Residential Services
E-Project designs one-off custom homes across the Valley — contemporary hillside residences, desert-sited homes, and large family houses — and carries them through construction documents and the permit counter. Projects range from roughly 3,800 to 7,800 square feet in the built portfolio.
If you own or are buying a lot in Maricopa County and want a house designed specifically for it, E-Project takes the project from zoning and feasibility through a permit-ready set of construction documents — and stays available through construction. The firm is led by a registered architect, which matters both for complex sites and for the expedited review paths some Valley jurisdictions offer.
How We Work
Zoning district, setbacks, height limits, lot coverage, slope, access, utilities and drainage — before any design work. On a hillside or overlay lot this phase determines what is actually buildable.
Plan organization, massing, orientation for desert sun and views, and a first reconciliation against your construction budget. This is where the house is really decided.
Materials, structure, envelope, mechanical strategy and the details that separate a good drawing from a good house. 3D visualization where it helps the decision.
A coordinated permit set: architectural, structural, energy compliance and consultant coordination, drawn to survive plan review rather than to be corrected in it.
Submittal, comment responses and resubmittal in your jurisdiction, then availability during construction for RFIs, substitutions and field conditions.
Not ready for a full engagement? Buy an hour of architectural judgment on a specific question instead. Architect on Call →
What Makes Arizona Different
West glass is the single most expensive decision most Valley homes make. Orientation, roof overhang depth, shaded outdoor rooms and glazing placement do more for comfort and operating cost than any equipment upgrade. This is design work, not a specification line item.
Arizona hillside and desert lots are regulated by disturbance, not just by setback. How much of the lot you may touch, how tall a cut may be, and how much natural area must be left undisturbed will shape the floor plan before you draw a single room. See Hillside & Desert Homes.
Most Valley view lots are also neighbor-facing lots. Courtyards, level changes, clerestories and controlled openings buy view and privacy at the same time — the alternative is a house with the blinds permanently closed.
A custom home that gets designed first and priced second gets redesigned. E-Project reconciles against a construction budget at schematic design, when changing the answer is still cheap. Many of the contractors we work with are also investors and spec builders, so we design to a number as a matter of routine.
Where a project lands — Scottsdale's Environmentally Sensitive Lands Overlay, a Phoenix hillside development area, a Paradise Valley hillside parcel — changes both the schedule and the design constraints. Knowing that at the start is worth more than any amount of speed later. See Residential Permitting.
Selected Custom Homes
| Project | Size | Character | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cholla Residence | 7,800 SF | Mediterranean style | 2006 |
| Franco Residence | 7,500 SF | Custom home | 2018 |
| Garmo Residence | 6,500 SF | Contemporary, hillside | In construction |
| Troon North Residence | 6,500 SF | Contemporary, hillside — Scottsdale | 2020 |
| Kent Residence 1 & 2 | 4,800 SF each | Contemporary, hillside | 2018 |
| Wing Residence | 4,100 SF | Contemporary, hillside | 2021 |
| Desert Highlands Lot 361 | 3,800 SF | Contemporary, hillside — Scottsdale | 2021 |
| Bjugan Residence | — | Custom home, 3D animation | In design |
| Villa Stella | — | Custom home | In design |
For a one-off custom home, expect roughly three to six months of design work before a permit set is submitted, then jurisdiction review on top of that. Schematic design and design development usually take the longest because that is where the plan, the site strategy and the budget get reconciled. Construction documents move faster once those decisions are settled. Review time then depends on the city: the City of Phoenix publishes a 30-calendar-day goal for custom and standard residential plans, while Scottsdale publishes 15 business days for substantive review on general plan types. Hillside sites in Paradise Valley add a Hillside Building Committee step before a permit application can even be filed.
Arizona does not require an architect's seal on every single-family home, which is why many stock-plan sellers and drafting services can operate in the residential market. What a registered architect adds is responsibility for the whole problem: zoning and code analysis, site and grading strategy, structural and MEP coordination, and standing with the building department when something needs to be resolved. It also matters for expedited review. The City of Phoenix Priority Expedited Plan Review and Self-Certification programs are built around registered professionals, and self-certification specifically requires an architect or structural engineer registered in Arizona for at least three years.
Residential architectural fees are normally quoted either as a percentage of construction cost or as a fixed fee tied to a defined scope. The variables that move the number are square footage, site difficulty, level of detail, how many jurisdictions and consultants are involved, and whether you want the architect through construction. The most useful thing you can do before asking for a fee is to define scope: size, budget range, site, and whether you need permitting handled. E-Project quotes fixed fees against a written scope so there is no ambiguity about what is and is not included.
Yes, and it is usually the cheapest hour you will spend. A pre-purchase feasibility review looks at zoning district, setbacks, height limits, slope, access, utilities, drainage, and whether the lot is inside an overlay such as Scottsdale's Environmentally Sensitive Lands Overlay or a Phoenix hillside development area. Those overlays can change what is buildable dramatically. E-Project offers this as an Architect on Call engagement.
Either. E-Project works with the general contractor, spec builder or investor the client already has, and can also introduce builders where a client does not have one. Because many of the contractors we work with are also investors and spec builders, we are used to designing to a construction budget rather than around it.
A short conversation usually settles whether a custom home is the right call — and what the site will allow.
Book a Consultation Discuss a Project
Or call 480-626-8648 · info@e-projectinternational.com