Schematic design through design development

What this phase produces

By the end of design development you have:

• Floor plans for each existing and proposed level, with rooms labeled and dimensioned.
• Exterior elevations — all four sides of the house, with window and door locations, materials called out.
• Building sections through the house showing floor-to-floor heights, roof pitch, and any complex framing conditions.
• A 3D model or massing diagram that lets you understand the building three-dimensionally.
• A specifications outline for exterior materials (siding, roofing, windows, doors).

This isn't a permit set yet. Permit-set work happens in the next round. But the design has to be right enough that the structural engineer can engineer to it and the energy consultant can run compliance against it.

How the iteration works

Most owners go through 2–4 schematic rounds. Round 1 is the designer's first pass. Each round takes 2–4 weeks: designer presents, you live with it for a week, you give feedback, designer revises.

What to focus on:

• Room sizes and adjacencies. Stair location is the single hardest thing to change later. Get it right in schematic.
• Window and door rhythm on the exterior. A pop-up that doesn't match the existing house's window rhythm reads as off; matching the rhythm reads as original.
• Roof shape. A simple gable extension is the cheapest, most code-compliant, and usually best-looking option. Hip-and-dormer schemes get expensive fast.
• Exterior materials. New siding has to either match existing or be a deliberate contrast. The HD/CD overlay (if applicable) constrains your options here.

What to push back on

• Flair without function. Architects sometimes propose features that look great in renderings but cost $30K to build. Ask for the cost-per-feature when something feels expensive.
• Inflation of scope. "While we're at it" is the most expensive phrase in remodeling. Each "while we're at it" gets its own line and its own decision.
• Rooms you'll never use. Most additions add a primary suite + 1–2 bedrooms upstairs. A dedicated study, a yoga room, and a media room are scope creep.

What good looks like at the end of DD

The design feels resolved. The plans answer every question you've asked. The elevations look like the house belongs on the lot. The cost band has tightened from "wide" to "moderate." Time to engineer it.