There’s a lot of pressure when you’re selecting a design firm partner for your development project. As you review proposals, sometimes the only thing that stands out is the price.

But you aren’t just looking for the lowest possible fees. You want the outdoor spaces on your projects to stand out and be a worthwhile investment. That’s why we believe the two most important things to consider when reviewing proposals are:

1. Whether or not you’ll achieve results that you can be proud of.
2. The experience you are going to have throughout the design process.

Remove the Guesswork

Determining whether you will enjoy working with a particular firm and knowing if they can deliver the results you want is mostly guesswork. The average proposal is bundled with a heap of contract language which may contain a breakdown of fees across the generic project phases. Many firms mistake a proposal for a contract and send you a sprawling agreement with a lot of words that aren’t relevant yet. So it’s up to you to spend your valuable time vetting the firm.

It’s unfair to you to have to do all the work in understanding what a particular firm is offering when they send you a proposal. You have enough on your plate. That’s why we’ve created this helpful checklist of questions you can ask to help determine the right fit design firm for each of your projects.

We want to help guide you toward the option that will best meet your expectations and bring you success – regardless of whether you choose to work with us or go with another firm.

The following are some reasons from our top-level architect and developer clients why you might choose to include our team on your projects.

1) You want to collaborate with your design consultants.

At Loft Six Four we love to collaborate. We’re serious about getting owner feedback and dialing in the design to meet your expectations. We work best with ownership groups that value our expertise and the design process and want to provide input along the way.

“Loft Six Four has been the most responsive and ‘on top of things’ consultant I have worked with on any of my projects!” – Gentry Griffin, Cole West Home

“We chose to work Loft Six Four primarily because they are great collaborators and specialize in contextual design. They ask the right client and design team member questions to develop creative solutions. They are process-driven and pull others into their process.” – W. Todd Kelsey, Method Studio

2) You are looking for creative “wow” ideas.

We’re known for our creativity. The Loft Six Four team strives to make each of our design solutions unique in order to help the developments they are a part of stand out from the crowd. Our best work happens when “new and different” is the design direction.

“Loft Six Four creates some of the best overall design concepts of any firm that our group has worked with over the past several years. Their design plans add a new level of creativity and function to our multifamily developments.” – Jeff Nielson, Wasatch Residential Group

“Loft Six Four brings creative vision, expertise in design and planning, and makes the entire experience enjoyable.” – Sue Donahugh, The Muller Company

3) Your project has challenging problems to solve.

We transform challenges into opportunities at Loft Six Four. We get excited about challenging projects that need extra effort to turn out well. We love working within tough constraints while still achieving high-quality results.

“I can always count on Loft Six Four to deliver a well-planned and cutting-edge site and urban landscape architectural design. I appreciate the attention to detail and ability to marry the architectural design style with the landscape and outdoor gathering/living areas.” – Steve Broadbent, Thrive Development

4) You are working within a budget.

We’re not oblivious to the fact that outdoor spaces cost money. In fact, we’ve spent the past several years collecting the most up-to-date information on the construction cost of everything we design. We regularly provide cost estimates for the design at each stage of the process so you can keep your aspirations aligned with your budget. We believe that cost should not limit creativity. We know we can deliver the most bang for your buck.

“Loft Six Four treats each design challenge with a contextual approach providing distinct Class A innovative rooftop and outdoor design experiences that respond creatively to the surrounding built environment.” – Pieter Berger, MVE+Partners

5) You see your outdoor spaces as an investment.

At Loft Six Four we view rooftop amenities and outdoor living experiences as a huge opportunity to add value to a project. We’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of outdoor amenity spaces. Because of this, we know how to deliver outdoor living experiences that that make the difference for urban apartments and mixed-use developments. We pour everything we’ve got into making the most interesting and exciting spaces that will help you stand out and make money.

“Loft Six Four brings awesome ideas, energy, and passion to the table on every project we work on with them, and…no one does rooftop space better. Full Stop. Their team is legit, and we love collaborating with them every chance we get!” – Greg Walker, WOW Atelier

“With Loft Six Four, we have found a landscape architect that is responsive, creative, and dedicated to creating unique and amazing spaces for our residents. Loft Six Four has truly become an integral part of our team and our design process.” – Ben Lowe, Lowe Property Group

Have a project in mind that you want to collaborate on? Let’s get the ball rolling!