Custom new construction, designed before it is framed
Building a custom home means making several thousand decisions, most of them in an order nobody explains to you, many of them permanent, and a good number of them due before you have chosen a sofa. The work I do is to get those decisions made in the right sequence, with reasoning attached, so the house you move into is the house you pictured.
I work alongside your builder, architect and trades from as early in the process as you will let me. The earlier design is involved, the fewer change orders there are later, because the expensive corrections are almost always the ones that could have been drawings instead of framing.
At a glance
Book a discovery call- Who it is for
Owners building a custom primary, vacation or second home, including relocating and out-of-state clients.
- Project type
Custom new construction, full-service interior design from plan review through construction.
- Service area
Prescott, Prescott Valley, Talking Rock, Sedona, Williams, Northern Arizona and select Phoenix and Scottsdale projects.
- What is included
Plan review, space planning, cabinetry, lighting coordination, selections, renderings, specifications and site visits.
- When to involve me
While the floor plan is still on paper, before framing and before the electrical plan is final.
- Investment
Scoped per project based on home size, stage, drawings required and construction-phase involvement.
Start with the floor plan, not the finishes
Before anything is selected, the plan gets reviewed for how the house will actually live. Where do you come in with groceries, where do wet coats go, how far is the range from the sink, does the primary suite share a wall with the laundry, is there a place for the dog, and does the dining room seat the number of people you truly host.
Space planning is where the value is. A finish can be swapped. A poorly located hallway is with you forever.
Selections, specified and documented
Interior and exterior finishes are selected as one coordinated package: flooring, tile, countertops, plumbing, cabinetry, hardware, lighting, paint, roofing, stone, siding and trim. Everything is documented in a specification your builder can actually order from, which is what keeps the site from stalling and keeps substitutions from quietly appearing.
- Interior and exterior finish selections and specifications
- Cabinetry and millwork design
- Lighting and electrical coordination
- Plumbing and hardware specification
- Vendor sourcing and bidding assistance
Drawings that prevent arguments
Renderings and elevations exist so that everyone is looking at the same house. When the cabinet shop, the electrician and the homeowner all work off the same elevation, the built result matches the design instead of matching somebody's memory of a conversation.
Coordination through construction
Design does not end at selections. I review specifications, answer trade questions, attend site visits and stay available through construction, which matters most for out-of-state owners who cannot walk the site every week.
Who custom home interior design is for
Most of the people I design custom homes for are established professionals, business owners, retirees and second-home owners who care more about how the house works and how long it stays right than about the lowest number on a bid. Many are relocating to Northern Arizona, and some are building here while still living in another state.
What they share is that they want a guide. They do not want forty unexplained decisions a week from the jobsite. They want the reasoning behind a recommendation, a short list of real options, and a document that keeps what they chose from drifting.
What I look at while the home is still on paper
Window and door placement gets reviewed against furniture, views and wall space, because a window in the wrong spot takes away the only wall a bed or a sofa can go on. Cabinetry is laid out against appliance specifications and clearances before the electrical plan is drawn, so outlets, switches and lighting land where the millwork actually is.
Interior and exterior finishes are considered together. The stone on the front of the house, the roof color and the trim profile all affect what should happen with flooring, cabinetry and paint inside, especially on mountain and wooded sites where the house is seen against its setting.
Custom home design process, start to finish
The work follows the same order on every project: discovery and plan review, space planning and revisions, cabinetry and millwork design, interior and exterior selections, drawings and specification, then construction support and site visits. Renderings, elevations, cross sections and dimensioned drawings are produced in Chief Architect so you can see the space with your selections before anything is installed.
- Discovery call and floor plan review
- Space planning and layout revisions
- Cabinetry, millwork and lighting design
- Selections and written specifications
- 3D renderings and wall elevations
- Site visits and trade questions during construction
Full-Service Custom Home Design across Northern Arizona
Based in Prescott, I work in Prescott Valley, Talking Rock, Sedona, Williams and the surrounding Northern Arizona communities, with select projects in Phoenix and Scottsdale. See areas served or the full design process.
What is included
- Floor plan review and space planning
- Interior and exterior selections and specifications
- Cabinetry, millwork and built-in design
- Lighting and electrical plan coordination
- Renderings and elevations
- Vendor and bidding assistance
- Architect, builder and trade collaboration
- Specification review and site visits
Serving Prescott, Prescott Valley, Talking Rock, Sedona, Williams, Northern Arizona and select Phoenix and Scottsdale projects.
Questions about this service
- When should a designer join a custom home project?
- Ideally while the floor plan is still on paper. Space planning input before framing is the least expensive design you will ever buy, and it is the point where changes cost a revision instead of a change order.
- Do you work with our builder and architect?
- Yes. Most of my work is collaborative with builders, general contractors, architects and residential designers, and the goal is to make their job easier by getting decisions documented early.
- Can you work with us if we live out of state?
- Yes. Second-home and relocating clients are a regular part of the work, and the process is built to run with video calls, digital selection packages and site visits on your behalf.
- How is custom home interior design priced?
- Pricing varies with the scope of the project. The factors that move it are the size of the home, how early I am involved, how many drawings and renderings are needed, and how much construction-phase support you want. After a consultation I provide a tailored estimate rather than a published rate.
- Do you select furniture for a new home?
- Furniture selection is not my specialty. I do create furniture plans that account for the sizes of pieces you own or plan to buy, so walls, windows, outlets and lighting are placed to fit them.
Planning a custom home or major renovation?
Send the location, the type of project and where you are in the process. If it is a fit, we will talk through what the design work would look like.