BUILDING PLANNING PROCESS

The first step in Pinnacle’s Building Planning Process is initiated with the submission of our free online assessmentor an inquiry phone call to our Design Studio.

From your very first point of contact with Pinnacle Group, we promise a timely response to your email or voicemail and will do our best to provide you with the necessary information to make an informed decision on how to proceed with your home renovation or custom home project.

Here’s what you can expect once you contact Pinnacle Group:

• An initial introductory meeting will be scheduled at our Design Studio or your home. In order to gather all the necessary information, we ask that all ‘decision makers’ attend this first session.  Prior to this meeting, your Renovation Consultant may send you our DNA document (Design, Needs, and Alignment Document) for you to get acquainted with prior to this meeting. The questionnaire in this document will help us uncover your vision for your home and understand your family’s needs both now and in the future for the spaces in your home. It is important that both parties commit to open and honest communication from the very start, working together towards a successful end result. The primary purpose of our first meeting is to listen and gather information regarding both your needs and your wish list. This is also an opportunity to establish compatibly with respect to our collective expectations in regards to your project scope, timeline and investment. Pinnacle Group is a Design-Build firm which means as long as your investment range is in alignment with your design inspiration then we can develop a plan that comfortably meets your goals. If we are in alignment, and feel we are a collective fit, we schedule the next appointment; we hope you are as excited as we are about beginning this journey!
• A follow-up secondary appointment will be scheduled. For this appointment, we ask that you have a copy of your Real Property Report (RPR) and arrange to have as-built blueprints requested from City archives. If your as-builts or RPR are not available to you, and you wish to add an addition, we can arrange for a new survey and as-built blueprints re-drawn. The home appointment allows us to evaluate the structural considerations and design creativity possible, based on your existing house plan and layout, as well as your lot size if you are considering an addition. We will address points of frustration in your current spaces as well as delve into design inspirations unique to you and your family; these are what we refer to as “inspired living” influences and ultimately what makes your house a home. Perhaps it is a special hobby, activity or sport, a favourite place to travel, or a family heirloom that is creatively tied into the rich atmosphere we help you conceive. During our meetings we will also provide you with information about opportunities to further experience the Pinnacle difference; whether this is through an invite to one of our upcoming Seminars, Pre-board Tours (tours of projects in progress), or Renovation and Custom Home Tours (tours of completed projects). Our goal is to establish trust and determine whether we collectively feel our Design-Build approach and your expectations are a fit. If so, our next step is to proceed to the Design-Discovery Phase!

We have invested many years developing our Design Discovery Phase, which is inherently interwoven into the Design-Build Model. Most Design-Build firms employ professionals from both the design and construction sector which is the case with Pinnacle Group; this creates a seamless communication forum. Naturally, the expertise and creativity of an architect or designer is required to draw up the plans. However, they may not be conversant in real-life construction applications; specifically as the design relates to associated costs of construction. What is designed and what occurs on the construction site can lead to a disconnect; resulting in major setbacks in project timelines and midway construction delays, not to mention cost overruns. Pinnacle Group goes one step further; inviting not only the architectural design team and production team to the initial Design Discovery conversation, but also the interior designer and in many cases, specific trade experts that impact designs. Having all parties involved in the conversation from the onset, and with this degree of collaboration, helps ensure the best possible end result in terms of design, aesthetics and adherence to your investment range.

We begin the Design Discovery Phase with an agreed upon retainer, and then schedule our first Design Discovery conversation with you and our team of experts as outlined above. This session is entirely about working through the specific design details of your project and deciding the best approach to integrating every possible nuance of what we discussed from each of our previous sessions. After listening to your ideas and having a thorough discussion, we begin interpreting these ideas into a blueprint version, implementing both 2D and 3D rendered drawings.

You can also expect the following during this phase:

• Measurements of the entire renovated space, or if a custom home is in order, a survey of the property showing the percentage of lot coverage possible and ultimately your home’s square footage.
• Several meetings, emails and plan reviews to successfully interpret your family’s dreams and wishes. Once the designs are complete, and we have achieved Design Sign Off (DSO), your project is now ready for final fixed costs to be created within Pinnacle’s SCC 3-Way Guarantee™. As a consumer it is very important to become acutely aware of the pros and cons with the Cost-Plus Builder model in comparison to the Fixed Cost/Design-Build model. The best way to describe the difference is by evaluating who is responsible for cost risk and accountability when it comes to budget-adherence in each model. In the Cost-Plus Builder model, You shoulder cost risk and accountability to budget-adherence and accountability/liability to project costs. In the Fixed Cost/Design-Build model, Your Builder shoulders cost risk and accountability to budget-adherence. Determine who you wish to OWN that responsibility. Statistically more than 80% of projects that end up in litigation do so as a result of the homeowner owning the cost accountability. Pinnacle is of the belief that the Design-Build model maintains the alignment between the client and builder, when it comes to providing a finished project in which all expectations are met; this is in consideration to the start date, completion date and cost, as well as the creation of a home that truly meets every family members’ unique needs.
• Upon client review and subsequent approval, the contract is endorsed, a project deposit is invoiced and Pinnacle schedules a guaranteed start date.
• Pinnacle will coordinate and apply for all necessary City of Calgary Building Permits or Development Permits at this time; these are required prior to the commencement of construction. Building permits are turned around typically in two weeks or less and are required when your home meets contextual guidelines as set out by your MD or City of Calgary permit office. Development Permits are required when your renovation includes an addition beyond contextual guidelines and will add a minimum of several weeks, and sometimes can lead into months depending on the complexity of the proposed addition, neighborhood willingness, or relaxations that are requested.

The following outlines how Pinnacle successfully structures the scheduling of your project:

• Pinnacle’s Site Supervisor allocated to your project is then responsible for ensuring that your project moves forward in alignment with that project schedule. Pinnacle Group is the only RenoMark™ Builder to guarantee our clients’ project start dates, completion dates and costs with our SCC 3-Way Guarantee™ and it is this detailed scheduling system that allows us to provide this solid guarantee (Any changes and additions by the homeowner outside of the original agreement are first approved and then the revised move-in date is re-scheduled, how).
• Pinnacle’s Site Supervisor allocated to your project is then responsible for ensuring that your project moves forward in alignment with that project schedule. Pinnacle Group is the only RenoMark™ Builder to guarantee our clients’ project start dates, completion dates and costs with our SCC 3-Way Guarantee™ and it is this detailed scheduling system that allows us to provide this solid guarantee (Any changes and additions by the homeowner outside of the original agreement are first approved and then the revised move-in date is re-scheduled).
• Pinnacle’s Site Supervisor will discuss with you the arrangement for removal of any furniture or appliances, prior to the construction date. We have developed relationships with local movers and appliance recyclers and can arrange for those services, if you choose.

The following explains what is involved when it is time to complete your project material and product selections:

• Pinnacle’s Interior Designer/Selection Coordinator will meet with you during the time frame between contract approval and actual project start date in order to complete all material and product selections.
• This segment fondly called the ‘shopping stage’ is enjoyable because of the unique level of service provided by Pinnacle’s in-house Interior Designer. Each client is escorted to all Pinnacle vendors & suppliers for each item impacted by the renovation or custom build, including color & paint selections, millwork & custom built-ins, fireplace selections, flooring, plumbing fixtures, cabinetry, countertops, balusters etc.
• The ‘shopping stage’ is time-sensitive, simply because the project cannot begin without the ‘critical-path’ items chosen on time. For example, Pinnacle could not begin the framing stage without the window selections and sizes completed. For this reason, Pinnacle has developed a time-line and product selections document given to the client and Selections Coordinator in order to ensure adherence to the schedule.

• A few days before construction begins; the disposal bin and Porta Potty will arrive on your property.
• A meeting is scheduled between Pinnacle’s Site Supervisor and the trades that are first on the project; any last minute information or requests you may have will be conveyed, as well as clarifications regarding items you wish to save during demolition, hours of construction, clean-up duties etc.
• Once blueprint confirmations are in order, an approved Building Permit is placed in a prominent location for all city inspectors to see and the construction stage is ready to commence!