A homeowner can spend months working with an architect, finish a set of drawings, send the project out for bids—and discover that the house they designed is beyond their budget. Then come the revisions, more estimates, and the search for an available contractor.
Quatrefoil’s design-build practice is structured to avoid that costly detour. The Hudson Valley firm provides architectural and interior design alongside construction, bringing designers, project managers, and builders into the process from the beginning.
“We do a lot of price checking along the way,” says Kathryn Whitman, Quatrefoil partner and registered architect. “We’re pricing materials and sending out for bids as we’re designing, so we can keep the client aware of the costs of their design decisions.”
Because Quatrefoil anticipates moving each project from design into construction, the firm can also plan for it in the building schedule. Materials with long lead times can be identified and ordered early—even before every construction document is complete—helping prevent a finished design from sitting idle while the client searches for a contractor.
The benefits begin well before construction. During the renovation of an existing home, Quatrefoil’s crew can investigate the building while the design is taking shape. If the team is uncertain whether the structure can support a proposed change, builders can open a ceiling, inspect the rafters, and give the designers real-world information before the plans proceed.
That hands-on perspective becomes especially valuable in older homes, where floors are rarely level, walls may not be straight, and opening one surface can reveal generations of surprises. Whitman recalls reviewing a proposal for recessed baseboards and minimalist door reveals in a house where most of the existing drywall would remain. The details could work beautifully in new construction, but installing them in that particular house would have required extensive demolition—and highlighted the irregularities of the old structure.
“Being involved day in and day out with the actual building process makes our solutions more practical,” Whitman says.
That practicality does not mean sacrificing aesthetics. Whitman describes her partnership with her husband, Quatrefoil general contractor Michael Whitman, as a kind of yin and yang. He concentrates on craftsmanship, performance, and a tight building envelope; she focuses on architectural character, visual details, and, when working with a historic property, the appropriate design language. Their goal is to satisfy both sides of that equation.
The firm’s renovation of a 1920s Craftsman-style house on Platt Avenue in Rhinebeck demonstrates the approach. Quatrefoil renovated the home, designed additions, and created a new garage and pool house that echoed the architecture of the original residence—all on a compact village lot.
For clients, the model also offers something valuable during a complicated undertaking: one coordinated team. The designer who helped develop the plans may continue into project management, order the selected materials, and answer questions as construction advances. The client does not have to mediate between competing parties when an issue arises.
Design-build does require trust, Whitman acknowledges. But with that trust comes a unified group working toward the same result: a home whose budget, beauty, performance, and construction have been considered together from the first sketch.
Quatrefoil, 1636 Route 9G, Hyde Park, (845) 773-9234
