The Building Process
What You Can Expect
Initial consultation
We ask that you assemble the general and fundamental goals and parameters for your new home, i.e. a wish list such as the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, living areas, garages, along with desired size and price range. We listen for your lifestyle, or the way you view and use your home. Do you office out of the home or entertain a lot? What specialty rooms are desired or work for you and your family like media, theatre, gameroom, craft area, wine cellar, cigar lounge, exercise room, etc. Do you desire a loggia area, outdoor kitchen, or porte-cochere? Our job is to listen carefully and determine how consistent your desires are with your parameters (budget and size).
The choice of lot is important. Often we assist buyers in acquiring a lot if the lot has not been previously determined. Orientation of the home can dramatically affect your homes heating and cooling efficiency. The views unique to your lot need to be maximized while also protecting your desired privacy. We work with you on achieving these goals.
We can provide pictures, sketches, and research material to help clarify your style architecturally and begin to consider a floor plan to suit your lifestyle. We can begin to sketch a floor plan with you initially or we may discuss and consider which one of the architectural firms we will partner with to begin the process. This decision will be yours but we will provide recommendations as to your style and budget.
It has been our experience that you are best served by our involvement in the design process from the beginning. It helps us to get to know you and your particular style and it helps you to know where you are going from a budget standpoint during the development stages.
Plan development
Once the decision is made as to the architectural firm, we will ask for an initial plan deposit. This will be based upon the choice of architect and the projected overall size of your home.
In conjunction with plan development we will also begin work on your specifications, detailed room by room descriptions of construction materials and decorative finishes. These, as addendum to the plans, will be the basis for budget development. When the plans are complete, we can then provide the price to build.
The architectural detailing of your home is especially important in our view. Our experience is that time spent up front on really getting the details right make for a superior finished product. We spend a lot of time and effort in this area because we want the completion to look like the picture in development.
Pre-construction
A great deal of careful preparation is required during pre-construction. We will pursue the required approvals from your community architectural review committee and obtain city permits. Most importantly, we will carefully guide the engineering process. We use only site specific soil reports to engineer your foundation to standards that exceed the basic code requirements. Structural framing is engineered to include all steel requirements and floor systems. There are no shortcuts to ensuring that these steps are thorough. Our commitment to providing the finest craftsmen available is even evident in these behind the scenes people who share our resolve to be the best.
Construction
Your new MjBrown Distinctive Home is a unique, one of a kind custom product. The best craftsmen available are assembled to work in an orderly, deliberate, and steady manner. Project management is meticulous and one of the strongest elements in making the whole custom home building process a good experience for all. We strive to have clean construction sites and continual progress in getting you into your new home.
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Construction Elements
Walkout Basements
Texas has a reputation for bad soils and corresponding poor conditions for basements. Texas is a big state and Collin County does have land that is not only suitable but ideal, particularly for a walkout basements, where three sides are underground and one is open. We know the proper way to design, build, and most importantly seal these spaces which add a lot of design interest and livable space. Part of our design process is that we use only site specific soil reports, which tell us and the engineer not only if the location is suitable but also how to specifically design to conditions.
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Framing
Residential framing in our homes is both art and science. Anybody can build a box but our homes are inherently unique and difficult to produce. One prominent local developer comments that it seems a shame to cover our homes with sheetrock since there is so much craftsmanship evident in vaulted and specialty ceilings with unique details. While many cities require minimum engineered framing plans, our standards exceed those of the National Uniform Building Codes. An architecturally significant home must built to last with careful attention to structural detail.
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Architectural Details
The quality of investment in a luxury home is directly related to the long term marketability. We choose rather than riding the trends to produce homes that are true to their architectural heritage. This approach done correctly achieves two things for our clients. First, an elevation that is historically appropriate is timeless and therefore less susceptible to short term market trends. Secondly, there is an intangible, relaxing and reassuring effect in a home that feels like it has already been there a hundred years. It sends the message of permanence that it will likely be there another hundred. We carefully research and consult with the best experts to bring in authentic details to be period correct.
Windows
The house as a system is extremely reliant on the quality of the windows and proper installation. We use only maintenance free exteriors, either metal clad wood with a baked on enamel finish, or vinyl. With our hot Texas summers, the key we look for is the Solar Heat gain Coefficient (SHGC) which measures how well a window blocks heat from sunlight. The lower the SHGC rating, the better the window is for blocking unwanted heat gain, and the lower your utility bill. Increasing the R value of the walls does little if you lose all the cooling out the windows!
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