You’ve now journeyed through the essentials of residential architecture: understanding the need for an architect, what architects do, how to select the right one, and how they can elevate your project. Now, it’s time to focus on what comes next. Whether you’re building a custom home in Minneapolis or renovating a retreat deep within the Hudson Valley, this guide will help you take the first practical steps to bring your vision to life

1. Consider Your Needs and Priorities

As architects, one of our key roles is to help you define the vision for your home. But it’s helpful to start thinking about your high-level goals before beginning the process. What do you need from this home? What spaces are essential? What are your "must-haves," and what features are flexible?

Instead of focusing on the final design, focus on how you want the home to work for you. Think high-level. What do you need? Is this the place where you’ll throw the family reunion? Or is it where you’ll sip coffee and watch the sunrise every day? Gathering your thoughts in advance will make those early design discussions more productive.

Key Point: You don’t need to know everything right now. That’s what we’re here for. We take your vision, refine it, and turn it into something tangible. But it helps if you start thinking about the function—leave the form to us

2. Setting a Realistic Budget: Understanding Hard vs. Soft Costs

One of the first steps in planning your project is setting a comprehensive budget, but it’s essential to understand that there’s more to the “construction budget” than just the build. Projects often include both hard costs (the physical construction of the home) and soft costs (such as architect’s fees, permits, and engineering). Additionally, don’t forget the cost of the land, as this is usually excluded from the “construction budget” conversation.

Breaking down these categories can give you a clearer picture:

• Hard Costs: Construction materials, labor, site work, and landscaping.
  

• Soft Costs: Architectural and engineering fees, permits, interior design services, and consultants.

It’s important to understand your all-in number—what the entire project will cost from land acquisition to final finishes. This ensures you have realistic expectations and can make informed decisions throughout the design process.

Key Tip: Costs can also vary by location. For instance, building a custom home in Minneapolis might be more expensive than in Northern Iowa due to higher labor and material costs in urban areas. Contacting local builders early on is a great way to get a pulse on where construction costs are trending in your specific area.

3. Start Early: Get an Architect Involved Right Away

You don’t need to have all the answers before reaching out to an architect. In fact, one of the best things you can do is to involve an architect early in the process—even before you’ve purchased land or fully defined your project goals. Having a trusted architectural partner from the beginning allows you to investigate potential building sites, assess site-specific challenges, and even brainstorm design ideas.

Architects are trained problem-solvers, and they can offer valuable insight into site selection, zoning considerations, and the best approach to your overall project. Getting this expertise early on can save you time, money, and headaches later in the process.

Key Tip: Your project doesn’t need to be fully defined before bringing on an architect. Working together from the outset can help ensure that the land, budget, and design all align from day one. (Stay tuned for our forthcoming blog series on how to evaluate potential building sites.)

"....start thinking about the function—leave the form to us"

4. Prepare for the Journey

Building a custom home is exciting, but it’s not without its challenges. Understand from the outset that there will be bumps along the way—whether it's material delays, minor design revisions, or unexpected site issues. While we strive to make every experience seamless, the reality of the custom home design process is that it's a complex machine involving thousands of decisions.

A good architect and builder team will work closely with you to navigate these challenges, but it’s important to maintain flexibility and an open line of communication. Remember, a custom home is not a prefabricated product—it’s designed and built specifically for you, which means there are variables and unknowns along the way.

Pro Tip: Hiccups are part of the process, but how you and your team respond to them is what matters most. A successful project is built on collaboration and problem-solving, not perfection. By working as a team, we can efficiently address any issues that arise and keep the project moving forward.

5. Moving Forward with Confidence

As you move forward, remember that you don’t need to have everything figured out right away. Whether you’re in the early stages of deciding on a plot of land or you’re ready to start drawing up plans, the right architectural team will guide you through each step of the process.

So, where do you go from here? You start with a team that’s been down this road before, and who knows how to turn obstacles into opportunities. Unfold Architecture isn’t just limited to Minnesota—we can bring our skills, knowledge, and Midwestern sensibility anywhere you are.

The next step? Reach out! You don’t need to have all the answers, you just need the right team.

We’re ready when you are