What belongs on the first page?
Start with the property address and who can authorize decisions. State whether the space serves a home, business, tenants, or the public. Describe the activity you want to support, such as outdoor meals, a sheltered waiting area, or a route from an elevated entrance.
Add approximate dimensions and a sketch showing the proposed area relative to the building. Use a note such as “owner estimate, not surveyed” where appropriate. This distinction prevents an early measurement from becoming an unexplained design assumption.
List the current stage: collecting ideas, comparing concepts, reviewing drawings, or seeking a construction proposal. Attach what exists. You do not need to disguise missing documents; identifying the gaps helps the next person explain what they need to review.
Which site facts should you record?
Gather the survey if available, full-area photos taken from safe locations, and any existing site or improvement plans. Show doors, paths, gates, trees, visible utility equipment, and nearby structures. Keep the date and source with each document so reviewers know what it represents. Describe drainage as an observation. For example, record where you have seen standing water and after what kind of rain. Do not state a soil or structural cause without qualified assessment. Site grade, underground conditions, and concealed construction can require investigation beyond photographs.
Identify whether the proposed area contains an existing slab or deck. Note prior alterations and known repairs. A brief should make existing structures visible without claiming that they can support new construction.
How should restrictions and approvals appear?
Create a section called “requirements to verify.” Include known deed restrictions, HOA documents, easements, property boundaries, and jurisdiction information. If you have approval correspondence, attach it without assuming it covers a different design or additional work.
The Houston Permitting Center provides a starting point for city permit inquiries. Other municipalities and unincorporated areas have different authorities. Record the authority for the actual address rather than using “Houston” as shorthand for one set of rules.
Ask who will determine the applicable requirements, prepare any needed documents, and manage the identified approval steps. Keep these as unresolved responsibilities until the project documents assign them. An owner brief is planning information, not legal or code signoff.
How do you describe utility goals without designing them?
Name the desired function and proposed location. “A fan above the dining area” or “lighting along the route to the door” provides useful information without specifying wiring, equipment capacity, or trade design.
Separate existing utilities from proposed additions. Mark what you know and avoid guessing at buried routes. Include outdoor cooking or other equipment early, with product documents if selected. A later equipment choice may require a different utility or layout review.
Electrical work has regulated responsibilities. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation guidance states that non-exempt electrical work requires licensing and performance through a licensed electrical contractor. Ask who will perform the applicable work and verify the relationship; do not assume a general construction proposal means all trades are in-house.
Which access and operating facts help define the scope?
Describe the route workers and materials could use, including gates, narrow passages, occupied rooms, and areas you cannot make available. Also record equipment that needs continued service access. Do not remove a fence or alter landscaping before someone reviews the intended work.
For a business property, explain customer movement, operating hours, tenant coordination, and public access. These facts support a fit discussion; they do not create an after-hours service promise. For a home, identify the entrance and outdoor routes you need to keep usable.
List the people who must approve selections or changes. A property manager, tenant, owner, and HOA may have different roles. Naming those roles helps prevent one person’s concept approval from standing in for someone else’s authority.
What belongs in the completed brief checklist?
Keep the packet concise enough to use in a first discussion:
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Address, property use, decision-makers, and current planning stage.
Main activity, approximate size, sketch, and shelter or platform goals.
Survey and safe photos with document dates and limitations.
Existing structures, drainage observations, and prior repair history.
Restrictions and authority questions requiring verification.
Utility goals, equipment records, and trade-role questions.
Access limits, occupancy, and decisions still open.
Frequently asked questions
No. Share your present documents and identify the decisions still open. A concept packet does not replace drawings needed for final design or approvals.
Record known measurements and their source. Qualified professionals must verify the dimensions and structural details relevant to their work.
Yes. Describe each area and its relationship to the other. Keep shared access, utilities, and building interfaces visible so reviewers can assess connected scopes.
