From Blank Page
To Dream Home
At JAFFE A+I, design is deliberate and informed. Though Lisa and her associates collaborate with clients, the firm does the heavy lifting of developing the design, drawing the plans and overseeing construction. They also design interiors, selecting finishes, furniture and accessories, as well as creating furniture floor plans. The firm’s mantra is you cannot design a well-functioning space without understanding how it will be lived in.
Throughout the process, the firm manages everything from the overall concept to the tiniest details. Organization and thoroughness makes each phase go as smoothly as possible, so … from your dream … to your dream home, you’re taken care of from beginning to end.
As a full service architecture and interior design firm, we provide comprehensive design services and manage the entire process for you. You’ll appreciate that we transform what can be a daunting undertaking into an enjoyable experience, executing your vision into reality. You get a beautiful, cohesive home that works for the way you live.
GETTING STARTED
Goals and Visions
We love that our clients and their dream homes are unique. So before we do anything else, we ask you exactly what you want; we help you convey your desires and needs by prompting you with thought-provoking questions. What are your specific hopes for your home? What do you want to change in your house that will improve your lifestyle? We listen carefully. Because when we understand what you want, we’re able to design and build your custom home — one that reflects you and your life perfectly!
PRE-DESIGN
Feasibility Studios, Site Reviews
Would you like a brand new home or are you interested in a renovation? Are you unsure how to proceed? Either way, we can help. In the case of new construction, we can assist with site selection and researching zoning and local building codes. In a renovation, the design team may conduct feasibility studies to determine what structural improvements can be made, or how your current space can be used more efficiently. Pre-design determines what is possible.
SCHEMATIC DESIGN
Conceptual Sketches, Preliminary Plans, Scope Documents
The next step is to tour your existing home. We ask you to tell us in detail how you use your home including your daily routines and practices — what works and what doesn’t. We frequently identify lifestyle problems, even ones you didn’t know you had, and later incorporate solutions into the design. Beyond the big picture, we discuss things like storage, furniture and art placement. We then develop a scope of work and floor plans to help you visualize our ideas for your home.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Basic Interior Elevations, Lighting and Electrical Drawings, Structural Requirements
When you’re satisfied with the project scope and schematics, we begin Design Development. Your new home takes shape when proportions are finalized, details such as millwork are added, and materials are selected. Design Development enables us to formulate a construction plan and allows for the most accurate bidding possible. This minimizes surprises during construction, saving you time and money.
CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS
Detailed Interior Elevations, Component Specifications, Construction Plans
You know you want to frame the fireplace with built-in bookshelves, but should the corners be mitered or bridled? Should they align with the baseboard or the mantel? Fine details like this are decided when we produce Construction Documents. These decisions often have an impact on the overall design, so Design Development and Construction Documents often overlap. These documents are used in the bidding process, and include written specifications and drawings. Construction Documents represent the design’s final form.
BIDDING
Once the construction documents are complete, we submit them to a selection of trusted contractors. You have the opportunity to meet each contractor and walk through some of their recently completed projects. We review all bids against the design documents to ensure accuracy, minimizing unforeseen expenses. We can also assist in the vetting process, and make a recommendation if you’d like.
CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION
The personalized attention you receive at JAFFE A+I doesn’t end once the construction has started. Just like you wouldn’t miss the encore of a great concert, we don’t leave before the show is completely over, either. What is vitally important to us is advocating for you through the completion of your new home — acting as your agent during this phase, making sure we’re proactively addressing unknowns, answering the contractor’s questions and clarifying design elements with supplemental information when it’s needed. Whether it’s new construction or a renovation, our active participation is critical during construction and allows us to resolve any variations between the drawings and the building site dynamics.
INTERIOR DESIGN
Once construction is complete, your home is almost finished … but, not quite! That’s why JAFFE A+I offers interior design services. Because we believe a well-designed space must furnish well, we address interior design early, so interior and architectural design operate hand in hand; the architectural and aesthetic concepts carry through to furniture, lighting, window treatments, art placement and more. While we offer the convenience of acting as a “one-stop-shop,” we’re also happy to work with an interior designer of your choosing, collaborating closely so harmony is achieved. Either way, our goal for you is a beautifully integrated space curated precisely for the way you live. We want your new home to be as pleasing to live in, as it is to look at!
LEED AP
As LEED* accredited professionals, we are sensitive to a home’s environmental footprint. Therefore, we do what we can to minimize the impact on our natural resources. Renovating an existing building instead of razing and rebuilding is “green” by definition. And no matter how the home got its start, a well-insulated building minimizes the transfer of indoor and outdoor air, significantly reducing the energy demands for heating and cooling, as well as ongoing maintenance costs. We take care of the earth as we take care of you.
* LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rating system devised by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to evaluate the environmental performance of a building and encourage market transformation towards sustainable design.