Architectural Services

For residential clients, we offer an in-home consultation.  A great first step in any design or construction project, the consultation can be scheduled on short notice, and gives clients the initial input, advice, or actionable items to move the project forward.  During the consultation, we will discuss the client’s vision, budget, and schedule and make recommendations to navigate the project.  Past clients have found the quick design advice and cost/feasibility analysis extremely beneficial.  Sometimes we are able to find design solutions on the spot, or identify challenges and obstacles, making recommendations to overcome them.  For some projects, we can bring clarity and express your vision to a contractor through a quick sketch.  Other times the consultation leads to a contract for architectural services or permit drawings.  Sometimes it leads to a recommendation of a fellow professional or contractor best suited for the work.  The consultation is meant to provide value as a stand-alone service for those who need architectural design advice, so it comes with a small fee.  If the consultation leads to a contract for our services, the consultation fee is credited to the larger project.  Please contact us here (link to Work with Us page) and we’ll reach out soon to schedule a time to meet.

Design/build streamlines the construction process by integrating design and construction services under one entity. This approach fosters collaboration, enhances communication, and accelerates project timelines. Clients benefit from a unified team working seamlessly from conception to completion, ensuring a more efficient and cost-effective project delivery. With a single point of accountability, design/build minimizes conflicts, reduces risks, and provides a smoother experience for clients. This integrated model promotes innovation, cost savings, and a cohesive vision, ultimately delivering high-quality projects that meet both aesthetic and functional requirements.

As architects, we prefer to take a designer-led approach to design/build, ensuring our involvement in critical early stage decision-making. This could include siting the building to maximize solar orientation or capture the best views. It could also mean sizing the building appropriately based on a thoughtful layout. If you have a floor plan selected from an online database, or are already working with a contractor and “just need drawings” we may not be the right fit. We’re firm believers in involving everyone as early in the project as possible, to maximize results.

Design / Build services we provide: Integrated design process: IDP is a project delivery method that merges disciplines early in a project, fostering collaboration among architects, engineers, and stakeholders to optimize solutions, improve efficiency, and enhance overall project performance.

Project Management: As your PM, East Spruce can assist with budgeting and cost estimation, schedule management, quality control, risk management. We’ll manage all the details with contractors and subcontractors and be your one-point source from start to finish.

At East Spruce, we are big believers in integrating environmentally responsible practices into ALL projects, even those outside our own design studio. We offer a range of consulting services to other architects, engineers, and building owners aimed at improving building performance or pursuing a green building certification.

These services include:

Green Building Certification Guidance: Assisting in obtaining certifications such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Passive House Certification (through PHIUS) or other regional sustainability certifications.

High-performance / building science : Investments in “green” upgrades to your project yield high returns year after year in the form of significant reductions to energy bills. East Spruce is adept at identifying areas of improvement and making suggestions that yield the best returns, whether it’s a whole-building solution or as simple as adding insulation.

Energy Efficiency Analysis: Conducting thorough assessments to identify opportunities for optimizing energy consumption within the built environment. Recommending energy-efficient systems, materials, and technologies to reduce the ecological footprint of the projects.

Building Envelope Assessment: Reviewing exterior wall assemblies and recommending ways to improve thermal performance, air-tightness, and water management. We do this by performing thermal and moisture simulations (hygrothermal analysis) of building assemblies using WUFI, a widely accepted analysis software.