Our Guide to the Design + Construction Process
Prow House, Oregon Coast
Designing and Building With Us
At chadbourne+doss, architecture is personal. It’s also collaborative, fun, and adventurous.
Embarking on a custom design is exciting (did we mention we like an adventure), and it’s also a team effort. An extraordinary team of experts and artisans assembles around your project. Below are our steps and recommendations to help you have a successful design and construction process.
The Perch, Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill
It Starts With Listening
First, we want to know about you.
Every project begins with a conversation and with our proprietary HOMEwork assignment. It’s both a practical and playful questionnaire that helps us learn about you and understand how you live and work (or how you envision doing so), what you value, and what makes you feel at home.
HOMEwork reveals more than programmatic needs and wish lists — it uncovers personality. We find out what makes you and your project truly special. One couple provided scented vials to convey how they wanted their home to feel. Another shared a mixed CD. We love it when clients get creative, share freely, and inspire us to create architecture that embodies their uniqueness.
Prow House, Oregon Coast
It’s a Team Effort
Great architecture requires a great team. The strongest projects emerge when everyone has a seat at the table — especially you — and when everyone trusts the team. We collaborate closely with our clients alongside a trusted network of engineers, builders, consultants, and craftspeople, creating an open, engaged process where ideas are shared, challenged, and strengthened. Because every project encounters the unexpected, building a team you trust is important. The result is architecture shaped not just by expertise, but by collective investment and vision.
Prow House, Oregon Coast
Exploration Before Answers
Constraints — whether site conditions, zoning regulations, budgets, or existing buildings — are embraced as opportunities for inventive, thoughtful solutions.
Instead of presenting one “big reveal,” we typically develop multiple design concepts early on. The concepts may vary in layout, feel, and budget — and we walk through these together using drawings, models, and 3D studies to help you fully understand the possibilities.
These choices give you a real voice in shaping the project's direction. This process of finetuning also builds confidence before we commit to a chosen design path.
Past Present House, Seattle’s Capitol Hill
How the Process Works
Every project is different, but the process is generally universal. Think of it as a creative arc — from big ideas to built reality.
Pre-Design (optional, but helpful)
Kicking the tires before we hit the gas.
We evaluate potential sites, clarify your goals, explore development opportunities, and talk honestly about budget and scope. This phase is billed hourly — and the first hour is on us. It’s a great way to see if we’re all a good fit.
1. Schematic Design
Where the ideas start flying.
We document existing conditions, research zoning and permitting, and develop up to three distinct design concepts. Through drawings, models, and conversation, we test possibilities and discover what feels right for you. This is the exploratory, “what if?” stage — and it’s one of our favorites.
2. Design Development
Choosing a direction and making it real.
With your input, we refine the design into a singular design scheme and represent the design with floor plans, elevations, and building sections. We explore interior and exterior material options and start dialing in the details with 3-D Renderings and/or models. We introduce Contractors to provide early pricing, so the design and budget stay aligned. This is where the project gains more clarity and confidence.
3. Construction Documents
Turning the design into instructions.
We translate the design into detailed, buildable drawings and specifications for permitting and contractor bidding. This is the technical backbone of the project — thoughtful, coordinated, and thorough. Drawings and Specifications are fleshed out to keep the project moving on target and on budget.
4. Construction Administration
Bringing the design to life.
We stay actively involved during construction — visiting the site, reviewing shop drawings, answering contractor questions, facilitating required changes, and advocating for quality. Our job is to protect the integrity of the design while keeping the process collaborative and steady.
Designed with Care. Built to Last.
Whether it’s a home, a backyard cottage, or a commercial space, our goal is simple: create architecture that works hard, feels personal, and stands the test of time.
If you’re considering a project and feel excited by a thoughtful, collaborative process — we’d love to talk.
We’re always looking for adventurous clients.
From First Conversation to Final Walkthrough, We’ve Got You.
We are a small studio with big ideas and big experience. We are intentional about our size and workload, so we can focus on you and remain hands-on from first sketch to final site visit. When you work with us, you work directly with principals Lisa Chadbourne and Daren Doss throughout the entire design and construction process — we’ve got you.
What Clients Tell Us
“We are smitten with the house chadbourne + doss designed for us. It plays well in all seasons. When we do find the next project, chadbourne + doss will be our go-to architect of record. The attention to detail and design requests, coupled with budget realities, were constantly understood by c+d through the design process. The fact that chadbourne + doss understands how to build was a valuable asset in the construction phase of our project.” – Theo Lanuly, Lobster Boat Residence
“My wife and I have used Chadbourne + Doss architects twice, first for our primary residence and then again for a backyard cottage. We loved how extensive their research into our tastes and preferences was, and their ability to work within our budget, both when we needed to economize and when we wanted to splurge. Their service is truly "turnkey" in that they took our ideas and dreams and turned them into reality, including interfacing with the general contractor, inspectors, etc., while being incredibly responsive.” – Martin Criminale, Cycle House
