Private Homes | Bennett Partners

The Design of Houses

The design of fine homes is an important part of our practice. We design only a few each year and no two are the same. The spirit and style of each home reflects the spirit and style of the owners, their home site, and the area where they have chosen to live. The house and its landscape are an expression of the owner’s vision and personalities.

Most of the homes we design are located on beautiful and special sites, often in distinctive natural settings. We work to ensure each responds to each site’s natural features, views, microclimates, and established ambiance of the place. We strive with each home to ensure that each now home, when complete, will feel as if it belongs to its site.

We approach all our work with a profound respect for the architectural traditions and the vernacular architecture of the region. At the same time our designs are fundamentally modern and incorporate basic contemporary qualities, open and airy spaces, abundant natural light, and simple and well detailed use of materials. We work in each design for a sense of elegance and comfort, for a reserved informal living environment, and a close relationship with the out-of-doors.

The Construction of Houses

Our design philosophy is based on the development of a relationship between the home, the site and the owner. Similarly, our philosophy of the construction of homes is based on the relationships between members of the team needed to construct a home. Our professional services normally include the architectural, interior, lighting and landscape design services you need for a house. These are just a few of the professional services needed for construction of a modern house:

The builder: A high quality general contractor should be involved early to participate in the design process and provide project budgeting and input. We can provide a number of names of builders and are always open to working with new craftsmen if you have a favorite.
Civil Engineering: As your site has opportunities to take advantage of slope and grade we suggest bringing a civil engineer on board early to handle surveys, detailed design of site improvements, and any related approvals. We would be happy to work with you to select an engineer that would be able to do this work.
Structural Engineering: We’ll also need the expertise of a structural engineer, especially to help us design the foundations and special aspects of your new home.
Mechanical Design: For most homes, we’d expect the builder to be able to bring in a subcontractor who would complete the plumbing, ﬁre suppression and environmental conditioning design of the home. These are general on a “design/build” basis with our input on any aesthetic issues.

The Process of Design

Architectural Design

Our work is typically done in four separate steps to ensure the design reflects all of your needs, provides time for review, pricing, engineering, and quality control.

Step 1: Design Concepts – We explore concepts and ideas together and decide on the basic layout and “look” of the house and grounds.
Step 2: Design Development – We refine the design concept package, select materials, and check that all of your requirements are met. The floor plans and exterior elevations are complete and we will continue to work on the interiors. We are also continuing to “tweak” the site plan, based on the final survey information we received from the civil engineer.
Step 3: Construction Documents – The phase when we translate the design into the detailed drawings and specifications that you will use to build the house. With an experienced homebuilder, we sometimes have little work to do during this stage, but will be available for clarifications or to solve specific design problems in the event they occur.
Step 4: Services During Construction – Normally related to answering questions that arise at the site, helping to review mockups to select final materials and colors, and check-out the construction step-by-step until final completion.

Interior Design

Step 1: Conceptual design – When we gather information including measuring the furniture you intend to bring with you and creating an inventory of art pieces in your collection. Size and organization of rooms in relation to possible furniture layouts is explored, and we begin to conceptualize architectural lighting for your home.
Step 2: Design Development – When the furniture arrangements are finalized, new furniture is selected for consideration, materials, tile and plumbing fixtures are selected and lighting levels are tested and coordinated.
Step 3: Construction Documents – The phase where final material decisions are documented and finalized. Material transitions and Intersections are detailed and colors, textures and patterns are verified for continuity. Lighting is scheduled and detailed to ensure proper execution.
Step 4: Services During Construction – Related to the final detailed decision making processes, coordinating the small but important items that turn a house into a home and coordinating extensively with the trades to ensure a consistent quality product. We also assist at this time with the focusing of installed lighting to ensure it performs to the design intent.

Landscape Architecture

The landscape architecture design process would parallel the work on the house. Our landscape architects would be working on grading, driveways, terraces, fences, paths, planting and irrigation, and other site work.

Step 1: Conceptual Design – We establish the house floor elevations and grades, lay out the driveway and sites for any features you want on the property, and prepare a landscape master plan, recognizing especially those areas of existing landscape that we will be preserving.
Step 2: Design Development – We prepare a preliminary design for each element of the landscape, and we coordinate the house and site design.
Step 3: Construction Documents – We prepare the drawings and documents required for landscape construction, a site and layout plan, a planting plan, an irrigation plan and a lighting plan.
Step 4: Services During Construction – We review subcontractors documents and their construction for compliance with the original approved design. Likewise, we usually work directly with the selected landscape contractor/nurseryman on final selection and placement of plantings.