New builds are a long conversation. Eighteen to twenty-four months from first meeting to move-in, with a team that includes your architect, builder, landscape architect, and a dozen trades. Our job is to hold the interior brief steady from the first schematic sketch through the last FF&E install — so the finished home still feels like the conversation you started with us two years earlier.
The single biggest mistake new-build owners make
Bringing the interior designer in too late. If you call us after the architect has issued construction drawings, we are already in recovery mode — repositioning outlets, reworking millwork locations, hunting for the stone that fits the tile that's already been ordered. Our best projects are the ones where we're at the table in month one. It costs less, takes less time, and produces a better home.
The ideal 18-month timeline
Months 1–3: land, architect, and designer at the table. Site analysis, brief development, preliminary space planning.
Months 4–6: concept, schematic design, material palette.
Months 7–9: construction documents, finishes lock, appliance and plumbing selections.
Months 10–15: build and site decisions. Weekly on-site coordination.
Months 16–18: FF&E — furniture, fixtures, equipment — and full install.
Who sits at the table, and when
Architect, builder, interior designer, landscape architect, lighting designer, and sometimes a structural engineer and a technology consultant. Early on, everyone should be in the same room every four to six weeks. Not every call — but every major decision. When we all hear the same brief at the same time, the house comes together as one idea rather than a collage of separate scopes.
Budget ranges for a Sea-to-Sky new build
Design fees alone: typically $80K–$250K+ over the length of the engagement, depending on scope and home size. Total build + interiors for a Sea-to-Sky custom home in 2026 typically runs $3M–$15M+. Lots at the higher end usually have sensitive sites, heavy landscaping, and significant custom millwork. We'll have a realistic budget conversation in the first meeting.
Work that shows the thinking.
Common questions.
When should we hire an interior designer for a new build?
Can you work with architects we've already chosen?
Do you also design the furniture package (FF&E)?
How involved are you during construction?
Let’s talk about how your family lives.
Every project starts with a conversation about who you are and how you actually live.