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Current Ask The Designer - Kirya Duncan
Featured Designer: Kirya Duncan
Principal of Design Evolutions Inc., GA
Before we start, can you tell our readers a little about yourself. For example, where do you live, what is your background, how long you have been a designer etc? Kirya: I'm originally from Natchez, Mississippi and I've been living in the Atlanta, Georgia area since August, 1995. I've worked for several leading designers here in the Atlanta area for about four years and in January, 1999 I branched off and started my residential design company, Design Evolutions Inc., GA. I have educational training at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi where I studied Architectural Engineering. I'm a professional design member of the American Institute of Building design (AIBD), I've been a member for 2 years. What are some of the reasons why someone should consider designing their own house or buying a plan as opposed to just going with what the builder has to offer? Kirya: By hiring a professional AIBD designer or purchasing stock plans and modifying them, you will get exactly what you want in your house plan without compromise. Your home will be unique to your needs and usually retail a better value when compared to a run of the mill production home often seen in neighborhood developments across the country. When you buy a house plan from a builder you, have very little to chose from and you settle for what really doesn't fit your lifestyle, your needs, or your wants. Does this add a lot of cost to the price of the house? Kirya: Obviously, builders are in the market to make money. Usually the plans they have in stock are already known down to the last penny as to how much it would cost for them to build and how much money they would make each time the house is built, so they will try to stick with that formula as much as possible and offer little or no changes. Also, keep in mind that you are paying for the house plan design as well as the house itself. The builder has to hire a designer or purchase stock plans and that cost is added to the cost of the house. With that being said, I see no reason with exception to budget as to why someone should be concerned with the cost of designing their own home using a professional designer-- this is one of the biggest investments you will make in your life so you should make it a wise decision not based on emotions dictated by a false perception of limited choices. Are housing styles really tied closely to geography? Can you build a cape code home in California, or a Mediterranean style home in the North East, or do the designs really work best where they are popular? Kirya: Housing styles really do tie closely to geography and work best where they are popular, however you can build a Cape Cod style in California, but it's not highly likely that someone out there would do it. Housing styles as a rule generally conform to the geographical areas due to the fact that houses are usually designed to adapt and withstand weather conditions in the region of proposed building. For instance, in Arizona a prairie style would be very popular because of the large roof overhang, which minimizes the amount of direct sunlight entering the home in turn controlling cooling cost. A Mediterranean style home with low roof pitches works well in southern regions where snow is not a factor contrary to the north east region of the country. How has the housing market changed since you first started designing homes? Have you noticed any trends? Did the events of the past two years change what we are looking for in a new home? Kirya: We're still seeing a lot of open floor plans now, but I think lately and in the years to come lots of people will still want that open feel in their homes, but also would like to retain some degree of privacy, so we're moving away from the very open floor plans with minimum interior walls and airy two story spaces to a somewhat semi-closed type of plan. Also, with the older generation we have a market that is really moving toward ranch or single-story style homes eliminating stairs. We're moving into a time where the baby boomers are reaching retirement age and they are demanding ranch homes, it is becoming a real big thing now. They're down sizing to ranch homes, but not necessarily small homes, they still want lots of space, 3 to 4 bedrooms, a lot of storage space and the luxury things usually found in the larger homes. The biggest sellers of ranch home are between 1,800-2,600 square feet. There is also a big demand for two story homes with the master bedroom on the main floor. Again, this is to eliminate the usage of stairs yet have plenty of room for storage, teenagers, visiting guest, and whatever else arises. How do you go about designing a new plan? How much of the design process is based on the demands of the market, and how much of it is based on new ideas? Kirya: The entire design process is based on consumer demand. Whether it be a private client or developing a new stock plan, a good design is based on the needs and wants of the majority and what is popular in the market. Introducing new products or new design concepts are something I try to incorporate without being overly innovative. What may be or seems to be a good concept may now go over well the others, especially since it is hard for most people to visualize floor plans in 3-D fashion. People are most comfortable with things they are used to seeing or things that they can visualize like walking through a builders model home and seeing pictures in housing magazines. These are some of the things designers have to pay attention to and start your design process from that point. How much effect has computers or the Internet had on the design profession. Do computers limit the creative process, or expand it. Do you design entirely on a computer, partially or not at all and why? Kirya: Computers and the internet has been one of the greatest resources for the building design industry. Designers are able to market not only in their local area but also across the world. For instance, through the web I've been able to do business from the east to the west coast of the United States and even as far as Canada. Today, it is a must to use computers and some sort of cad (Computer Aid Drafting) software in the design business. I still use the drafting board occasionally to do my designing but the majority of the work is computer based. Using the computer not only improves accuracy but, increases productivity in an efficient manner. If I were to create a set of house plans on the drafting board and a customer wants to make changes it's going to take much more time in doing the changes manually as opposed to making the changes on a computer file and plotting out a revised copy of plans. I do not want to confuse anyone, although using the computer is more efficient, you don't just press a button and the work done. Actual drafting is still required, using the computer allows for a more refined and forgiving method. What program do you use on the computer? Kirya: I use AutoCAD. Is it true that 80% of the sales are from 20% of the designs? Kirya: Although, I do not have any research to dispute the percentages, I would be inclined to agree with the notion. I would think that the percentage would range anywhere from 10 to 30 percent. Is that because you think people see a house and say, "I want that", or do you think it's because certain designs are better than others? Kirya: That's a very good question. It's really hard to determine whether or not a house design is good until you've published it for sale. It usually boils down to beauty being in the eye of the beholder and in a lot of cases designers are still trying to design that perfect plan that will peak the interest of growing house plan buyers-- and again this goes back to an earlier question about how the design process is started -- once you create a design that conforms to the needs and wants of the majority and what is popular in the market, that plan is going to sell regardless and that's usually the way it goes. The larger percentage that doesn't sell usually comes from custom home designs that are converted into stock plans or it may be something to new and innovative, or simply the designer missed the mark on the design concept. Is your personal favorite design one that is also the best selling or is it one that doesn't sell as well? Kirya: One of my favorite designs is very mediocre in sales. What percentage of your plans are modified by the buyer? What type of modifications are the most common? Kirya: Anywhere from 40 to 50% of the plans are modified. Some of the more common minor changes would be reversing the plan or changing a side load garage to a front load or a courtyard garage, or things like moving a fireplace from a back wall to an interior wall. Some of the bigger modifications would be redesigning the kitchen, master suite, elevation designs, stretching or reducing square footage, and raising floor to ceiling height. When people buy a stock plan they usually find something very close to what they want and the modifications really don't get out of hand. Where do you see housing design being in three, five, ten years from now? Any thing drastic on the horizon? Kirya: I think that home building is going to move towards using steel studs as framers become more comfortable with it and I think they will try to get their customers to use steel stud framing. Steel studs are environmentally friendly, have great stability and you don't have to worry about termite damage. In the instance of a fire you can probably lose the rest of your house and still have the steel stud framing standing. It also requires low maintenance. Right now steel studs are a little more than traditional lumber in price, but as more people start to realize the benefits and make use of them, the price will eventually come down. With the high cost of energy in many parts of the country, is there any increase in demand in energy efficient homes? Do you think solar homes will make a comeback? Kirya: I don't think solar homes will make a big comeback in the immediate future, especially if you are buying a builder's home. Solar homes will continue to be more along the line of an individual requesting this type of home through custom design services. I think making a more energy-efficient home construction-wise will likely continue to be the trend. I think people will be looking at what they can do to make their home even more energy efficient by using more of the traditional methods that are used now. What advice would you give a prospective home plan buyer on how to pick their dream house? What things are most often overlooked and where should they start? Kirya: That's a great question. Selecting land should be the first thing you do. It is important that you know your land restrictions (set backs, maximum size of house footprint), soil conditions (land suitable for building on), topography (if suitable for basement or slab foundation), easements, neighborhood (covenants), taxes, cost for site preparations, and other factors that may affect your decision on selecting house plans. Number two: they should choose a builder or choose to build it themselves. If they are going to build it themselves, they need to do their homework and find out the ins and outs of the business, and know that they're going to be spending a lot of time with this project. It's a full-time job and you have to be able to manage it if you're going to do it yourself. But if you're going to have someone else build your home, take the time to find a homebuilder that you feel comfortable with. Get referrals from friends and family, check the Builder's background, and talk with previous customers of the builder. Talk to the builder about your needs and wants so both parties can understand what's expected of each. Number three: you want to develop a budget. Your primary purpose for preparing a budget is to understand and control costs. In order to create and stick with a budget you must be realistic about what you can afford and what can fit into a particular house design and square footage. If you decide to upgrade on something that wasn't included in the original budget, be willing to give up or downgrade on some other aspect of the home construction in order to keep within budget. Bottom line; know how much house you can afford based on what you want the house to be. Number four: you need to decide what type of architectural service you need. When deciding the level of service you need, develop realistic expectations of what stock house plans cost versus custom design house plans. Stock house plans are ready for purchase and are inexpensive (usually from $400.00 to $1000.00), but may require modifications to meet all your design needs. Custom design house plans will take longer to develop and are more expensive but may be better suited to your needs. A compromise of the two is to purchase stock house plans that are close to what you are looking for and making minor changes to adapt the design to your site conditions and life style. On average, modifications usually range from $500.00 to $1,500.00 depending on the amount of changes. What is the approximate cost range for custom plans? Kirya: Custom plans range widely among designers. I've seen them range from 80 cents per square foot to $3 per square foot; it depends on the designer and how much clout the designer has. We have a section on our website where we list the designer's personal favorite design. Do you care to share your personal favorite design? Kirya: My personal favorite is classical architectural. There is an array of styles that falls under this architecture, which doesn't confine me to one particular style of design. It allows me to explore different techniques in residential designing. Editor's note: You can see two of Kirya's favorite designs in the Featured Plan section. Thank you Kirya for your insight and participation.
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