Anyone who has spent more than just a few minutes inside the VirtuActive walls can tell you that the term "3D" gets thrown around A LOT. Every product type we have has some type of 3D included with it. Custom Homes, Remodels, Basement Finishes, Additions, Conversions, Plan Modifications, etc. At the end of the day VirtuActive is a residential drafting and design company so the 3D is not something we HAVE to do in order to be able to give our customers a finished product. In fact, many of our competitors don't offer 3D and if they do, it's going to cost extra. But at VirtuActive, not only is 3D included with what we do, but we have three 3D Specialists on staff specifically dedicated to it. So why are we so passionate about it?
Sure, 3D is important for some of the obvious reasons such as marketing, real estate listings, online plan sales, and even just for the fact that people can show their friends and family the finished product before it's built. But, there's a much deeper reason that people don't often realize until it's too late.
Less than 5% of people can see a traditional 2D floor plan or blueprint and truly understand what it means. Those 5% typically consist of the drafters, builders, sub-contractors and material suppliers. So, what do you think happens when the drafter and builder understand the 2D floor plan inside and out and the homeowner (who's in the 95%) THINKS they understand the floor plan? Unfortunately, time and time again, conflicts arise during construction. Windows feel too small once they're installed, bedrooms that suddenly don't feel as large anymore, ceiling heights that feel too low, etc. These are major items that can cost tens of thousands of dollars in change orders to remedy. And the worst part about it is, it's really no one's fault.
When these conflicts happen, the builder is frustrated because they don't understand why the homeowner didn't bring up the questions sooner. It causes schedule delays because the subs and suppliers have to move onto other jobs while it's being resolved. The homeowner is frustrated that the builder didn't bring things to their attention sooner. Now, the homeowner has to make the difficult and very costly decision to decide if they want to proceed with the major change order or not. Often times, even once the change order conflict is resolved, these instances can leave a sour taste for both the homeowner and builder long after the change happens, which is very unfortunate.
No one wins when change orders arise. At VirtuActive, we really strive to help smooth out those
issues on the front end - when it doesn't cost a dime to increase the height of the ceiling or move
a window. It's amazing during the preliminary design after seeing 3D for the first time, how many
times a plan changes - and we encourage that! Our overall team goal is to have our builders
and homeowners leave our doors feeling like they know the plan inside and out and there's
no questions about anything. It sounds a bit far fetched but it really is true that providing
our clients with 3D visuals has the potential to save not only time and money but
potentially a long lasting builder and homeowner relationship as well.
Sam Friehe
COO | Director of Production