The technical foundation
Structural engineering, energy calculations, and detailed manufacturing drawings. If your project requires permit support, this is the stage where the technical documentation is prepared. This is the stage most builders rush. We do not. Every joint, every connection, and every thermal bridge are calculated before production begins.
Precision protects the design
The approved architectural drawings are passed to our structural engineering team. Every connection, every joint, and every load path are calculated, not assumed. This is the stage where the design is tested against physical reality. A connection detail that looks clean on a drawing must also be structurally correct, thermally continuous, and manufacturable within precise tolerances. Engineering resolves all three at once.
Energy model and thermal analysis
In parallel with structural engineering, our energy team produces a complete dynamic energy model of the house — calculating heating and cooling demand, solar gain, thermal-bridge analysis, and the performance of any renewable-energy systems. The model is site-specific: it uses the real latitude, real orientation, and real window configuration of your house, not a generic approximation. This becomes the basis for energy-performance certification and for sizing the ZeroEnergy systems, if included.
3D manufacturing drawings, not just construction drawings
The output of the engineering stage is a complete set of manufacturing drawings — the files that go directly to our CNC machines. These are not construction drawings in the traditional sense. Every element is specified precisely: dimensions, connection points, insulation pockets, window openings, and service penetrations. Nothing is left to interpretation on site. When the machine runs, the result is identical to what was designed.
Structural engineering calculations
Energy model and performance specification
Detailed manufacturing drawings
Building permit documentation, where applicable
Engineering takes 4 to 8 weeks, depending on project complexity and whether permit documentation is required. That range does not indicate inefficiency — it reflects the difference between a straightforward standard project and a custom design with complex permitting requirements. We do not compress this stage to meet an arbitrary schedule, because errors discovered during manufacturing are significantly more expensive than errors resolved during engineering.
Next step
From drawings to production
Once engineering is complete and approved, manufacturing begins. Your home is built once in the factory — precisely — before it arrives on your site.