Design + Build

WHO WE ARE

Garland Mill is an integrated Design + Build ﬁrm. We bring architects, designers, and builders together under one roof to provide our clients with a turnkey solution for custom design and construction.

As a single point of contact for design, project management, and construction, we ensure consistent support for our client’s vision from project start to ﬁnish. We pay attention to the details and communicate regularly, helping clients to navigate a complex process with conﬁdence and peace of mind.

As a team, we rely on close collaboration and communication between our architects, construction managers, and carpenters to ensure that everyone is on the same page, every step of the way. This collective effort promotes a cycle of learning between our designers and builders, resulting in smoother project execution and better buildings.

OUR PROCESS

Designing and constructing a building is exciting and fulﬁlling when you know what to expect. The following overview is designed to help you understand how we work and the methods we use to guide our clients through the design and construction process.

1. Design

Our design team collaborates with you to hone a design vision that expresses your dreams for the project, harmonizes with the land and environment, and sets us up for a smooth construction process. Through our design process, we create a common language to describe your vision for the project, not only in images, dollars, speciﬁcations, and measurements, but also how the building will feel and function.

1.1 Initial Meeting

We begin our process with an informal meeting at our shop and offices in Lancaster, where we’ll learn about your vision for the project and walk you through what we do and how we work. We’ll review a rough square footage budget to give you a sense of the project cost and available timelines for design and construction. If our budget and schedule align—and we feel like a good ﬁt—we’ll move forward by signing a Design Agreement to kick off the design process. The design phase typically costs about 10% of the total construction cost, billed at our hourly rate.

1.2 Pre-design

Once we’ve signed the Design Agreement, we schedule a few pre-design meetings and site visits aimed at creating the Design Program, which is a shared vision that documents what we aim to design and build together.

Design Intake and Site Visits The Design Intake is usually a half-day conversation loosely structured around our design questionnaire. We ask questions about the site, size, space, use, architecture, and energy considerations you have for your home/building. After the Intake, we conduct site visits with you to your land, as well as visits to buildings we’ve completed that resonate with your project.
Design Program From the intake, the site visits, and conversations in between, we create the Design Program, a one-page narrative that encapsulates our shared vision for what we will create together.

1.3 Schematic Design (SD)

In SD, we explore the big ideas that will shape the design of the building. We develop options for how the building ﬁts on the site, its size, shape, and orientation.

These decisions inform the ﬂoor plan, window schedule, and exterior elevations. We develop initial renderings to help you envision these concepts and meet roughly every two weeks to share and review deliverables. SD is complete when we have a client approved ﬂoor plan, window schedule, elevations, and updated schematic budget.
Plans and Renderings Deliverables of the DD phase include isometric renderings, ﬂoor plans, elevations, mechanical schematics, window and door schedules, foundation plans, structural plans, millworks and the like. These drawings help you envision your building and provide us with the level of detail that we need to develop a line-item budget and a road map for pricing and building.
Line-Item Budget and Schedule of Values Once the design is complete, we create a Line-Item Budget which describes the scope of work and the cost associated with each item. We also create a Schedule of Values, which is a condensed version of the Line-Item Budget. These two documents along with the plan set deﬁne the scope of work that we bill against and review together throughout construction.

1.4 Design Development (DD)

During the design development (DD) phase we develop the schematic design into detailed drawings that our carpentry team can build and our production managers can price. We meet with you monthly to review the drawings and gather your feedback to ensure everything aligns with your vision.

Plans and Renderings Deliverables of the DD phase include isometric renderings, ﬂoor plans, elevations, mechanical schematics, window and door schedules, foundation plans, structural plans, millworks and the like. These drawings help you envision your building and provide us with the level of detail that we need to develop a line-item budget and a road map for pricing and building.
Line-Item Budget and Schedule of Values Once the design is complete, we create a Line-Item Budget which describes the scope of work and the cost associated with each item. We also create a Schedule of Values, which is a condensed version of the Line-Item Budget. These two documents along with the plan set deﬁne the scope of work that we bill against and review together throughout construction.

1.5 Construction Agreement

When we’ve agreed on the design and the budget we sign a construction agreement that spells out the schedule, the billing rates, insurance and other important details. Upon signing the construction agreement we take a 20% deposit to help us place deposits on materials and subcontractors throughout construction. Materials like windows with long lead times are often ordered right away after the deposit is made. After the building is 70% complete, we apply the deposit toward the last remaining monthly invoices.

2. Construction

Our carpentry crews, supported by the design and production teams, work collaboratively to build the building we’ve designed. Through regular check-ins, we provide you with updates on the site work, materials selections, appliances, colors, and the nuts and bolts of the project budget and schedule, ensuring consistent support and transparency throughout the construction process and beyond.

2.1 Permitting + Insurance

2.2 Site Work

Design Intake and Site Visits The Design Intake is usually a half-day conversation loosely structured around our design questionnaire. We ask questions about the site, size, space, use, architecture, and energy considerations you have for your home/building. After the Intake, we conduct site visits with you to your land, as well as visits to buildings we’ve completed that resonate with your project.
Design Program From the intake, the site visits, and conversations in between, we create the Design Program, a one-page narrative that encapsulates our shared vision for what we will create together.

2.3 Construction