Hammerhead Site Sewells Point, Stuart Florida Inter Coastal Waterway

Bob Ghen, is dead now but earned his fortune in the Physics Instrument industry in the 1950’s.  Bob enjoyed developing exotic properties for ultra wealthy clients.  This project was designed for one such client who owned this famous Stuart Beach Florida Hammer Head Lot.  This lot was a remnant from the US coast Guard from WWII.  The project featured a Caretaker quarters, Main House and Private bungalow with Art Gallery and Deep water Berth.

 

Everything we do is custom.  A truly custom home starts with learning a lot about the client your designing for.  For this reason, the first order of business on any project is to develop a spreadsheet listing each space length, and width and area are calculated. Cost is applied to this on a per square foot basis and a project budget is developed.  My clients and I refine this spreadsheet so we are both crystal clear about the goal we are shooting for and how much that is going to cost.  This is where the clients really see how much the things they want are going to cost and it is critical to moving forward with the design.

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The site is a primary element that needs to be analyzed and studied and considerations at this phase or very important.  This is where the solar element of the design comes to bear on what it will be like to be in space. Access, views, microclimate issues like prevailing winds,  zoning restrictions, the slope of the terrain, desirers of the client and so many other things come into the consideration of the design.

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For me, it all starts with freehand sketches.  Fairly quickly I like to begin the modeling process.  This is really the fun part of the project and we strive hard to refine the design with the clients' reactions and review comments in mind.  We usually send MP4 files which are animations of the design.  Of course, the typical plans and sections are shown, most clients really respond to communication that happens from walkthrough animations.  There are a few animations on this site that you can play to get a feel for what the 3D modeling process brings to the project.  It makes us able to communicate our ideas to you and show you how they will actually look when built.

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After the model is complete, we can use it to study interior design elements like color palates, finishes, furniture, and even lighting design if the client elects to take the design that extra mile.

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When the model is 100% ccomplete and Owner approved we freeze the design and then we use that model to compose the Permit Document Set.  This process results in Construction documents that are way beyond the usual Schematic plans that most architects produce and that really makes a difference in the final product.