On the homepage, you saw the Three Gap Model, the three places where residential projects drift off track. This page shows you exactly how we close each gap, what you receive at every stage, and what happens before the next phase begins.

Most construction problems don't start on site. They start when decisions are made without enough information, or when decisions are made too late to be changed without high cost. Our process is structured to move uncertainty forward, into the stages where it can still be addressed calmly, deliberately, and affordably.

Whether you're a homeowner planning your first renovation or a builder looking for a design partner who produces documents your trades can actually build from, the framework is the same. The detail below shows what each stage involves, what it produces, and why it matters.

Gap 1
Constraints aren't confirmed
Gap 2
Too many unknowns to lock decisions
Gap 3
Coordination isn't owned
G1
Closing Gap 1
Confirming constraints
Buildable area, building location, zoning bylaws, existing site conditions, and existing structure are confirmed before a single design decision is made.

Every project has constraints and limitations that define what's possible, what's practical, and what's risky. Zoning setbacks. Ceiling heights in existing basements. Soil bearing capacity. Load-bearing wall locations. Utility capacity. Conservation authority requirements. When these aren't documented before design begins, the design is built on assumptions, and assumptions are the most expensive material in construction.

This stage often takes the form of a Design Feasibility & Risk Review. Its purpose is not to design the project. It's to confirm that what you want to build is possible, what it will take to get there, and where the hidden risks are, before you invest in drawings, quotes, or commitments.

What's included
Feasibility & Risk Review — Deliverables
  • Zoning and by-law compliance check against your intended use
  • Site and existing structure constraint documentation
  • Identification of code-driven hard stops (egress, unprotected openings, lot coverage, thermal insulation assemblies, stair tread and riser compliance)
  • Early cost and complexity drivers flagged before design begins
  • Written summary of findings with a clear recommendation on next steps
  • Identification of external consultants required (geotechnical, structural, HVAC, plumbing, electrical) and when to engage them
What this looks like in practice
Example — Basement Apartment

On a recent secondary suite project, the Feasibility Review revealed that the existing basement ceiling materials didn't comply with the Building Code's fire separation and acoustic requirements between the lower and upper areas. The homeowner had already received a rough quote from a general contractor who had begun demolition of the existing space. The homeowner was advised by their insurance provider that they needed to have the work legalized, and that required a building permit. Without conducting the review first, the homeowner would have committed to a project scope that included illegal, unpermitted work and spent thousands after discovering the work wouldn't comply with the insurance provider's requirements. The review identified the constraint, explored alternatives (a code-compliant ceiling assembly, fire-rated walls and stairs, egress requirements, and fenestration areas for each room), and provided a practical path forward before work progressed further.

What this means for you
□ Homeowners

You'll know what's feasible before you spend money on design or getting quotes. No surprises three months into the project. No occupancy permits rejected because something was missed at the start. You'll have a written summary you can share with your builder, your family, or your insurance underwriter before deciding what to do next.

□ Builders & Contractors

Constraints are documented before design starts, so there are fewer mid-project surprises that blow your schedule. If your client brings you a TLOL feasibility report, you're quoting against confirmed conditions, not assumptions that change after the demo is done.

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Outcome: a practical plan forward. You'll know what's possible, what's risky, and what to do next, before you invest more.
Decision Gate

You review the Feasibility findings. If the project is viable and you're ready to explore design options, we move to Gap 2. If it's not, you've protected your budget and your time. There is no obligation to proceed.

G2
Closing Gap 2
Locking-in decisions
Floor plan layout, wall and floor assemblies, roof shape, HVAC, windows, and structural systems, resolved and signed off before pricing begins.

With constraints confirmed, design can begin on solid ground. This phase has two gears: exploration first, then resolution. We separate them deliberately because the worst thing that can happen in design is committing to a direction before you've tested the alternatives, or exploring endlessly without ever locking in a decision.

Phase 2A — Explore options (Concept Design)

We develop two to three design options through sketches, diagrams, and 3D massing models. Each option is tested against the constraints identified in Gap 1: does the layout work within the zoning setbacks? Do the systems used fit the budget range? Do the new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems work with the existing infrastructure?

The purpose of this phase is to give you and your contractor (if you're working with one) enough information to compare directions. Not to finalize details. Not to commit. To see what's possible and what each direction costs before the choices narrow.

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Preparation Resource

Not sure what information to gather before concept design starts? The Design Brief Guide walks you through five conversations that help us understand your project: the problem(s) you're solving, how you want to live, what the project must include, your budget range, and who's involved in decisions. It takes about ten minutes, and it means concept design begins with clarity instead of assumptions.

You don't need a finished brief to get started. Even a rough draft gives your design team the raw material to produce options that actually fit your life.

Read the Design Brief Guide →
Phase 2B — Resolve and sign off (Schematic Design)

With a preferred direction chosen, we refine and coordinate the design with the different external stakeholders. Floor plan dimensions are locked. Wall and floor assemblies are defined. Window sizes and positions are confirmed. Structural assemblies and strategies are established. Mechanical systems are integrated with the layout.

By the end of this phase, scope, expectations, and budget are aligned. The design produced is sufficient for your builder or general contractor to provide a reliable cost estimate, not a range based on assumptions, but a quote based on a defined scope.

Concept → Schematic — Deliverables
  • Two to three concept options with comparative layouts and massing
  • Preferred direction refined into dimensioned floor plans
  • Preliminary elevations showing exterior form and materials
  • Wall and floor assembly strategy outline
  • Structural system coordination (foundation type, beam and post sizes, floor and roof truss sizing)
  • Mechanical strategy alignment (HVAC risers and routing, plumbing runs, electrical panel location, furnace and other appliance locations)
  • Cost-alignment summary your builder can quote against
Example — Accessory Dwelling Unit

[A homeowner wanted to add an Accessory Dwelling Unit for an aging parent, including a wheelchair-accessible entry, a walk-in shower, and the ability to use the building as a rent-generating apartment in the future. The concept phase revealed that Option A would require significant regrading of the rear lot and use a stem wall foundation, while Option B maintained the existing grade, used an insulated slab on grade with a perimeter grade beam, accommodating the existing mature tree's root system, and was the least disturbing to the site. The homeowner chose Option B and proceeded to the Schematic Design phase with a locked -n layout and a confirmed structural approach, starting with the foundation and working up.

□ Homeowners

You'll see your options side by side before choosing. Once you sign off on a direction, the design is stable, no more "what if we moved this wall" after you've accepted a firm bid from the contractor. You'll understand what you're building and why each decision was made to build it the way you are.

□ Builders & Contractors

By the time you receive schematic drawing documents for quoting, the decisions are locked in. Foundation, floor, wall and roof assembly strategies are defined. The structure is coordinated with the layout without collisions. You're pricing a fixed scope, not chasing a moving target. This is the phase that eliminates the "we changed the layout after you priced" out the design.

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Outcome: decisions that stabilize pricing. Scope is locked. Your contractor can quote against a defined and coordinated design.
Decision Gate

You and your builder review the schematic package. Scope, budget, and direction are confirmed. We proceed to construction-ready documentation only when all systems and components are aligned, which means the permit and construction drawings don't contain surprises. Just the information needed to build the project.

G3
Closing Gap 3
Owning coordination
Trades and suppliers receive the same clear information, well before the project starts, so the building doesn't get "designed" on site.

A drawing set is a communication system. Every trade that touches your project, framer, plumber, electrician, insulator, HVAC technician, reads the same documents and interprets the same intent. When the drawings are ambiguous, incomplete, or lack coordination, each trade fills in the gaps on its own. That's where callbacks, change orders, patch fixes, and budget creep originate.

Our permit and construction drawings are prepared to eliminate interpretation. Not just to satisfy the municipal plans examiner, to give the framer reading a section detail the answer they need, the plumber routing supply and waste piping through a floor assembly, the clearances they require, and the insulation technician knowing where spray foam applications are needed before those areas are closed in and made inaccessible.

What's in your drawing set
Permit & Construction-Ready Documentation
  • Site plan showing property boundaries, setbacks, and building location
  • Site plan with service connections runs, well, and septic field location
  • Schedules for concrete mixes for interior and exterior flatwork, foundation walls, strip and pad footings
  • Concrete specifications and foundation details
  • Schedules for all beams, posts, and lintel sizes
  • Calculations for unprotected openings for all elevations
  • Footing layout drawings showing sizes and centre lines for the surveyor
  • Foundation wall locations, including sill plate location/centerline
  • Underground service routing for waterlines, sump pump and sewage pits
  • Dimensioned floor plans with room names, floor finishes, and areas
  • All building elevations with material callouts and finished grade heights
  • Multiple building cross-sections showing the vertical alignment for structural, insulation, and assembly relationships
  • Wall, floor, and ceiling assembly details
  • Stair sections, including landing heights (all dimensioned from components known when the roof trusses are installed)
  • Post and beam schedules with sizes, spans, and connection details
  • Product and material specifications referenced by drawing
  • Code compliance annotations for assemblies

The drawings contain more than floor plans and elevations. They include the schedules, assembly sections, and product specifications that prevent trades from guessing. Your plans function as both a permit application and a construction contract, the reference document every person on site uses to verify their work.

Coordination doesn't stop at the permit

Even with well-resolved drawings, questions arise during construction. Field conditions differ from documented conditions. A supplier discontinues a specified product. A trade encounters something unexpected behind a wall. We remain available during construction to clarify design intent, resolve interpretation questions, and ensure decisions don't drift back into guesswork. This isn't a separate service — it's the natural extension of owning coordination through to completion.

Example — Kitchen Expansion Renovation

For a kitchen expansion, a load-bearing wall was to be removed to provide the open concept needed between the dining area and kitchen, for an informal flow between the two adjacent rooms. The other work required relocating the sink to an island and the stove and refrigerator to new locations. New built-in display cabinets were added to replace dining room furniture. The hoodfan over the stove was to connect to the existing duct running to the exterior. During framing, the crew was required to support the second-storey floors above during the load-bearing wall demolition sequence, so a new flush beam could be installed in its place. Posts were added at both ends of the flush beam - one in the exterior wall and extending to the foundation, and the other in an existing partition wall that extended to an existing steel beam below. The contractor was sure that a new post and footing were required to support the new point load from the post supporting the interior end of the flush beam. The homeowner called and requested a quick consultation. It was confirmed that no new post in the basement was required as the new post rested directly onto a steel beam below. The other challenge was to ensure the new cabinets supported the new appliance locations, so the electrical and plumbing work could be installed with confidence. Using the shop drawings provided by the cabinet manufacturer, the cabinets were redrawn, added to the 3D model and tested for fit before the client placed the order. The build was done with confidence, with no change orders required since everything had been digitally pre-tested before construction began.

□ Homeowners

Your drawing set won't just get a permit; it will tell every trade and supplier exactly what to build, what materials to use, and how everything fits together. This is what prevents your builder from calling you mid-project to say, "the drawings don't show this..." and asking you to make a decision under pressure.

□ Builders & Contractors

You'll receive a drawing set you can build from, not a permit drawing you have to interpret. Assembly details are resolved. Structural components are coordinated and fit within walls and floors without the need for furring to add thickness. HVAC risers and ductwork are accounted for and provided with mechanical walls that aren't compromised by beams placed above the top plate. The goal is an efficient, clean, fast build where the problems and details are resolved in the documentation. And when field conditions require a change, we respond quickly so your schedule doesn't stall.

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Outcome: fewer change orders and callbacks. The build doesn't rely on interpretation or field design. Coordination is owned from the drawing table to the job site.