Our Process
We collaborate with our clients to transform complex architectural challenges into elegant solutions through a methodical approach that blends creativity with technical expertise, and always preserves the vision.
How We Work
At Breck Studio, our work and our process are guided by a belief that the experience of creating your home should be as considered and meaningful as the home itself. We see our role as Stewards of Vision - guardians of your investment and peace of mind. We know there are many complex decisions, unknowns, and moments of uncertainty when designing and building a residence, and our responsibility is to lead the process with clarity.
We guide our clients along the arc of the project through a series of specifically sequenced workshops. We listen deeply, interpret carefully, and make decisions with long-term value in mind, always in service of how you want to live and feel in your home. Our clients tell us the process feels coherent, steady, and intentional. Our workflow is disciplined and professional, allowing the project to unfold with confidence rather than chaos.
Process Workflow
Schematic Design
Schematic Design is where we organize ideas into a clear architectural direction.
We begin by understanding how our clients live today and how they want to live in the future. Through conversations and a detailed client brief, we explore lifestyle, routines, priorities, and long-term goals. This work establishes the program and guiding principles that will shape every design decision.
We then visit the property to perform site reconnaissance and analysis. We study existing and future conditions, patterns of arrival and movement, vehicle and pedestrian circulation, views, orientation, and topography. We evaluate how the residence rests on the land, and how architecture and landscape can work together as an integrated whole.
Building on this understanding, we develop a conceptual master plan and design options for the architecture. This includes exploratory drawings, diagrams, and sketches that define scale, relationships, and overall organization. Together, we explore form, massing, and architectural language.
The Schematic Design phase creates a clear, cohesive foundation for the design and construction work that follows
With this foundation, we translate your lifestyle needs and aesthetic preferences into initial concepts. Program development, massing studies, and 2-3 distinct schematic schemes allow you to explore how the spaces feel, function, and flow. Here, you respond to early sketches and floor-plan ideas as we refine what resonates most.
The outcome is a selected design direction: a preferred architectural scheme supported by a preliminary site plan and floor plan. By the end of this phase, both you and our team share a clear understanding of the design intent, setting the stage for the detailed work to follow, grounded in a vision we’ve shaped together.
Design Development
Design Development is where decisions get real, and the design is resolved.
During this phase, we refine the approved schematic design into a coordinated, detailed architectural solution. We develop a comprehensive digital building model and drawings that clearly define the residence's form, scale, and character, along with the supporting site elements.
Materials, systems, and assemblies are studied, presented, and selected. This includes exterior and interior materials, structural systems, window and door types, and mechanical strategies. Each choice is evaluated for performance, durability, and its contribution to the overall architectural intent.
As the design is refined, we produce high-quality digital visualizations of the residence, hardscape, and landscape. These visuals allow clients to clearly understand the design, materials, and spatial qualities before the project moves into construction documentation.
This phase transforms the concept into a build-ready design vision, ensuring every major decision is intentional, coordinated, and aligned with the original goals.
Construction Documentation
Documentation is where the design gets turned into a precise, coordinated set of instructions that your General Contractor will use to construct the house.
In this phase, we develop a comprehensive set of technical drawings that clearly describes every aspect of the project. These drawings and specifications illustrate the architecture and establish the construction standards, ensuring the design intent is communicated without ambiguity. They are the reference that the General Contractor and all trades use to price, plan, and build the architecture.
All work is meticulously coordinated with consulting engineers and specialists so that the sum of all parts works together without conflict. The result is a fully integrated set of documents. These documents serve as the foundation for competitive bids, permit approvals, and a smooth transition to construction.
This phase is about clarity, precision, and constructability.
Construction Administration
Construction Administration is where the design is protected, and the project is delivered accurately.
As Stewards of Vision, we act as our clients' advocate during the construction phase. Our team moves to support the general contractor. Our role is to ensure the design intent is faithfully executed, details are resolved correctly, and the quality envisioned in the drawings is achieved in the field. We work closely with the general contractor and trades, maintaining regular site presence and clear communication. Through a mix of site visits, video meetings, and ongoing coordination, we identify issues early, help resolve unforeseen conditions, and keep the project aligned with the approved design.
Construction Administration is what bridges drawings and reality. It is how design integrity is maintained, quality is protected, and our clients’ investment is carefully stewarded through the final stages of construction.
Explore our work
See how we transform vision into homes that inspire, restore, and reflect the way you live.
