Robert Carl Williams Associates

The roots of Robert Carl Williams Associates trace back to the 1960s and the founding and development of Hawk Mountain in the hills of central Vermont. They have designed upwards of 500 mountainside homes throughout the resort and for many years, and through 1990 they were the exclusive designer for Hawk Mountain. Download the PDF

Your building or renovating decision is an important one. Make sure that your choice of architect fits you as well as your style of home. Here are some tips to help you find just the right architect. 1. Begin your selection process as early as possible. An architect can help you clarify the goals of [...]

How to Keep Your Project on Track The secret to successful projects is good communication between owner and architect. Here’s how you, the owner, can help. Understand what a realistic budget is. The most common failure of a project stems from misconceptions about the budget. What you want, you may not have budgeted for. Make [...]

Let Your Architect Complete the Project The question of performance and follow-through in architecture is the same as any other aspect of life. Without good follow-through a brilliant idea can fail. Not contracting with the architect for follow-up and project inspections can actually cost more in the long run. The typical scenario goes something like [...]

Can You Start Planning Too Soon? . . .  Not Really Almost no one would question the wisdom of planning, although most of us give less attention to this important area of our lives than we should. For most construction projects of size, the orderly process of planning can save money and time. But planning [...]

Planning Primer The most important step in getting the best home design or renovation plan is planning. There are three types of planning that you will need to consider: – financial/economic – land/site – architectural/building 1. Financial/Economic Plan Your financial/economic plan comes first. This is where you will create a budget – you’ll start with [...]

How to Get the Best Design Value: Identifying Your Needs How to you know what services you need from your architect? Sit down and discuss your project and your needs. Here’s how: 1. Any project’s success depends on a clear definition of its goals. It is the architect’s foremost task to bring the objectives of [...]

Building Your New Home Congratulations. You’re ready to build a new home. You’ve purchased the land and you’ve got a folder full of ideas you want to incorporate into your home. If you make the right decisions at the start of your project, you can save time and money and get the home you’ll enjoy [...]

How You Site Your Home is Important How you site your home is important. Construction of any type necessarily disrupts the natural environment to varying degrees. Our approach is placement of the home with sensitivity to the surrounding natural world – the boulders, trees and modulations of the earth itself. One of the guiding principles [...]

Competitive or Negotiated Bid? Once you’ve approved a set of plans you’re ready to go to the next step. It’s time to hire the contractor. When entering the bidding process for a contractor, you can do it through competitive or negotiated bidding. This decision often depends on how familiar you are with the local building [...]

Renovating for the Best Value To determine value in renovation, we create two categories: minor renovations – under $50,000; and major renovations – over $50,000. Minor Renovations 1. Review your existing floor plan for an overall perspective. This is essential in either a minor or major renovation. It is virtually impossible, even for a good [...]

Renovating: Time for a New Look It may be as simple as an updated kitchen or as complex as a total redesign of a floor plan, but you’ve decided it is time to renovate. As with new construction, it is important to start off on the right foot so that you obtain a result you’re [...]

Renovation Tidbits If you are thinking about renovating then here are some major considerations to keep in mind: 1. Window Replacement – for better natural light and reduced heat loss. Consider skylights or a green house window. 2. Add insulation – walls, ceiling, roof, floors and foundation plus hot and cold water pipes. 3. Heat [...]

Kitchen Design Considerations and Survey Inventory your present kitchen. For any kitchen design to work, it must meet your needs, not just for food preparation and clean-up, but also for the way you work. If you are the only cook and your kitchen is designed in the classic “golden triangle” (sink, stove and refrigerator in [...]

Kitchen Design: Golden Triangle or Zone Concept Several decades ago the “golden triangle” was all the rage for kitchen designs. It required a well-designed kitchen to have its sink, refrigerator and range located in a triangular proximity. This design worked great provided there was only one cook. Our lifestyles have changed, most families have two [...]