Pool house and terrace of a white gabled residence at dusk.

Process

The custom home process.

Stouffville Residence · Photography

One studio from the first conversation to the day you move in — the plans, the 3D model, the renderings, the permit set and the support through the build, all from the same hands.

Covered entry with a cedar-lined gable and a timber door at Cedar Valley Farmhouse.
Cedar Valley Farmhouse · Photography
The Stamp & Hammer meeting room: a white table under a hexagonal light, framed drawings along one wall.
Stamp & Hammer studio · Photography

01

First conversation

It starts with a conversation: how you live, where you are building, what the house has to do for you, and the budget and timeline it has to fit. If we are the right studio for it, you get a proposal that sets out the design package and its cost before anything is drawn.

Design rendering of the entry gable in stone and black metal at Cedar Valley Manor.
Cedar Valley Manor · Design / rendering
Design rendering detail of pale stone, deep glazing and a gabled roof at Bungalow Residence.
Bungalow Residence · Design / rendering

02

Site and concept

We read the lot before we draw on it — the survey, the zoning, the setbacks and height limits, the grade, the views and the light. Then the first concept: floor plans and elevations, built in 3D from day one, so you see the house rather than a stack of drawings.

Design rendering of a double-height living room with a stone fireplace and timber ceiling at Stouffville Residence.
Stouffville Residence · Design / rendering

03

Design development

Design meetings, one decision at a time. Revisions to the design package are unlimited until you approve it; nothing goes to permit until you are happy. Our rendering team brings each round to life in photoreal interior and exterior views, and the interiors can be designed with the house rather than after it.

Arched entry with columns and lanterns at Woodbridge Residence.
Woodbridge Residence · Photography
Dormer and mansard detail against the sky at Woodbridge Residence.
Woodbridge Residence · Photography

04

Permit set

On approval the design becomes the permit drawings. We coordinate the structural engineer, the truss and HVAC designers, and the grading and septic engineers where the site needs them; we submit to the municipality and answer its comments until the permit is issued.

Pool house with a standing-seam roof beside the pool at Cedar Valley Farmhouse.
Cedar Valley Farmhouse · Photography

05

Construction support

We stay with the house through the build: introductions to builders we have worked with, shop drawings checked against the approved set, layout changes kept current, and kitchen and millwork layouts detailed so they can be quoted exactly.

Oak handrails, a woven runner and crisp wall panelling at Stouffville Residence.
Stouffville Residence · Photography
Pool terrace and covered outdoor room at Stouffville Residence.
Stouffville Residence · Photography

06

Move-in

When the house is finished we photograph it properly; the best of them go on to publication. And we are still a phone call away for whatever comes next.

Black steel-framed glass door into the Stamp & Hammer studio.