Remodeling & New Construction Talk... What to Expect in Your Architectural Presentation

In the initial design meeting, we talked about how you live and how we can create a more functional and aesthetically pleasing home for you. Now we’ve taken everything we’ve learned and we’re not going to present you with just one or two plans. Our home design specialist, Rob Little, takes this information and works on researching and creating up to a dozen different designs. This process ultimately results in a presentation of five or six comprehensive plan options. The presentation is intended to give you options for achieving the exact look and functionality you want, and to provide clarity about the consequences of every choice. This process helps you to prioritize the design options that are most important to you within the context of your overall design scheme.

In one design, the kitchen sink may be on an island, and in another, on an exterior wall. The range may be a focal point, or it may be tucked away. In the bathroom, there may be two separate vanity sinks, or two together. The tub may be the focal point, or you may prefer to highlight the shower.

Builders commonly offer one or two design options, but we have found that providing more plans – with great detail –ultimately results in the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the industry.

In the master bedroom, there may be two distinct closets or one larger one. A variety of configurations can meet your stated goals while offering unique benefits. The choice of overall design plans, as well as specific configuration choices enables you to achieve a final design that you truly love.

Once you’ve made these choices, Bella Vista Company presents a revised plan that incorporates all of the choices you’ve made following the architectural presentation. From this point, our interior design specialist, Whitney Dunn will take you to the next phase of the design process, visiting showrooms, viewing samples of lighting fixtures, countertops, flooring, cabinets, and all of the finishout materials that will complete the customization of your one-of-a-kind home.

Want to learn more about creating the perfect remodel or a new home?

Email jan@bellavistacompany.com for our design questionnaire. It’s the perfect tool for beginning to assess what you’ll need to create the perfect living spaces in your home.

For more information on Remodeling or Custom Homes, read our blogs at www.bellavistacompany.com.

lakehighlands.advocatemag.com.

Digital Digest

Reader comments

“Maybe we should, as citizens, start a ‘use it or lose it’ movement. If bond money is unspent after 10 years, it goes away. Too many pots of money sitting around can’t be good for the efficient use of that money.”

—lh_newbie on Lake Highlands North Park improvements underway via Advocate Daily Digest

“I’m excited about this new addition, but still bummed about Gatti’s departure.”

—marciferous on Snappy Salad opening on Upper Greenville via Advocate Daily Digest

“I think a new developer with more than one trick could totally make something exciting there like a private aquatic center or a number of cool ideas — KC pool is crowded and has a ridiculous wait list, another pool would easily be a success on part of the land. I appreciate Prescott’s vision originally but now, they are just building apartments that have zero demand and are not able to think outside the box. Maybe some community meetings to bounce ideas and make it a real community effort. I don’t know, but it has potential for more than apartments.”

—TurnItAround on Lake Highlands Town Center diary via Advocate Daily Digest

“It’s time to cut the cord on the TIF funds and let Prescott sink or swim. If they can’t get the job done, which is apparent that they can’t, it’s time for someone else to buy the property and get things moving. Prescott needs a sense of urgency to get things moving! We have supported their mindless wanderings long enough!”

Casual Observer on City ‘wishes grocer was settled’ at Lake Highlands Town Center via Advocate Daily Digest

“I picked up two cantaloupes at said Tom Thumb. Both so rotten my fingers poked holes in them. They closed the wrong TT.”

—Roger Hohnstein on City ‘wishes grocer was settled’ at Lake Highlands Town Center via Facebook

“Sorry to say, although WE don’t think so, we are TOO CLOSE to other major thoroughfares that retailers want, i.e. NorthPark, Park Lane, and the soon-to-be area ‘down the block’ on the NW side of Walnut Hill and 75 where Dallas’ new Trader Joes will be located.”

—NYerInDallas City ‘wishes grocer was settled’ at Lake Highlands Town Center via Advocate Daily Digest

Q&A: James Scott, Veggie Fair founder

In October 2010, even as Dallasites drooled over the meaty, cheesy texas Fried Frito Pie (taste-division winner of the State Fair’s big tex choice Awards that year), Lake Highlands resident James Scott organized a culinary-based event that was free of meat and animal products. Scott rallied several local vegetarian and vegan vendors and saw some 500 visitors in and out of the Deep ellum warehouse in which he hosted that first veg fest. three years later his texas Veggie Fair has outgrown two venues, acquired participants from around the nation and made a strong case for the fun side of vegan- and vegetarianism. More than 5,000 visitors came through the 2012 event, now held at reverchon Park, 3505 Maple in the turtle creek area. even one of Dallas’ most prolific celebs, erykah badu, has taken notice. A practicing vegan, badu will be the keynote speaker and entertainer at this year’s fair, Sunday, Oct. 20 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Why the interest in veganism?

Initially, about 10 years ago, I became a vegetarian for health purposes. But that led me to research some of the other reasons why people become vegetarian or vegan. Once I started learning about practices of the food industry, which involve a general inhumaneness toward animals and environmentally irresponsible procedures, I became vegan. So avoiding contribution to that industry — the factory farming — became my motivation.

That led to the blog [dallasvegan.com], which I started, and the feedback there let me know there was a community out there of people who felt the same way I did. That’s when I started thinking about the fair.

Unlike, say, Austin, Dallas doesn’t seem to have a ton of vegan options.

Is it difficult to be a vegan in Dallas?

That is part of the reason I wanted to do this. I noticed many restaurants around that have vegan options or potentially vegan options on their menus. Often they aren’t marked that way, but they are there if you look for them. On my blog, I started encouraging a dialog about vegan items in restaurants. Some of the local restaurateurs noticed the commentary and the demand, and some even asked me to work with them on their menus.

What restaurants — ones we might not think about — have vegan menu choices?

One of the big ones that’s been on my radar for a while is Trinity Hall Irish Pub [at Mockingbird Station]. They always had a couple of menu items, but recently they put together a vegan menu. Hacienda on Henderson also has reached out through the blog and has developed some vegan options.

How does incorporating organic, meatless and/or vegan options benefit restaurants?

There are plenty of vegans out there, but often their families and social groups are not. Sometimes when you have a vegetarian in the group, a restaurant can be ruled out based on what we call the vegetarian veto.

What’s that?

It means that a large group of diners might rule out a particular restaurant based on its lack of options for the pickiest of the group’s eaters. So a restaurant with zero vegan options might lose out on a whole family of diners because of the single vegetarian among them.

Did you create the Veggie Fair as an opposition to the State Fair and its deep-fried, bacon-centric offerings?

No — that’s not it. There was a nod to the Texas State Fair. Initially we called it the State Veggie Fair. But really what you will find at the veggie fair is that vegan and vegetarian food, while it can be healthy, can also be as sweet, fatty and fried, and creative and fun as your traditional state fair food. Our hope is to include everyone. Yes, we are here for vegans and those who are leaning toward that lifestyle, but we really want to get the non-vegetarians out here and let them see that this food can be fun, too. The speakers, the entertainment and the activities we put on for kids, too, will be a draw for everyone. And the beer. Trinity Hall is sponsoring our beer garden. So, no, I wouldn’t even call it an alternative, just another fun thing to do in October.

Speaking of entertainment, how did you score Erykah Badu?

Well, for one I’ve now got a good team of people working with me, like Stephanie Casey — she reached out to Erykah. And because Erykah believes in this, she accepted the chance to help educate and improve the lives of animals. We will have several vendors out talking about ways to do that.

—Christina Hughes Babb Answers have been edited for brevity.