Discover the possibilities of your unique property.

Get ideas about how to take advantage of your site’s unique features before you start your custom home process with an Architectural Feasibility Study.

Architectural Feasibility Study

Our architectural feasibility studies aim to uncover the potential of each unique property to discover what is possible and what is viable BEFORE the design and development process. Oftentimes prospective clients come to us with complicated sites that require a deeper level of investigation into zoning, infrastructure, steep terrain, and other challenging characteristics. These site features can significantly affect the viability of a project. With our Feasibility Study, you’ll be able to make a more educated decisions based on thorough research and analysis. Whether you’re looking to buy land or already own the land, we can help you evaluate options and create a plan to move forward.

Learn more about our architectural feasibility studies for custom homes here.

Depending on your needs, below are 3 types of Feasibility Reports to choose from with different levels of detail.

Tier 1: Key Information Only

Ideal for understanding the most critical information for what is possible and where on a given site.

A simple assessment includes zoning assessment and basic site review.

Tier 2: Site Analysis & Massing Study

Ideal for exploring options of a given site.

Massing studies include a site plan and test-fit diagrams that show potential building locations & sizes.

Tier 3: Complete Feasibility Review

Ideal for uncovering challenges & opportunities on complicated sites where site features or zoning regulations significantly affect what is feasible.

A comprehensive review of zoning, site, topography, utilities, infrastructure, access, and massing options.

Here are some of the things we can review and analyze:

  • Zoning Codes – Zoning codes govern the buildable area, density, lot coverage, building sizes, and parking among other things. Codes are different for every city and are usually not the easiest to understand.
  • Site Analysis – The property itself influences what to build and where. Topography, views, driveway access, utility locations, trees and vegetation, and rock formations play a role in determining how best to utilize the site in addition to the local weather, sun path, and wind directions.
  • Massing Studies – Explore options for house orientation, size, shape, and massing to determine which strategies are best for passive solar, maximizing views, reducing the impact on the land, and cost-effectiveness.
  • Existing Conditions Review – Where the intent is to renovate, add onto an existing structure, or even dismantle and use salvaged materials from existing building stock, existing conditions surveys to help evaluate options.
  • Site Selection – A review of multiple properties or various locations on a specific property, making suggestions about the pros and cons of each site in relation to project goals and objectives.
  • Master Planning & Phasing – For multi-generational development, we can create master plans and make recommendations for phasing components of the project to maximize enjoyment now while planning ahead for long-term improvements.
  • Deep Dives – Depending on the project, there may be other more intensive reviews of geotechnical data, floodplains delineation, endangered species, wetlands designations, tree surveys & removal, utilities & infrastructure, budgetary review, legal issues, and other planning department agency oversight.

Recent Feasibility Studies

feasibility study for a custom home on a challenging site

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We start all projects with a pre-design discovery phase to learn the potential of each project. For projects on unique sites or sites with complex issues, we highly recommend feasibility studies to dive deeper into the important site characteristics that will greatly impact development of the project. Characteristics include but are not limited to: steep slopes, water features, floodplains, rocky outcroppings, forested woodlands, and remote sites.

A project is only as accurate as the information you start with, so the discovery process is crucial. For a new custom home on a pristine property, taking the time to dig into the important questions is a great place to start. Questions like: How does the land itself influence our plan? Are we working within a floodplain? Is there a utility easement or drainage and grading restrictions? Are there utilities such as water, sewer, and electric available at or near the site? All of these things can impact a great idea and the viability of a given project.

The cost of our feasibility studies depends on the scope of the study and the complexity of the project. There are also considerations such as what information a client already has available and what information we have to help obtain – for instance surveys, historical data, infrastructure improvements, existing conditions survey, zoning approvals, etc. Basic Tier 1 studies often start below $1000 and take a few weeks to complete. More complicated Tier 3 projects can be upwards of $8000 and can take months depending on how long it takes for others to get back to us with key information. We recommend talking with us about your goals and site so that we can work with you to tailor the time and cost to suit you.

There’s no set format since all studies, clients, and sites are unique. The overall aim is the same: to provide the most relevant information in an easy-to-digest format. In general, we provide a combination of drawings and analysis, with recommendations. More complex studies can focus on aspects in more detail such as statutory constraints like planning permission, site investigation, or itemized project costs. The idea is that this information is collated and presented in a clear format which can be readily shared and used.

To ensure we continue to do our best work and to do work that we are passionate about, we pursue design projects that meet certain criteria. We evaluate each project on a project by project basis based on our business objectives, workload, staffing resources, and abilities. If we choose to work together into the design phases, we’re able to skip some of the pre-design services and fees since we’ve already covered some of them in the feasibility study.

Let’s talk!

Are you interested in learning more about a Feasibility Report? Fill out the form and we’ll be in touch shortly to discuss your project.

Feasibility Study Inquiry Form

Project type, size, address, and any relevant of your property