Custom Residential Design-Build Services

Home Exterior Systems is no stranger to making our customers’ vision for their home a reality.

What is design-build?

Design-build services are essentially just what they sound like. Our customer, the homeowner, considers some changes to their home that they believe would suit them and asks us to get involved. Depending on what we’re discussing, we do what we can to make it happen, as long as it’s feasible and not cost-prohibitive.

Factors affecting design-build projects

First and foremost, capture the vision in a way that is crystal clear to both the homeowner and our home exterior systems team. Sometimes, simple sketches will suffice for a modified deck or stair railing. But with structural alterations such as knocking out walls, room additions, or a double-decker enclosed patio, we rely on drawings and renderings with engineering input to ensure safety and code compliance. So, it definitely comes down to what you envision for your home, so we can work out the time and materials involved, which affect the overall cost.

How long does it take?

Custom design-build projects usually move along pretty fast once all the upfront prep work is completed. When structural elements are involved, it is really important to have professional engineering sign-off on modifications. Then there’s the matter of Permits and HOAs, which can sometimes take longer than we’d like. Other factors affecting the time required for custom design-build residential projects might include special orders or custom materials. For example, an odd-sized quadruple-wide patio sliding door that is 12 ft high isn’t something one finds lying around in stock. These types of custom-order components typically require a 12-18-week lead time to manufacture and ship. Then there may be specialized equipment that needs to be rented for specific tasks (like super-huge patio sliding doors).

What types of design-build projects does Home Exterior Systems do?

In general, we focus on residential single-family projects, though we have handled some three- and four-story multi-family projects as well. Many of the projects we are involved with don’t start out as design-build, but begin as basic exterior renovations and then evolve with the homeowner’s vision for beautification or added utility.
Many times, we encounter a homeowner who would like to give their home a more attractive look by modifying the entryway.

Porticos, porches, patios, as well as custom trim or storm shutters, all can dramatically improve the curb appeal of various architectural styles. Sometimes the before-and-after is so striking that the improvement is immediately obvious. A nice-looking traditional all-brick two-story home is literally transformed with the addition of a Portico over the Entry Door and even further with story shutters on either side of the front window openings. These changes not only improve the look of the home with complementary and contrasting design elements but also add utility, such as covering the front entry door opening during heavy rain.