From your first sketch to a complete, detailed drawing set — we design homes that reflect how you actually live.
A custom home is the most personal thing most people will ever build. At Empyreal Home Design, we start with your goals — your lot, your lifestyle, your budget — and work toward a drawing set that your builder can actually use to price and build from.
We produce detailed construction documents for single-family homes of every size and style across Northern Michigan. Our background in construction means we draw details that work in the field, not just on screen. We work with homeowners building on their own lot, spec builders who need clean construction drawings, and clients planning everything from a traditional single-family home in Traverse City or Grand Traverse County to a lakefront home on Grand Traverse Bay, a cabin in Leelanau or Benzie County, a barndominium, a pole barn home, or an ADU on a rural Northern Michigan parcel.
Every project is scoped individually, so not every drawing set looks the same. Depending on your project, this typically draws from:
Materials lists and 3D renderings can be included as part of your project or added as standalone services — see Materials Lists and Drafting & 3D Rendering for details.
Homeowners building on their own lot, spec builders who need clean drawings, and anyone who wants their builder to know exactly what to build before the first nail goes in.
New home design has a $4,000 minimum design fee, even if the home is small. Above the minimum, every home is quoted on its own scope, with an estimated bid in writing before design begins.
Who issues the building, zoning, septic, and soil erosion permits depends on where you build: Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim, Benzie, and Kalkaska counties.