Personality doesnt come from a cookie cutter. The people we like best are the ones where we value whats different about them. Houses are the same. A house that looks like everyone elses is just a house. When it takes on the personality of the owner, thats a home.
The way to really get to know someone is to listen, of course. Spend time with them, and listen to their likes and dislikes, until its understood not just what they like, but why they like it.
This is how a home is designed to fit the owner. Someone takes the time to listen to what prospective homeowners want in their home and in their life. This is what sets Martin Weaver of Buckeye Drafting apart from the crowd. People will come in with a folder full of ideas, pictures, maybe half a dozen floor plans, said Weaver of his potential clients. Sometimes whats on their paper is not really everything they want, and I try to hear that. Its often fun, that first draft, Ill be writing stuff down while theyre here, and when they get their first draft, theyll say, We wanted that. How did you know? Well I was listening. Often its more than they expected, more of what they want.
What many people want, is not just a stock plan found online, or a variation on a builders model home. But neither do they want to spend big bucks on an over-designed creation for someones portfolio.
So while Weaver listens to the clients to discover their wants and needs, he has the real world experience to design a practical, as well as a beautiful house. He helps the owners to think about how the flow of the house will work, where furniture might be placed, where traffic patterns will be.
As to his training, Weaver said with a chuckle, I have 20 years of sweat and tears, that was my training. referring to his years of learning first how to build a house, then how to design it. Weaver has been in the building industry his whole life, starting on the job with his fathers construction company when he was barely a teenager. For me, when Im drawing on the computer, every 2x4 makes sense, every piece of wood, every block. I know exactly where its going, and how it looks.
Commercial builders, as well as residential, have found Buckeye Drafting to be a valuable resource for design work. His hands-on experience helps Weaver design buildings that are as practical as they are beautiful, while his fees are often less than expected, especially for small commercial buildings.
Commercial buildings are a big part of Buckeye Draftings work. Weaver sees his company as a way for the small business owner to save significantly in the cost of a building design. All his commercial design work is done under the supervision of a licensed engineer. His commercial design work covers a broad spectrum of building types and uses. He has designed churches, nursing homes, retail and office spaces, an RV park, storage and warehouse facilities, and more. He works with traditional block or frame construction, but also designs steel and post frame buildings, log homes, and timber frame construction.
While Buckeye Drafting is an independent business, their offices are inside the design center at Holmes Lumber. This is convenient for clients to shop materials and fixtures as a part of the design process. Of course, Weaver will work with all contractors or homeowners, no matter where they purchase materials. Hes not limited to working in Ohio either. Designs can easily be emailed, so the companys residential designs are frequently used around the country.
Perhaps Weavers love of family gives him a respect for the uniqueness of each home. It was in 1998 that he chose this path of home design, rather than one that requires many years of formal education, because it was a better choice for his young family. So he finds it rewarding that his son is studying engineering, and helping in the business too.
The cost of residential and commercial design work is set at the start of the process, so clients wont be surprised by a high fee. Weaver especially likes the service and the savings he can offer to independent businesses that have a modest budget for a smaller building.
My goal when Im done with a drawing is, I want the customer to feel like they designed it, not me, he said. Thats satisfaction to me. It makes them feel like, this is what we were dreaming of.
Buckeye Drafting is located inside the design center at Holmes Lumber. See their work at buckeyedrafting.com, or call 330-674-3729.
