.
Every project is different, but the structure stays the same. Here’s what the process actually looks like when you work with a solo principal, no handoffs, no surprises, no wondering who’s running your project.
Conversation
Week 1–2I want to understand the project before I understand the building. What’s the site like? What’s your budget, honestly? What’s the timeline? What do you actually care about and what’s negotiable? Most architects skip this part or turn it into a sales pitch. I just listen. Sometimes a 30-minute phone call tells me everything I need to know about whether we should work together. If it’s not a good fit, I’ll say so. That saves us both six months.
Site & Context
Week 2–4I walk the site. I study the zoning. I pull the setbacks, the height limits, the parking requirements, all the invisible rules that shape what’s actually possible. For commercial projects, I’m mapping the municipal approval path before you’ve spent a dollar on design. How many planning commission meetings? Which variances will we need? What’s the review board going to push back on? This is the part most clients never see, and it’s the part that prevents the most expensive mistakes.
Design
Week 4–10I don’t hand you floor plans and ask you to imagine the rest. I build cinematic 3D walkthroughs, the same presentations I bring to planning commissions. You see the building from the street. You walk through the front door. You stand in the kitchen and look out the window. This isn’t a gimmick. It changes the conversation. Clients catch problems at week six instead of month six. I refine until it’s right. Usually two to three rounds. Sometimes one.
Documentation
Week 10–16Construction documents are where good design either survives or dies. I produce the full set: plans, sections, elevations, details, specifications. Everything a contractor needs to price accurately and build correctly. I’ve seen too many projects fall apart because the documents were vague, incomplete, or contradictory. That doesn’t happen here. Every detail gets resolved on paper, not in the field at $150 an hour.
Approvals
VariesMunicipal approvals are where projects stall. Zoning board hearings, planning commission reviews, building permits, each one is a potential three-month delay if you’re not prepared. I present projects myself. I know the review process in Rochester, Rochester Hills, Troy, Birmingham, Lake Orion, Oakland Township, and most of southeast Michigan. I know what each board cares about, what questions they’ll ask, and what format they want to see.
Construction
Project dependentConstruction administration is where the architect earns their fee, or proves they were never really needed. I review submittals. I answer RFIs. I visit the site. When the contractor calls with a question about a flashing detail at 7 a.m., I pick up. The goal is simple: make sure what gets built matches what we designed. Not approximately. Not close enough. The actual thing.
“The best projects happen when the client and the architect are genuinely working on the same thing. Not parallel tracks. The same track.”
Straight answers.
How much does it cost to hire an architect in Michigan?
Architectural fees typically range from 8 to 15% of construction cost, depending on the project’s complexity and scope. For a custom home, that means the design investment scales with the build. I’m transparent about fees from the first conversation, no surprises.
What’s the difference between hiring a one-person firm and a large firm?
At a large firm, the principal who wins the project often isn’t the one designing it or managing it day to day. You end up working with junior staff and project managers. With my practice, the person you meet is the person doing the work. Every call, every decision, every site visit. That continuity is the difference between a good project and a great one.
How long does the custom home design process take?
From first meeting to construction documents, most custom homes take four to eight months depending on size and complexity. Renovations can be faster. I don’t rush the design phase because getting it right on paper saves months and money during construction.
Do you work on renovations, or just new construction?
Both. Some of my best work has been renovations: bringing a mid-century home back to life, adding onto a family house without losing its character, or reimagining an interior completely. Renovations often require more skill than new builds because you’re solving problems the original architect didn’t anticipate.
What areas of Michigan do you serve?
I’m based in Rochester Hills and work throughout Michigan. Most of my projects are in Oakland County (Rochester, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Troy, Lake Orion, Clarkston) but I also design lakefront homes in northern Michigan (Charlevoix, Traverse City, Petoskey) and have worked in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Plymouth.
Do you help select a builder?
Yes. After 25 years in Michigan, I know the builders: who does quality work, who communicates well, who stays on schedule. I’ll help you find the right match for your project and your expectations. A good architect-builder relationship is one of the most important factors in a successful project.
How do we get started?
A conversation. Tell me what you’re thinking, even if it’s vague. Most projects start with a phone call or a message through the site. No commitment, no sales pitch. Just a conversation about what’s possible.