What We Do
Planning a custom home, renovation, or multifamily project can feel overwhelming.
There are many decisions, competing priorities, and unknowns along the way. Our role is to bring clarity to the process by guiding you from initial vision through permitting and construction, so you can make confident, informed decisions at each step.
Project goals are always set by the owner. Our role is to ask the right questions whether your priority is creating a warmer, more inviting home, improving functionality, or organizing something as specific as a book collection and translating those goals into a design solution that often goes beyond what was initially imagined. Our work is best suited for clients who value thoughtful design, clear decision-making, and a collaborative process.
Custom Residential
New Builds:
Designing a custom home is both exciting and challenging. The number of possibilities can make it difficult to know where to begin.
We help you establish clear priorities early based on how you want to live, what matters most to you, and where flexibility exists so the design process feels focused rather than overwhelming. From there, we translate those priorities into a home that is thoughtful, functional, and tailored to your life.
Renovations:
Renovations introduce a different kind of complexity. Even small design changes can involve structural, plumbing, electrical, or mechanical considerations that aren’t always visible at first.
We help you understand these realities early, so decisions are made with both lifestyle and cost in mind. By clarifying where investments deliver the most value- spatially, experientially, or financially; we help you make informed choices and avoid surprises later in the process.
Multifamily Projects
Multifamily projects are exciting, but they only succeed if they make financial sense. From the outset, we help owners and developers align design decisions with market realities and project goals.
Early considerations such as target demographic and whether units are intended for rental or sale inform nearly every aspect of the design. These factors influence unit layouts, access to outdoor space, amenities, rentable or sellable square footage, unit mix, parking strategy, and overall building efficiency.
Our role is to balance design quality with financial performance; helping you evaluate options, understand tradeoffs, and move forward with a project that is both well-designed and economically viable.
Our Design Process
Residential and multifamily projects follow a clear, step-by-step framework. The difference is the data we evaluate along the way.
Residential Design Process
1. Initial Consultation
We begin by understanding your goals, lifestyle needs, aesthetic preferences, and constraints before design work begins.
2. Concept Design
We explore layout options, building form, and overall organization, helping you compare alternatives and understand the tradeoffs between them.
3. Detailed Design
Once a preferred concept is established, we refine the design in greater detail so you can better envision how the home will look, feel, and function.
4. Construction Pricing & Coordination
With detailed drawings complete, we work with contractors to establish pricing. When adjustments are needed, we help guide decisions so the elements most important to you are protected, while identifying opportunities for cost savings elsewhere.
5. Permitting
We coordinate and submit the project for permitting, working through the review process and addressing any requirements until approval is secured.
6. Construction Support
During construction, we provide ongoing support to help ensure the project is built in accordance with the design intent and documentation, giving you clarity and confidence as work progresses.
Multifamily Design Process
1. Initial Consultation
We begin by understanding the site, land cost, target market, and zoning constraints. Early limits on unit count or building size are evaluated in relation to land, construction, and overall development costs to establish realistic project parameters from the start.
2. Concept Design
We explore layout options, building form, and overall organization, helping you compare alternatives and understand key tradeoffs. At this stage, both quantitative metrics such as efficiency (net rentable or sellable area versus non-rentable space) and qualitative considerations like unit layout, access to outdoor space, and market appeal are evaluated together.
3. Detailed Design
Once a preferred concept is selected, we refine the design in greater detail so you can better assess how the project will look, feel, and function for the target market. Developer input at this stage helps balance design quality with construction cost.
4. Construction Pricing & Coordination
With detailed drawings complete, we work with contractors to establish pricing. When adjustments are required, we guide decisions to protect the elements most critical to the project’s success while identifying opportunities for cost savings elsewhere.
5. Permitting
We coordinate and submit the project for permitting, working through the review process and addressing requirements until approvals are secured.
6. Construction Support
During construction, we provide ongoing support to help ensure the project is built in accordance with the design intent and documentation, providing clarity and confidence throughout the build.
or contact us at:
office@nathanfellarchitecture.com
No cost, no commitment. Just advice.