When it comes to custom home design in Ontario, Canada, thinkGiraffe stands out as a full-service design firm dedicated to transforming your visions into reality. Our extensive expertise spans from initial concepts to final construction drawings, ensuring a seamless experience throughout your project.
Comprehensive Design Services
We specialize in a variety of residential design solutions tailored to your unique needs, including:
- Custom Homes and Cottages: Our team works closely with you to bring your dream home to life, carefully considering every detail to make it truly yours.
- Multi-Unit Residential Projects: We create efficient layouts for apartment buildings, triplexes, and townhomes, maximizing living spaces while maintaining aesthetic appeal.
- Commercial Spaces: Whether designing an office or a medical facility, we enhance both functionality and comfort, ensuring your space reflects your brand and meets your operational needs.
Sustainable Solutions
At thinkGiraffe, we emphasize green construction methods, utilizing innovative technologies and trustworthy materials. Our commitment to sustainability helps you create a home that is not only beautiful but also energy-efficient and environmentally responsible.
Personalized Approach
Starting with a free, no-obligation consultation, we tailor the design process to meet your needs. Our team will guide you through every step, from concept to permits, ensuring you make informed decisions about your investment. We pride ourselves on high client support and communication levels, making the journey as enjoyable as possible.
Discover the difference that thinkGiraffe can make for your custom home design needs. Our unique blend of creativity, expertise, and client-focused services sets us apart in the design landscape.
Why Choose thinkGiraffe?
thinkGiraffe is a full service design firm with expertise in all aspects of building design, from initial concept to final construction drawings, zoning reviews, residential building permits as well as Part 9 small commercial building permit applications, and contractor assessments.
We can work with you and:
- Design your dream custom home or cottage.
- Design your office, medical office, or other commercial space and improve efficiency and psychological comfort.
- Design multi-story apartment building layouts and multi-residential units, such as fourplexes, triplexes, and duplexes.
- Design townhomes and subdivision homes.
- Convert commercial space and office space to residential units where the zoning by-laws allow it.
- Maximize land development and optimize your site plan application including the site plan and parking layout.
- ADU design and permits, including adding a garden suite, laneway suite, or secondary suite.
- Obtain permits for legal basement apartments.
- Link the design of business interiors and exteriors to your marketing strategy.
- Renovate the interior of your home or business.
- Design residential additions and outdoor spaces.
- Increase energy efficiency, waterproofing, and fire ratings.
- Meet barrier-free building codes.
We specialize in utilizing green design in both residential and commercial building design and construction. thinkGiraffe strives to incorporate the newest and most trustworthy green construction products and methodologies in our designs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Do Your Fees Include?
Fees include:
- A high level of client support and communication.
- Initial concept drawings to obtain interim budget pricing from your contractor.
- High-quality, detailed construction documents (plans and spreadsheets) to assist contractors to provide you with accurate pricing.
- 3D modeling of your proposed design.
- Assistance with selecting a contractor.
- Preparation and submission of building permits, variance, and zoning applications.
- Access to designer studio samples for materials and finishes.
- On-going liaison with the contractor during construction.
thinkGiraffe design services have 30 years of design/construction experience and are accredited by ARIDO and NCIDQ. We also have the Ontario BCIN qualification for small buildings, large buildings, and houses. Our insurance covers projects in Canada.
How Do I Get Started?
At thinkGiraffe, our design process begins with extensive discussion to ensure that we understand what you want and need.
We provide you with a free, no-obligation Zoom call or site visit to determine the scope of your project.
We then issue a design fee proposal that also provides a road map to the different stages of your project from initial concepts to permits and construction.
We will work with you to decide whether you should sell or renovate, if your project is a good investment in terms of cost returns, and what your long-term goals are.
Please take the time to compare us to other design firms. Compare our credentials, technical knowledge, and experience.
Are Green Construction Methods Expensive?
We have been focusing on green design and energy efficiency since 2003. 20 years ago, green design might have been an option, but today, climate change forces us to recognize volatile climate events, extreme heat, and frequent 100-year storms.
We consider the following:
- Maximizing single-family dwellings by adding SDU additions (basement apartments, garden suites, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes) to ensure higher urban density.
- High-quality insulation products with no thermal breaks.
- Water control and flashing.
- Grading and flood prevention.
- Efficient heating and cooling design.
- Passive solar design.
- Sun study modeling showing interior/exterior sun patterns.
- Green roofs.
- Solar photovoltaic panels.
- Healthy indoor air and VOC reduction.
- Durable exterior finishes and window and door systems.
Do You Provide General Contracting Services?
We have experience in general contracting but focus on design and permits.
We know many high-quality ethical contractors we can recommend or will work with the contractor of your choice. We consult with your contractor during the design process to get budget and preferred construction assembly feedback.
Once your design is finalized, we issue it to one or more contractors for pricing and are available to clarify building code and building permit requirements.
What About Building Permits, Conservation Permits, Niagara Escarpment Permits, Severances, and Committee of Adjustment Applications?
We obtain building permits within the Part 9 BCIN large building, small building, and house scope. We act as the agent or applicant for the Committee of Adjustment Variances, Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) Permits, Severances, Zoning Reviews, and Conservation Permits. Our proposals will provide you with a list of potential consultants that will be required.
We thank and acknowledge our many trusted consultants and will gladly work with consultants of your choice if their expertise and credentials meet planning and building permit requirements.
What Areas Do You Service?
Our liability insurance covers projects in Canada, and we are registered to apply for building permits in Ontario.
We serve the Greater Toronto Area, including Mississauga, Oakville, Milton, Burlington, and Hamilton, the Niagara Region, and Southwest Ontario, including Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, and Guelph.
thinkGiraffe has also prepared building permits in the various cottage regions, including North Bay, Parry Sound, Huntsville, Prince Edward County, Collingwood, Kincardine, Goderich, and the Lake Erie area.
What Professional Designations Do You Have?
We are registered with the NCIDQ (North American Interior Design Qualification) and ARIDO (Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario) and have the Province of Ontario BCIN (Building Code Identification Number) for small buildings, large buildings, and houses. You can find us on the Province of Ontario QuARTS Public Search Registry. These memberships imply the requirement for liability as well as error and omissions insurance.
