Our Process
DESIGN PROCESS
STAGE 1:
INFORMATION GATHERING AND IDEATION
A lifestyle questionnaire and your visual inspiration images help us prepare for our first on-site design meeting, where we discuss your home’s challenges and your vision for the future. We measure and photo document the existing conditions and use that information to draw plans of your existing spaces. We then start on our conceptual designs,
creating multiple options and corresponding budgets to present to you at our Ideation Meeting. At this meeting, we will present drawings and views of our ideas. We will guide you on a virtual walkthrough using our 3D modeling software. PDF files of plans, views, and budgets are posted to our online portal for your convenient retrieval and review.
STAGE 2:
DESIGN RESOLUTION TO CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT
After receiving your feedback from our Ideation Meeting, we work together to meld your preferred designs and features into a final project design. Any ideas that are still maybes are carried forward as options for choosing at a later date. We begin our Selections Process where we delve into the finer details of your project. An on-site walkthrough gives our trusted partners a chance to review the existing conditions,
ask questions of the ELEA HEALY designers, and ultimately provide us with their quotes for the work. We then use their quotes, our material and labor inputs, and your finishes guidance to create the scope of work and fixed-cost estimate. Once you approve where we have landed for your project’s base scope and price, we then finalize the construction documents for your review and signature.
SELECTIONS PROCESS
STEP 1 - INVENTORY & PRIORITIES
As the design process progresses, we determine the overall palette direction for the project. We start taking note of all the various fixtures, features, and finishes that will need decisions and resolution. We list and prioritize choices based on cross-integration, lead times, and installation timing. Our preliminary budgets include allowance amounts based on our vast experience and your visual inspiration inputs. We will keep in mind any features you’ve mentioned, and proposefeatures we think you’ll love.
STEP 2 - RESEARCH & COLLABORATION
Let’s collaborate! Our next step is to have our fun-filled Final Fixtures, Finishes & Features Meeting (now that’s a mouthful!), where we discuss an overview of the preferred finishes of your project. We will share product suggestions, explore cost-effective alternatives (as needed), and view digital and physical samples, all to hone in on the personalized details that will make your project “sing”. The goal of this meeting is to get close enough on the selections choices to be able to include appropriate shopping allowances in your final construction contract pricing.
STEP 3 - DECISIONS, DECISIONS
Once a construction contract is signed, it’s time to make your final selections. We cater this process to you, either by curating a palette of selections to present to you or by giving you the tools and resources to go out and shop on your own. Many people decide to do a little of both, as this process is very customizable. We have a long list of trusted vendors that can help support either path. No matter which direction you choose, we will guide you through the pros and cons of each option and help you pull it all together.
STEP 4 - WATCH IT ALL COME TOGETHER!
All of your final chosen selections are entered into your online scope of work and electronically verified by you before we proceed with purchasing them. We take care of ordering, tracking, receiving, and checking the quality of all selections before they are needed on-site. We closely watch your construction schedule to keep your items safely stored until our team is ready for installation. Finally, our designers meet with our trade partners and carpenters on-site to ensure each item fits, functions, and looks fabulous!
CONSTRUCTION PROCESS
PRE-CONSTRUCTION:
The pre-construction process is vital to a smooth project. We use this important time to fully prepare for your on-site project launch. By finalizing the last of the selections and ordering the required building materials, we determine the necessary timelines and schedule your project accordingly. We note any items that may need additional attention and begin to align our trade partners. These activities allow us to set the construction start date to coordinate with your life and to set up the project expectations to spare surprises.
CONSTRUCTION:
Your online portal is the guide for bringing your project to life. Not only does it host your scope of work and project financials, it also holds key information for our field staff. From installation documents to verified final selections, our team has access to all of the details on-site at any time using an iPad or simply their phones.
During construction, you will appreciate our daily field updates. Our ELEA HEALY project
team will inform you of the day’s progress and what is planned for the next day. Stuff happens - so we communicate. Always. Our designer-led project management ensures that all of the details are attended to throughout the construction process. With daily field check-ins and regular site visits, our entire team is always up to date on progress.
We partner with industry experts who specialize in the remodeling trades and know how to respect and honor our clients and their homes. We take care to protect your home by isolating work areas, covering work paths, and sealing ducting to limit dust transfer to non-work areas. Dust is inevitable, but we will always do our best to mitigate it. We keep our jobsite organized and clean - plain and simple. Final professional cleaning of the affected areas leaves them move-in ready.
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WARRANTY:
By law, you will receive a 1-year workmanship warranty, a 2-year systems warranty, and a 10-year structural warranty for your project. Yet, now that you are a part of the ELEA HEALY community, we’re here to help! Regardless of the post-project timeframe, we can assist in finding resources and remedy any issues that arise. Think of us as your skillful neighbor, always willing to lend a helping hand.
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
Clear and consistent communication is the cornerstone of all our business practices.
Right from the start, we will listen, reiterate what we heard, and confirm we are all speaking the same language. The following are ways we keep information flowing:
ONLINE PORTAL:
Upon signing a design agreement, we promptly connect you to our on-line project management system. This portal serves as our primary communications conduit and repository for all your project’s information - documents, drawings, schedules, specifications & selections, budgets, invoices, payments, and messages. Weekly design updates increase in frequency to daily field updates as we move into construction. We let you know what happened that day and what to expect in the next few days,
keeping you up to date on the progress and the plans ahead.
IN-PERSON MEETINGS:
We believe in the power of in-person meetings to facilitate full-spectrum conversations. Our design process includes multiple on-site and off-site connections. We kick off our construction process with a pre-construction meeting and often follow up with on-site meetings during the building phase. When we wrap up the final details of your spaces, we schedule a project recap meeting with you to hear feedback on your experience. Once you are moved back in and enjoying your new spaces, we check back in with you after several months to make sure everything is still meeting your expectations.
PARTNER CONNECTIONS:
As our design team is assembling the scope of work for your project, we call upon our trusted partners to lend their expertise. We communicate early with the key players, provide them with appropriate documentation, and make relevant inquiries to set our path to success. We like to think ahead to possible optional work in tandem with the base scope of work. This allows us to get our partners’ input to include these items as discrete options in the online scope of work. This level of preparation and forethought allows us to feel confident in our No Surprise Change Order Policy.
CHANGE ORDERS:
You will never get a surprise invoice from us. Any change order on your project will be one of three types: (1) a pre-prepared option that you have chosen to keep separate from the base scope, (2) additional work that we have both agreed to add to the base scope post-contract, or (3) a reasonably unforeseen condition such as discovering mold or structural issues that had no exterior indications.
Everything is solvable with clear and concise communication.
By following these practices, we strive to ensure your experience is the best it can be.