My wife and I built a home in Bend last year. We wanted to design and build a home that was very energy efficient, took advantage of the ample sunlight in Bend, was a modest size and was great to live in. We found an infill lot that was on a south facing slope and had excellent solar access.
We researched design firms in Bend and after a number of referrals, interviews, reference checking and thought selected tozer design,llc to design our home. tozer design came highly recommended; after completing the design process, we learned why.
I am a semi-retired mechanical engineer, specializing in energy efficiency. While I had done many large industrial efficiency projects over my career, neither my wife or I had designed and built a new home. We were a bit apprehensive, but jumped in anyway. Fortunately, Al Tozer made us comfortable and guided us through the design process in a highly organized, yet enjoyable manner.
We had what seemed to be conflicting design goals--small footprint yet expansive; cozy yet open, energy efficient yet light (meaning lots of south facing windows.) tozer design created a design that allowed the main living area to be an open, common space that was separated by posts and beams creating a real sense of separation within each area, but with an open feel. The private areas for our guests and us were set off from each other and have worked out great.
We were fortunate to have a great builder who had previously worked with tozer design. He said he really liked building homes designed by tozer design, because the designs worked, the details were worked out ahead of time and there was collaboration during the building process.
We were able to meet our efficiency goals, because Al Tozer has deep experience in energy efficient design. We collaborated to incorporate passive solar, a highly efficient and air tight shell, photovoltaics, and efficient equipment and systems. The house easily surpassed Earth Advantage Platinum and Energy Star certifications. We have lived in the home over a very cold winter--it was both comfortable and economical.
Budget is always a concern in any project. We came in very close to Al's estimate for the design budget. We were a little over, but we tested a few ideas late in the process--after construction drawings were underway. Al was very conscious of our construction budget during design and helped us stay realistic and on track. The final costs for building the home came in slightly higher than budgeted, but we added a few features and details once we knew we were pretty much on track to hit our budgetary goal.
We had a great experience all the way through the project. Looking back after living in the home for about eight months, we can honestly say we are really happy in our new home. We enjoyed the design process--from programming, through schematic design, to completing the final construction drawings. Because we had a solid set of well thought out plans and a great builder, the construction process went great and was also enjoyable. I've heard many other experiences that don't follow this storyline.
I can recommend using tozer design without reservation. It was a great experience and we ended up with a home that works and we enjoy living in.
Bill and Monica Welch
Thank you for your positive comments regarding our design firm!
We look forward to working with you in the future.
Best regards,
Al