Visions of the new home

The two designers working in parallel over the past few months presented their elevations and perspective drawings of my new home. Though I was somewhat disappointed that neither of them found it necessary to build a wood or cardboard model, I was excited to see what they came up with. (The architect told me later that they only do architectural models for more varied terrain or more complex structures. The extra time and cost would have yielded little benefit to my project that we couldn’t otherwise get from 3-D rendering software.)

The prefab designer’s version is shown below. The upper floor would be made up of two prefab modules, while the ground floor would be built on site. The ground floor was later changed from concrete to wood framing for insulation.

The architect’s version below shows not just the structure itself but also its surroundings, including the neighbor’s house to the west and the modest incline of the site.

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The design decision

By the time I informed the prefab firm that I was going with another designer for my project, I had known for some time that the architect’s design was my preferred choice. In my view, the architect has a more considered plan, one that incorporates much more of my input.

This is by no means an indictment of the prefab approach, as there were many arguments in favor of the prefab option. The first one was cost. Compared to the estimate prepared by a builder whom the architect introduced me to, the prefab home would have been 15 to 30 percent cheaper per square foot. However, I found out that prefab homes are harder to finance than conventionally built ones; most of the lenders I talked to were unwilling to let the prefab builder draw on the loan before the prefab units were delivered and installed on site. The second argument in favor of the prefab option was time. The prefab modules were expected to be manufactured in four months, then delivered to the site and prepared for occupancy in four days; the site-built home in the architect’s plan would take a year to complete. Because I had been expecting the build to take years instead of months, the time delay was less concerning.

I was more concerned about the price tag on the architect’s design. I’m going to have to take on more debt with this option. Financially, I’m taking a big leap of faith that the architect’s design will create property value exceeding the total project cost (including his fees). Notwithstanding the buoyant real estate market and the relative scarcity of contemporary homes in the neighborhood, I’m fully aware that I’m making an emotional decision here, driven by a strong connection with the architect’s vision for my new home.