General contractor Brad Leavitt gives us insights into the biggest considerations homeowners might be overlooking.
Brad Leavitt is no stranger to a construction site. Raised in Southern California, he grew up around the trades—Leavitt’s grandfather started an electrical company after retiring from the Navy, and his dad and five uncles are all electricians. Continuing the family legacy, Leavitt became an electrician himself, before breaking into the world of luxury residential homebuilding—leading to the founding his own company, A Finer Touch Construction, in 2013 in Arizona.
Obvious shortcomings of the construction industry—notably, the lack of communication and transparency with clients—led Leavitt to found AFT Construction more than 10 years ago. Between a client portal, dedicated project coordinator, and real-time site updates, client communication is a hallmark of AFT’s award-winning process. Pulling from his toolbox of experience, Leavitt shares his pro tips for successful client-builder communication when tackling critical design decisions—including the all-important window and door selection.
Wall-to-wall glazing on multiple sides of the home helps create a fluid indoor/outdoor experience, expanding the home’s usable square footage.
Photo: Marvin
Identify solar vulnerability
When it comes to the early stages of design, it’s important to consider site orientation and pinpoint areas of solar vulnerability. "One thing we have to look at is, where is that sun hitting the house?" says Leavitt. To effectively analyze exposure, Leavitt and his team use Building Information Modeling (BIM) to zero in on locations with heightened solar contact. "We render homes and lay them out because that sun from the southern hemisphere in June, July, August, September is beating on the south and west of the home," Leavitt explains. By identifying areas of elevated solar vulnerability, Leavitt and his team can design and implement protection measures for glazed openings.
Don’t limit the architecture
For many clients building custom homes, indoor/outdoor living is top of mind. In Arizona, Leavitt emphasizes, "It’s essential." Designing homes for seamless indoor/outdoor flow often yields large expanses of glass—which can create practical and budgetary challenges. "We never want to limit the architecture to have less glass," says Leavitt. "We always make sure that it’s protected, and you can do that in several ways." Some of these ways, Leavitt suggests, include overhangs, automated pocket shades, or triple-pane windows in especially vulnerable areas where overhangs aren’t an option.
Handcrafted with premium wood (interior) and durable aluminum (exterior), the Marvin Ultimate Multi-Slide door can be configured in widths as large as 60 feet.
Photo: Marvin
The process is just as important as the product
When it comes to window framing—especially with specialized construction methods—the technical install process can be just as significant as the windows themselves. The structural design of the home may impact the cost and precision required to frame and install the windows. "We do a lot of ICF—Insulated Concrete Form—construction," says Leavitt. Instead of wood-framed walls, walls are composed of styrofoam and concrete. "Because of that, you have to have a bigger opening, because there's rebar and concrete there," says Leavitt. "With the bigger opening, you have plywood set inside that concrete so that you can install the window." Unlike a wood-framed house, this method of construction requires a higher level of precision, considering the smaller margin of error with concrete. Any adjustments or reframing "would be a matter of jackhammering and cutting concrete, which is a big deal," says Leavitt.
Consider mixing and matching
"One thing we love about working with Marvin is they have such a diversified portfolio of products," Leavitt says. This expansive portfolio can support modern or traditional architectural styles—and everything in between. When we’re doing aluminum wood clad [windows], that would typically lean more traditional," says Brad. "When we’re doing modern or contemporary, we’ll use aluminum [interior and exterior], because the profile is a lot thinner," he adds. For transitional styles, Brad doesn’t shy away from mixing and matching—a creative approach enabled by the variety and versatility of the Marvin portfolio.
Practicality and ease of install can directly impact on-site workflow—creating timing and cost implications. The Marvin Skycove—a one-of-a-kind suspended window that Leavitt discovered while visiting Marvin’s showroom at 7 Tide in Boston—provides an install-ready window bench option. "That's always been a challenge for us," Leavitt says of the pop-out window. "It’s always been hard to build, whereas we could buy that whole unit from Marvin."
Photo: Marvin
See the full story on Dwell.com: Ask an Expert: A Guide for Choosing the Right Windows and Doors With Your Builder
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