Who We Are and How We Work
Helping Los Angeles area residents build their perfect home with complete, collaborative Design-Build services, since 2010.
Who We Are and How We Work
We Are…
LETTER FOUR, INC.
LETTER FOUR, INC. is a full service architectural
design and construction firm offering
Design-Build services in Los Angeles, California.
We offer the seamless integration of licensed
architectural and general contracting services
that is specifically tailored to the diverse goals
of our clients. We’re a one-stop-shop with
in-house Interior Design and Landscape Design.
Our team is committed to creating inspired,
original work that creatively addresses any given
project goals, needs, and challenges. We work
hand-in-hand with our clients to ensure that the
end product, whether it be their dream home,
multi-family investment property, retail
environment, restaurant, office, or gym always
speaks to the end user. Our mission is to design
and build great spaces with great people.
Who We Are and How We Work
Get to know us and how we work!
Who We Are
Meet Lauren and Jeremy, Co-Owners, Licensed
Architect and Licensed General Contractor
Welcome Message
Learn about the amazing team of
professionals that will be working with you on
your project
Meet The Team
Table Of Contents
Find out how we keep you connected and in the
know!
Software
Let’s break it down.
Timeline
See what our past clients have to say
Our Process
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In The Works
Our Clients
We will walk you through step by step
Find out what we are working on
Who We Are and How We Work
Lauren Adams And Jeremy Baker
Architect + General Contractor Co-Owners
Thank You For Your
Consideration
Hello!
This presentation should give you a brief overview of who we are, how we work,
and what you can expect from each project phase. We’ll walk you through our
process step by step, so please feel free to ask any questions that you may have.
The goal of this presentation is to give you a clear understanding of who we are
here at LETTER FOUR, INC., and how we design and build our projects. We’ll walk
you through project phase goals and show you sample project deliverables, as
well as the softwares that we use to communicate and collaborate throughout
the project.
Our team brings with them over 75+ years of combined experience in the
Design-Build field. We are currently working on several large single family,
multi-family, and commercial projects and are excited to work with you to make
your vision a reality. We’re here for you, every step of the way!
Best,
Lauren + Jeremy
Who We Are and How We Work
Meet The Team
PRINCIPALS + ADMINISTRATION KEY STAFF MEMBERS
We’ve spent quite some time cultivating our team of young
professionals. While Lauren and Jeremy are a part of every phase in
the project you will work with our entire team through the process.
Lauren will be working on the overall design of the project and
participating in meetings and all correspondence to make sure that
you are well taken care of as we progress through the design
phases.
Jeremy will be overseeing pricing through the design portion, on site
regularly once construction has commenced, and coordinate site
visits with you to review progress.
Joey is your first point of contact and oversees all business
operations including scheduling, human resources, marketing, and
works alongside our team to ensure they have the resources and
tools they need to proactively work on your project.
Lauren Adams
CO-OWNER, PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT
AIA, NCARB, 20+ YEARS EXPERIENCE
Jeremy Baker
CO-OWNER, GENERAL CONTRACTOR
25+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
Joey Camello
OFFICE MANAGER
5+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
Who We Are and How We Work
Meet The Team
ARCHITECTURE DIVISION KEY STAFF MEMBERS
Our employees are hardworking, grounded, intelligent, and
resourceful individuals who each bring something unique to the
LETTER FOUR family. We are proud to say our Architecture division is
an all-female team, bringing with them over 20+ years of experience.
Our Project Manager, Nicole, will be your main point of contact.
Walking you through each phase and sending regular updates while,
our Senior Job Captain works diligently on code research, getting
clearances required for permit RTI (Ready-To-Issue), drafting detailed
drawing sets, and coordinating with the field. Our Interior Designer
will work closely with you to choose all the finishes and fixtures for
your project.
Nicole Sugihara Brinser
PROJECT MANAGER, LICENSED ARCHITECT
8+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
CAL POLY STATE UNIV. SAN LUIS OBISPO
Jessica Tien
PROJECT MANAGER, LICENSED ARCHITECT
9+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Natalie Williams
INTERIOR DESIGNER
3 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO
Who We Are and How We Work
Meet The Team
CONSTRUCTION DIVISION KEY STAFF MEMBERS
We would be nothing without our incredible construction team
members! They are driven, proactive, and go above and beyond for
our clients and their projects. Our Construction division has 50+
years of combined experience.
Our Project Manager will be your main point of contact once
construction starts, keeping you up to date on project status and
timeline. Our Admin. Assistant will be handling all internal processes
such as collecting bids and coordinating inspections while our Site
Foreman is in the field working alongside our tradesman to ensure all
protocols are being followed and all work is at the level of quality we
expect.
Emmet Ashford
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGER
UW BFA/ UCLA M.ARCH
15 YEARS EXPERIENCE
Bonnie Duprey
PROJECT COORDINATOR
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
4 YEARS EXPERIENCE
Alfredo Serrano
SITE FOREMAN
OVER 30+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
Who We Are and How We Work
We Keep You Connected And In The Know!
We use several softwares to keep our projects on
track and our clients up-to-date. You’ll have 24/7
access to your team and project data and
deliverables. We’ll also share your project schedule
and alert you when updates have been made.
Rather than drafting in 2D, like many smaller firms, we
use a software called Revit, which is a BIM software.
That means that we model your project in 3D and pull
our 2D drawings from our model.
Want to make a change to the design? We only need
to make that once in the model for it to carry through
to the drawings. It’s an expensive software, but it
virtually eliminates room for error and allows us to
fully coordinate with consultants like structural and
mechanical engineers.
Revit
Slack
Airtable
Procore
STATE OF THE ART SOFTWARE
Who We Are and How We Work
Our Timeline
Before we jump into each project phase let’s take a look at the project process timeline below. There are a few important items to note:
●
We will provide project pricing three times as we work through your project. This happens first with the Preliminary Pricing phase,
again at the end of Design Development, and finally at the end of Construction Documents, as we get ready to build your project
●
At the end of the Design Development phase we submit for plan check. While we are waiting for the city to complete their review
we’ll be working on Construction Documents, Permitting, and Finish + Fixture selections to help expedite the project timeline
●
Construction and Construction Administration happen simultaneously. What’s the difference? Construction is performed by our
licensed subcontractors and overseen by Jeremy, our licensed General Contractor. Construction Administration is time spent by
architectural staff to check in on the job site, answer questions, and address necessary changes with a design eye. We make sure
that the design team is the one making design decisions in field so that what we design is what gets built
LET’S BREAK IT DOWN…
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Who We Are and How We Work
Various consultants will be required, depending upon the
particulars of your site and your project scope. If you have
a flat lot we’ll need a boundary survey to locate the
property lines and existing buildings relative to those lines.
If your site is sloped then a topographic survey and soils
report will be required. If your project is a remodel we’ll need
as-builts. Our consultant will do a point cloud scan of the
existing building(s) on site to provide us with a 3D model in
Revit, our BIM drafting software.
Due Diligence
AS-BUILTS + SURVEY
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Who We Are and How We Work
Due Diligence
The goal of this phase is to gather information needed to design and
construct the project. During this phase we will evaluate both the project’s
goals and constraints. This includes existing conditions, project timelines, and
city requirements as they relate to your description of budget, projects needs,
and desires.
This phase consists of 3 parts:
●
As-builts + Surveys: We’ll have our consultants come out to the site to
scan and model the existing building(s) on site. A licensed surveyor will
capture site topography and/or property lines and building setbacks
●
Code Research: We’ll pull past permit records and determine setbacks,
height limits, maximum allowable square footages, and parking
requirements. We’ll also estimate our project timeline for the remaining
phases through securing permits. All of this information is captured in the
Due Diligence code summary.
●
Your Homework: We’ll ask that you collect inspiration imagery and upload it
to Airtable, noting what in particular you like about each image you’ve
chosen
We’ll review all three of these items above together before getting your
approval to move to the next phase.
WE DO OUR RESEARCH SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO!
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Who We Are and How We Work
Conceptual Design
The goal of this phase is to develop the big idea: What is the overall
character and vision for the project and how does it relate to the
site and comply with code requirements?
We create hand sketches to scale to review with you for comment
and approval before completing the project phase.
LET’S GET CREATIVE
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Who We Are and How We Work
Conceptual Design
LET’S GET CREATIVE
We’ll pull inspiration images that will help inform the design intent and
direction. Images will be a compilation of both client initial ideas mixed with
our professional suggestions.
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Who We Are and How We Work
Preliminary Pricing
This is our first project price check and the goal of this
phase is to give you an idea of your total project cost.
Pulling from our past and current projects, Jeremy creates a
budget based on the Conceptual Design.
This budget includes not only the construction cost, but
also project soft costs for architectural design, engineering,
permits, etc. We even estimate the cost for Finishes +
Fixtures, as those can be a significant part of any project
budget.
If we are concerned that we’re getting close to your
maximum all-in project budget we’ll propose areas for cost
savings. Debating some extras, like a pool and spa? We’ll add
those in as separate line items so you can make an informed
decision as to what scope to move forward with.
The goal at the end of this phase is to have a Conceptual
Design that you’re happy with, an all-in project budget that
works for you, and a clear scope of work for us to run with.
PRICE CHECK!
Area of Work
Cost
Potential
Savings -$
Potential
Added +$
Notes
Main House Option 4 - Revised - Hard Costs
Construction
$813k
-$35k
Use semi custom cabinets instead of full custom
-$10k
Keep wall in living room
-$45k
Keep existing garden wall, make pool smaller
-$10k
Use prefabricated pergola structure
Finishes & Fixtures
$135k
Mid-range, includes Prefab Pergola and off-the-shelf vanities,
no custom cabinetry
-$30k
For more affordable finishes and fixtures
Site Work
$35k
Recreation Room + Attached deck at rear (Phase 2)
$150k
Pool w Spa + integrated cover
$15k
New garden wall
Hard Cost Subtotals $948k
-$130k
$200k
Main House Option 4 - Revised - Soft Costs
Architectural Design
$135k
Includes estimated hourly charges for Permitting and CA
Landscape Design
$6k
-$6k
Not Required
Interior Design
$10k
Req. Consultant Work
Civil Engineering $6k
Surveyor $6k
Completed
Soils Engineer $8k
Structural $8.5k
Energy $0.5k
Plan Check & Permit Fees
$10k
Soft Cost Subtotals $190k
-$6k
TOTAL ESTIMATED BUDGET $1.138M
-$136k
$200k
Budget Range: $1.0M - $1.2M
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Who We Are and How We Work
Schematic Design
The goal of this phase is to model the approved Conceptual Design that
corresponds with your project budget from the previous phase. We present
floor plans, site plans, exterior elevations, and linework model views in order
for you to fully envision the design and approve it prior to moving on to the
next phase.
Our goal is to pin down wall locations, openings, rooflines, and volumes
because in the next phase we’ll on board our engineers.
WE WORK IN 3D.
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Who We Are and How We Work
Design Development
The goal of this phase is to prepare project documentation for our
initial plan check submittal. This includes consultant drawings and
calculations, which we will review and coordinate. You can see that we
have a long list of drawing sheets and include the code information
that the city needs to see.
LET’S GET TECHNICAL!
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Who We Are and How We Work
If your project is on a sloped lot we’ll submit your soils report
and secure the Soils Report Approval Letter prior to
submitting for plan check.
Design Development
SOILS REPORT + TITLE 24
Any time we’re creating new square footage or adding
volume or additional openings to a building we need to
coordinate with a consultant for Title 24 Compliance to show
that what we are building will conform to California’s energy
code requirements.
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Who We Are and How We Work
As part of the Design Development phase we are required to create
door and window schedules. These show every door and window along
with their sizes, operation, and special characteristics such as fire
ratings and egress.
Design Development
DOOR / WINDOW SCHEDULE + STRUCTURAL DETAILS
Our Title 24 consultant needs these for their calculations and the city
will review to make sure that they are code compliant. We will also
coordinate with our structural engineers for their designs and
calculations, as needed for city submission to plan check.
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Who We Are and How We Work
At this time we will also do our first round of formal bidding. Reaching out to our
subcontractors, accepting bids, and compiling them for you in the document you
see here. We’ll schedule a meeting with you to walk through the construction
pricing and let you know what items are fixed fees and what is still an allowance.
Allowance items will be re-bid once the project is further along to lock in pricing.
Design Development
ROUND TWO OF BIDDING - ITEMIZED COST ESTIMATE
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Who We Are and How We Work
Construction Documents
The goal of this phase is to develop the drawings and documentation
needed to to build the project. This includes additional drawings like
framing plans, lighting plans, power plans, floor finish plans, and
additional details. At this time we will also work to finalize our
construction bid and contract in tandem with the Permitting phase
and Finish + Fixture selections. This way when our permits are
approved we are ready to start construction if you are!
LET’S GET INTO THE DETAILS.