Meeting our architect

Yesterday Lena and I took off from work and went up to the property to meet with Kevin, the architect from Blu Homes, to discuss what our project might look like. This meeting marks the beginning of Blu's Concept phase which includes a design consultation, conceptual plans, and a high-level project estimate and timeline.  The first step, however, was to select one of the two home models we have been considering.

Look how gender-coordinated their outfits are!

So, pretty quickly we settled on the Breezehouse because we think having slightly larger bedrooms all on one floor will suit us better now and in the future.  As much as we originally loved the Sidebreeze, the 2015 model was a step in a blander direction, and that made our decision a little easier.  The modifications we would have to make in order to fit within the county's height limitation would have vacuumed-off yet another interesting architectural element and also cost more to customize.

2015 Breezehouse... check!

Blu charges a premium for the design phase if you stray from their standard options because they have to spend time customizing the design to your requests.  The cost of the standard track of the design phase is $5,000 + consultant fees and it is estimated to take 6 or more weeks to complete.  If you find yourself on the premium track you will pay at least $13,000 more and it will take at least twice as long.

Similar to buying a car, the new Breezehouse has a number of standard options from which to choose including, floor plan layouts, window/door packages, appliance trim lines, and interior/exterior finishes. We are hoping to stay on the standard track by selecting from the menu of standard options. However, because all projects in Marin County are subject to "Design Review," we might be forced onto the premium track. This is because Blu may be required to prepare extra documentation for the county's permuting process.

And just to further complicate the matter, we are also planning a smaller building as an art studio on the second building envelope.  This will likely be a combination of a 37-foot (682 square foot) Origin Blu Home and a site-built garage. Ideally, we would be able to build both of these at the same time to avoid having to go through permitting twice, but the cost of the project may determine what we are able to do when.

Special thanks to Meredith (our Blu sales consultant) and Stephen (our faithful agent) for attending this meeting and helping us make some quick decisions!