This is the first step, and is really the foundation for all the decisions that need to be made about your project. Every home is a unique structure. Despite any similarities in design and construction, your home is different than your neighbors' in many ways. Two houses might even look exactly alike to an untrained eye, but to us, and usually the people who live in them, they are not the same. Materials, construction techniques, and design processes vary enough, even among similar home models, that an inspection of the exact house is nessessary. Even often overlooked factors, like what direction your home faces, the composition of the soil, local building codes and regulations need to be considered, if educated decisions are to be made.