A Few Words from St Augustine House Designer Tom McConnell

I’ve been crafting custom designed house plans since 1994. The thing I love about being a custom home designer in St Augustine? Knowing I’ve helped all kinds of people create their dream home. A home that’s unique to them. Whether it’s for a lanai that can be used year-round or a two-story house on the banks of St Johns River, each house plan I create means someone is getting the home they’ve always wanted. And that’s pretty cool.

Building your own home is one the most rewarding things you can do in life… and probably one of the most challenging. There are lots of steps involved. But that first step—transforming your vision into a blueprint—is perhaps the most important. If you don’t get that right, you’re bound to be disappointed with the end result.

Taking Customers Through the Design Process Step by Step

Understandably, many of my customers have no idea what’s involved in the design process. Building you own home or undertaking a remodel is not something you do every day. It can seem overwhelming. You need to make countless choices about big features like roof pitches and exterior finishes and tiny details like moldings and electrical outlets. I take you through it step by step. Explain what your options are when it comes to materials, structural layout, even where the house sits in relation to the lot’s boundaries.

Another big part of my job is identifying and finding ways around potential problems. Here in St Augustine and St Johns County, Florida, we have architecturally restricted areas and a large swathe of wetlands, which is protected by law. My local knowledge and experience in dealing with the district building department kicks in here. I’ll know if your property will need additional permits or building setbacks, for example. That’s not something you want to discover when your builder’s ready to lay the foundation of your house.

Injecting Valuable Experience into Building Designs

After 25 years in the house design business, I’ve built up a wide portfolio of design projects. The knowledge I’ve gained from the sheer variety of designs that I’ve drafted allows me to offer a service that’s appreciated by homeowners and engineers alike. I don’t take shortcuts. I pay attention to detail. I give sound advice.

Residential projects probably make up the bulk of what I do, from small additions to existing homes to luxury three-story houses, all in various architectural styles. But I’ve also done plenty of commercial projects such as concrete floating docks, marinas and boat houses, restaurants and churches.

Some of my larger projects include the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, the Good News Church and numerous commercial steel buildings.

Committed to Your Priorities

At the end of the day, though, it’s all about understanding your priorities as a homeowner. It’s about taking your vision, helping you flesh it out, and then turning it into an easy-to-read house plan that you can take to a contractor and say ‘Hey, build this!’.  That’s my personal commitment to you.

So, if you’re ready to take the plunge and start designing your own home, please give me a call on (904) 794-4500. I’d be delighted to hear from you.