Custom Home Design Services in Teton Valley & Eastern Idaho

SwagerBuilds runs a full custom home design agreement for clients building in Teton Valley and Eastern Idaho, including Jackson-side owners who build on the Idaho side. Our design team runs projects from first sketch through permit-ready construction documents, with engineer-stamped structural and truss packages sized for local snow load, and a preliminary construction budget delivered as a paid schematic-phase deliverable. Design fees are a fixed fee, quoted per project; when we build the home, 100% of paid design fees credit against the first construction draw.

This page covers the full design agreement that leads into a fixed-price construction contract.

Why We Don’t Quote Custom Home Projects Before Design

Nobody honest can price a true custom home before design is done. Any builder who hands you a bottom-line number on the first phone call is either quoting a stock plan they’ve built ten times, or hiding future overruns inside “allowances” that walk 15–25% by move-in. That structure punishes homeowners — which is the exact reason we don’t run it.

The design-first model works differently. During a signed design agreement, we lock the plan, spec every finish, get real subcontractor bids on real materials, and hand you a fixed construction contract price that holds. If we miss something in the design phase, that’s on us. If a sub raises their number after the construction contract signs, that’s on us. The only line items that can move the price after signing are documented change orders you initiate.

The trade-off is 12–16 weeks up front before construction starts. In exchange, you know your fixed number before you break ground, you’ve already reserved a build slot on our calendar (see below), and every finish decision has been made once — not five times — with real pricing in the room.

Under Idaho Code §54-306, single-family homes can be designed by a licensed residential designer or a licensed general contractor without an IBAE architect stamp. Where a stamp is required — larger multi-family, unusual scopes, or a jurisdiction that specifically requires one — we bring in a licensed professional from the roster maintained by Idaho DOPL.

How the Design Agreement Reserves Your Build Slot

This is the part most owners don’t hear until too late. SwagerBuilds runs a limited number of custom home starts per year, and eastern Idaho / Teton Valley construction demand is real — per Construction Coverage’s 2025 analysis, Idaho leads the nation with 21.2 new units authorized per 1,000 existing homes, more than twice the national average. Trade calendars fill up. Truss packages have 12–16 week lead times. Foundation windows are seasonal.

A signed design agreement does two things at once. It funds the design work, and it holds a specific build start slot on our calendar. That means if you sign a design agreement in January with a projected 14-week design phase and a spring-summer construction start, we hold that slot for you — no one else can take it.

A recent example: an active design-agreement client is currently in the middle of their design phase with an August 2027 construction start slot already reserved. Their design fee is what secured that specific calendar window; it can’t be taken by another client. If they’d tried to price-shop after design was finished instead of signing a design agreement first, that slot would be gone by the time they came back — and the next available slot would be pushing 2028.

This is different from how most builders operate. The typical “we’ll get back to you with a bid” model leaves your position in the queue undefined until a construction contract signs. A design agreement collapses that gap — you’re in the queue the moment you sign, and you know exactly when your build starts.

What’s Included in the Design Agreement

A complete design engagement produces every drawing, specification, and cost document needed to pull a permit, bid the project cleanly, and build without guessing. That includes:

• Site analysis, driveway feasibility, and setback confirmation.
• Schematic floor plans, elevations, and roof form studies.
• Preliminary construction budget delivered as a schematic-phase deliverable (see next section).
• Design development drawings with locked plan and elevations.
• Interior selections — cabinets, tile, flooring, plumbing, lighting, hardware.
• Construction documents (CDs) with dimensions, sections, and details.
• Engineer-stamped structural drawings, truss layout, and Manual J/S/D energy calcs.
• Permit application submittal to the appropriate jurisdiction.
• Fixed construction contract price from real subcontractor bids on real materials.
• Reserved build slot on our construction calendar.

The Preliminary Construction Budget (Paid Schematic-Phase Deliverable)

Most design-first builders make you wait until CDs are done to see any construction cost math. We don’t. As part of the schematic phase — within the first 5–6 weeks of the design agreement — we deliver a written preliminary construction budget based on the schematic plan, expected tier band, and site conditions. It’s a paid deliverable inside the design fee, not a free napkin sketch.

Why this matters: it lets you make the go/no-go decision on program and scale before we sink 8+ weeks into design development and CDs. If the schematic budget tells you the program is $500K over what you can carry, we scale down the schematic before DD locks. That’s a $500K decision made in week 6, not week 16. The preliminary budget won’t be your final fixed price — that lands after CDs and real sub bids — but it will bracket the tier and give you room to adjust scope before revisions get expensive.

The preliminary budget references our 2026 construction cost range: $400 per square foot and up of interior living space. Above that range means you’re choosing high-end finishes and fixtures. Once the design and selections are set, your price is fixed. All-in project cost typically adds 35–50% on top of construction cost for land improvements, soft costs, design fee, contingency, and financing carry. See our eastern Idaho pillar and Teton Valley line-item breakdown for how those tiers map by area.

Deliverables in Detail (Schematic, DD, CDs, Interior Selections, Engineer-Stamped)

Design deliverables land in four packages, each one reviewed and signed off before the next begins:

1. Schematic Design (SD) — 2–3 floor plan concepts, massing studies, exterior character direction, preliminary square footage, and a preliminary construction budget. Enough to make go/no-go decisions on program and scale before DD locks.
2. Design Development (DD) — one locked floor plan, dimensioned elevations, roof plan, preliminary structural strategy, window and door schedule started, cabinetry layout in kitchen and baths.
3. Construction Documents (CDs) — full permit-ready set: foundation plan, framing plans, wall sections, roof and truss layout, electrical and plumbing plans, energy compliance path, specifications.
4. Interior Selections Package — finish schedule, cabinet specs, tile layouts, plumbing and lighting cut sheets, paint schedule, hardware. Delivered alongside CDs so bidding is accurate.

Engineer-stamped items — foundation and structural framing, roof trusses, and beam sizing — are produced by a licensed Idaho or Wyoming PE working from our drawings. Snow load design values follow the jurisdiction (85 psf in the City of Driggs; 70+ psf in most of unincorporated Teton County per Teton County Idaho; 100+ psf in most of the Island Park caldera in Fremont County; and site-specific case study required in Bonneville County under ASCE 7).

The interior selections package deserves its own note because it is where budgets quietly leak on custom homes. A cabinet allowance of $45,000 that turns into an actual $78,000 kitchen order is not a design failure — it is a specification failure. Our selections package prices the tile, flooring, plumbing, lighting, cabinets, appliances, and hardware from real quotes before CDs are finalized, so the numbers going into the fixed construction contract are numbers the owner has already approved. That single discipline eliminates most of the allowance-overrun surprises that plague design-bid-build projects.

Structural stamping for Teton Valley also carries jurisdiction-specific math the PE bakes into every project. The 85 psf ground snow load in Driggs becomes a roof snow load of 75+ psf after exposure and thermal factors under IRC/ASCE 7 methodology; drift loads at valley intersections and against parapets often exceed 100 psf. That drives 24-inch or 30-inch truss chord depths on wider spans, heavier LVL ridges, and a very specific connector schedule (Simpson H2.5A, HTT4, or MSTC28 depending on uplift). A stock plan without that math will not clear plan review here.

Design Fee Structure (Fixed Fee, Quoted Per Project)

Design fees are a fixed fee, quoted per project, and disclosed up front in the signed design agreement. There is no published floor and no percentage of the construction budget — we quote the fee against the actual scope of your project. What the quote responds to:

• Construction budget at or under $250,000: fixed design fee, quoted per project.
• $600,000 construction budget: fixed design fee, quoted per project.
• $1,000,000 construction budget: fixed design fee, quoted per project.
• $1,500,000 construction budget: fixed design fee, quoted per project.
• ADU or shop-with-living-quarters: fixed design fee, quoted per project (see ADU builds and shop builds).

Residential design fee ranges for custom homes in the western mountain market are tracked as an industry benchmark by the National Association of Home Builders; those are industry figures, not SwagerBuilds pricing. Fees are invoiced by milestone (schematic, DD, CDs, interior selections) — not hourly. When SwagerBuilds builds the home, 100% of paid design fees credit against the first construction draw.

What the Design Agreement Covers at a Glance

Here is how the custom home design agreement works, point by point:

	Custom Home Design Agreement (this page)
Who it’s for	Clients who intend to build with SwagerBuilds
Deliverable	Schematic → DD → CDs + finish specs + fixed construction contract price
Design fee	Fixed design fee, quoted per project
Build slot	Reserved on our calendar the moment you sign
Fee credited to build	100% credited to first construction draw
Preliminary construction budget	Yes, paid schematic-phase deliverable

If you already know you want SwagerBuilds to build the home, the design agreement is the path — it reserves your slot, delivers a preliminary construction budget, and credits 100% back at construction.

Factors That Affect Design Cost and Scope

Two homes of the same interior living space can carry very different design fees. The drivers:

• Site complexity. Steep grade, high water table, long driveway, or engineered septic drives more site drawings and coordination.
• Structural ambition. Long spans, cantilevers, exposed timber, or open great rooms push engineering hours.
• Custom cabinetry and millwork scope. Detailed built-ins, custom stair, or specialty ceilings require more sections and details.
• Jurisdiction. Driggs, Victor, Teton County ID, Teton County WY, Fremont County (Island Park), and Bonneville County each have their own submittal requirements — see City of Driggs Building for what a complete package looks like.
• Number of revisions requested beyond the standard four rounds.

12–16 Week Design Timeline (Week-by-Week)

Typical schedule for a full custom home, assuming responsive owner sign-offs:

• Weeks 1–2: Kickoff, site walk, program interview, budget calibration.
• Weeks 3–5: Schematic design — 2–3 plan options, exterior direction.
• Week 5–6: SD review, preliminary construction budget delivered, selection of preferred direction.
• Weeks 6–9: Design development — locked plan, elevations, structural strategy.
• Weeks 9–10: Interior selections kickoff (in parallel with DD close-out).
• Weeks 10–14: Construction documents, engineering, energy compliance.
• Weeks 14–16: CD review, permit submittal, real subcontractor bidding, fixed construction contract prepared.

Slower owner decisions add weeks. Complex engineering (heavy timber, unusual foundations) can add 2–4 weeks. We do not start CDs until DD is signed off, because backing up drawings costs everyone money.

After the design agreement finishes, construction start typically falls 4–12 weeks later depending on permit turnaround in your jurisdiction and the reserved build slot on our calendar. In Bonneville and Madison Counties, permit issuance runs 1–4 weeks post-submittal. In Teton County WY with LDR review, expect 6–12 weeks post-submittal. Fremont County (Island Park) and Teton Valley ID are project-specific, typically 2–6 weeks.

Four Revision Rounds Standard

Our standard design agreement includes four revision rounds across the SD, DD, and CD phases. That is more than enough for the vast majority of custom homes — and the milestone structure is designed so major changes happen early, when they cost hours, not late, when they cost weeks.

• Round 1: Schematic revisions — plan swaps, moving rooms, footprint changes.
• Round 2: DD revisions — window changes, ceiling adjustments, kitchen layout tweaks.
• Round 3: Interior selection revisions — swapping tile lines, cabinet finishes, plumbing.
• Round 4: CD-phase minor adjustments before permit submittal.

Additional rounds are billed at a disclosed hourly rate. The design contract page covers this clause in detail.

Design-to-Build Credit — How the 100% Credit Works

When clients continue through SwagerBuilds to construction, design fees paid during the design phase credit back against the construction contract. That means the design fee is not an additional cost on top of the build — it is applied to the build.

The mechanics:

• Design fee is invoiced by milestone during the design phase.
• Once the construction agreement is signed, 100% of paid design fees are credited to the first construction draw.
• Clients who choose not to build with us keep their construction-document set with a defined license for a single build on the intended lot.
• Build slot is released back to the calendar if construction agreement doesn’t sign within a defined window post-CDs.

Site work, foundations, and concrete are executed with our long-standing local partner Skinner Customs, whose crews know the frost depth and drainage patterns unique to Teton Valley and Eastern Idaho.

Sample Process Flow (Discovery Call Through Construction Contract)

A typical design engagement from initial call to permit submittal to construction:

1. Discovery call — 30–45 minutes, no fee. Confirm fit, service area, rough budget, tier band.
2. Site walk — on the lot, with the owner. Discuss solar, view, driveway, well/septic if applicable.
3. Design agreement signed — fixed fee, milestone schedule, revisions policy, build slot reserved.
4. Weeks 1–16 — design phases as outlined above, preliminary construction budget delivered in week 5–6.
5. Permit submittal — we prepare and submit to the jurisdiction. See custom homes overview.
6. Fixed construction contract signed — after CDs and real subcontractor bids. Design fees credit to first draw.
7. Build starts on your reserved calendar slot.

Cross-Links

By region: Eastern Idaho pillar · Idaho Falls · Rigby · Rexburg · Ammon · Driggs · Victor · Tetonia · Swan Valley · Island Park · Jackson Hole · Teton Village · Alta.

Cost pages: Bonneville County · Teton Valley line-item breakdown · Custom home cost calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my own architect or designer and just hire you to build?

Yes. We regularly build from drawings prepared by outside residential designers and architects. The one condition is that plans arrive complete and permit-ready — meaning full CDs with dimensioned framing, engineer-stamped structural, an IECC-compliant energy path, and a coordinated MEP layout. If the outside set is thin, we scope a constructability review as a small paid engagement before we bid the build. Build slot reservation still runs through a signed construction contract in that case.

What does a full custom home design cost, all in?

Design for a single-family custom home in Teton Valley or Eastern Idaho is a fixed design fee, quoted per project. There is no floor and no percentage of the construction budget — we quote the fee against your actual scope. Sub-2,200 SF plans heading toward builder-grade carry a smaller fixed fee; 3,800+ SF or complex site conditions (steep grade, engineered septic, high-altitude / high snow load) heading toward high-end carry a larger one. When we build the home, 100% of paid design fees credit against the first construction draw.

Do you handle interior design and finish selections?

We handle interior selections — the tile lines, cabinet layouts, plumbing and lighting cut sheets, flooring, paint schedule, and hardware — because those decisions are inseparable from the construction bid. What we do not include as standard is decorative interior design (soft goods, furniture, art placement); that is a separate discipline and we refer to specialists when a client wants it.

What if my lot has a soils issue or high water table?

Soils reports are ordered before design development locks. If a report comes back with expansive clay, seasonal high water table, or low bearing capacity, foundation strategy shifts — a frost-protected shallow foundation may not work, and a full 42–48 inch deep stem wall with a perimeter drain and capillary break becomes the base case. The additional engineering coordination is scoped as a change order and priced before work continues.

How do the four revision rounds get allocated?

Round one covers schematic floor plan swaps, moving rooms, and footprint changes. Round two covers design development changes — window layouts, ceiling heights, kitchen and bath tweaks. Round three covers interior selection swaps. Round four handles minor CD-phase adjustments before permit submittal. Additional rounds are billed hourly at a disclosed rate, tracked and reported.

Do you provide 3D renderings?

Standard elevations, materials boards, and simple massing views are included. Photorealistic 3D renderings or animated walkthroughs are an add-on service, priced per view depending on complexity. Most clients find that dimensioned elevations plus a materials board plus the interior selections package are enough to make decisions confidently without paying for full renderings.

What if I sign a design agreement but decide not to build with you?

You keep the construction-document set with a defined license for a single build on the intended lot. Your build slot on our calendar releases back to the queue if a construction contract doesn’t sign within a defined window after CDs are finalized. Design fees paid during the agreement do not credit back in that case — the credit is contingent on SwagerBuilds actually building the home.

Bryce Swager, Founder — 20-year Rigby custom home builder. BuildZoom score 94. Idaho Contractor Registration RCE-57499.

Curious what actually holds your floor up? We compared TJI joists against open-web floor trusses — span, HVAC routing, bounce and cost, from 20 years of framing in Idaho.

Still deciding on plans?

What the plan decision costs you, and what makes a construction price real.

• Stock plans vs fully custom: what the difference actually costs
• Design-build vs architect-then-bid: which is right for you?
• Which upgrades are actually worth the money here
• Why three custom home bids don’t compare — and how to level them