Design Associates Kauai Services

Design Services

Our prime focus is Residential:

We also do Commercial work:

We can help guide your project swiftly and smoothly through the local maze of Hawaiian 'island style' bureaucracy:

Project Management Flow

Initial Consultation:

Feasibility Study:

Client provides detailed info about budget constraints, property; Survey, Topography, and Shoreline Determination if needed. We do in person site investigations, and determine the requirements of the State and County re: SMA, Flood/ Tsunami Hazard, Zoning, setbacks and maximum building height.

Program Phase:

Based on your ‘Wish List’ of all the qualities and components your house should have to meet your needs, we create a ‘Design Program’ that reflects this. We then create mock-ups of several homes that satisfy your criteria for your home or project to be built on Kaua`i.

Design Development:

After you agree on the basic direction, we begin to flesh out this concept into actual plans for your home. After your final approval and the conclusion of this phase, if you have already selected a contractor, these drawings have enough information to begin making rough cost estimates.

Working Drawings:

The outlines, dimensions, and components of your project are now refined and upgraded into complete Architectural and Engineering drawings with actual construction details, including connectors, engineered beam sizes, foundations etc.

Contractor Bidding Oversight:

This process often requires written specifications, which we can happily provide. If you have not already obtained a contractor for your project, there are several we can recommend. Should you wish documents to go out to several contractors in a competitive bidding process, we will gladly over-see and manage this process for you if you wish, or if you are off-island during this time.

Building Phase:

We Provide construction observation, and certification of acceptable quality for scheduled progress payments during construction. This is quite helpful for mainland clients who cannot oversee the work themselves, as well as those who do not feel confident making site inspections to determine acceptable quality of work.