“We’d like a modern home in the Hudson Valley, but we don’t even know where to start…”

One of the greatest parts of my job is designing custom homes for so many uniquely individual people. What makes it rewarding is that every home is different, so there is always something new to design and to learn. We love what we do, and we love talking about it. I also know the more we share, the more comfortable people will be reaching out to us.

Today’s blog post is the first in a series aimed at narrowing the distance between home of your dreams and architect.

Most of the people who call us fit into one of two categories: either they’ve known for years that they will one day work with an architect to design the home of their dreams, or they’ve been searching for years for an existing home that suits their family and needs, with no luck, so have finally settled on finding an architect to design that home for them. The latter is the more common by far, and I’d like to change that.

I’ve been curious about this uncertainty, and it seems that -from comments we’ve heard or read during initial conversations- many people think they are supposed to have all the answers before they reach out to an architect. But the most productive calls we get are often the ones that start “We’d like a modern home in the Hudson Valley, but don’t even know where to start….”

(Chalet Perche, Completed 2018)

Prep for a Modern Home: Where To Start

“What’s our first step?”

First step is truly easy – give us a call. Most of our clients have never built a custom home before and are looking for guidance from the very beginning. Perfect. As a residential architect, my job is to learn about you. If I want you to consider hiring me, I need to give you a lot of valuable information about us and what you can expect in working with Studio MM. If you’re not sure what questions to ask, I will lead the conversation so that both you and I gain extensive knowledge about how the design and build process will go for your project. Even if you do have a few questions ready to go, a good final question is always, “What did I forget to ask you?” That way I can make sure we have touched on the basics – location, costs, budget, our design process, our experience, and a general project timeline.

Don’t worry – most of that list is information I am sharing with you – there’s really not much you need to know before we get started.

“What questions will an architect expect me to answer during an initial conversation?”

In an initial meeting, I’ll mostly be curious about location. Costs and timeline to build a modern home in the Hudson Valley / Upstate NY area can vary greatly from town to town, so this is why location matters. Sometimes our clients know exactly where they’d like to be (or already own land), but more often we are speaking with people interested in a general 2 – 2.5 hour radius outside of Manhattan. Both are great answers – we have experience designing and building modern homes throughout the Hudson Valley and Upstate NY, and I’m happy to talk specifics or give an overview as a guide.

(We wrote more about location and looking for land in a not-surprisingly similar post a few years ago… check that out here: Modern Home in the Hudson Valley : Looking for Land.)

(Images above are from previous posts highlighting our design process: Behind the Design: ClusterOne and Behind the Design:Tranquil Abiding.)

Next is the fun part – ideas, inspirations, and how you’re going to live in your home. There’s a lot more to talk about and next week I’ll answer 2 more “questions” we hear quite often as to why people have been reluctant to reach out to us.

(Image above is from our in-process post, Behind the Design: Cat Hill.)

Hopefully these stories are helping you feel less hesitation and more excitement about working with an architect!