Concept A Base
847units
Concept analysis for low-rise residential land
You want to test every concept. There's only time for one.
Send us your concepts. Get every one back counted by product and rendered, ready to compare and present, in 1 to 3 business days.
CAD concept
Rendered planLotted plan
The lotted plan uses different product colours to show how renders can be styled for each client.
Why only one gets worked up.
Lotting out one concept by hand takes close to a day, and a presentation render needs lead time and can be prohibitively expensive. So one option gets worked up and the rest stay as linework, which is easy to misinterpret.
LotFabric™ works up every concept the same way, so the choice is made on numbers and plans.
Before you buy
See what a site yields in your products before you commit, without pulling your team off its projects.
Before you commit to a plan
Put two or three concepts side by side and settle on a direction.
When the market shifts
Test a different product mix on the same blocks and measure the impact.
Know what every option yields before you choose.
A LotFabric™ Analysis puts your concepts side by side, with unit counts, product mix and the changes marked.
Concept B Mixed Use
805units−42 vs A
Note: MU block added to NW corner
Concept C Back to Back
934units+87 vs A
Note: Introduction of new TH product type
| Product | Concept A | Concept B | Concept C | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34' Detached | 170 | 20% | 157 | 20% | −13 | 159 | 17% | −11 |
| 38' Detached | 194 | 23% | 176 | 22% | −18 | 185 | 20% | −9 |
| 45' Detached | 169 | 20% | 170 | 21% | +1 | 140 | 15% | −29 |
| Townhouse 20' | 203 | 24% | 222 | 28% | +19 | 180 | 19% | −23 |
| Rear Lane TH | 111 | 13% | 80 | 10% | −31 | 102 | 11% | −9 |
| Back-to-Back | – | – | 168 | 18% | +168 | |||
| Total units | 847 | 805 | −42 | 934 | +87 | |||
Outlined blocks differ from Concept A.
Concept only. Not to scale. All areas approximate.
A comparison PDF
A cover with your logo, a summary of every concept, and a page per concept with the rendered plan and what changed.
An Excel workbook
Every block, with live formulas, ready for your proforma.
PowerPoint slides
The same analysis as an editable deck. See an example slide
Nothing left to prepare
Ready to present as delivered. No visuals or slides to build.
The counts are calculated, not estimated.
A detached block can accommodate several lot sizes. LotFabric™ works out which combination, across every block, hits your target mix and leaves less frontage unused.
An estimate that's a few percent off can make you overpay for a site or walk away from a good one. Every concept here is counted the same way, so the numbers are real and comparable.
What is exact
The unit counts and the mix. They are calculated against the geometry you supply and the frontages and target mix set in your product library.
What is a concept
The rendered plan. It is an illustration of the concept: not to scale, areas approximate, and not an engineered or approved plan. Lot lines are an added service, drawn on the plan(s) you choose.
What found frontage is worth
Wasted frontage is lost value. Optimizing across the whole plan puts frontage into saleable lots that would otherwise be left over at the end of a block. Multiply the feet found by what a front foot is worth in your market, then apply your profit target.
About 11 times the price of a concept package. A package of three concepts starts at $2,000.
| Frontage found | Value per front foot | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | $10,000 | $15,000 | $20,000 | |
| 5 ft | $3,750 | $7,500 | $11,250 | $15,000 |
| 10 ft | $7,500 | $15,000 | $22,500 | $30,000 |
| 15 ft | $11,250 | $22,500 | $33,750 | $45,000 |
| 20 ft | $15,000 | $30,000 | $45,000 | $60,000 |
An illustration, not a forecast. Use your own value per front foot and profit target. How much frontage is found depends on the plan and the products. On one block of the sample site, the calculated mix puts about 8 ft more frontage to use than 34' lots alone. See that example
How it works
Six steps. Where a takeoff stops at frontage totals, this lots every block against your products, renders the plan and puts your concepts side by side.
- 1
Define
Your products, lot parameters and target mix.
- 2
Prepare
CAD cleaned up, frontage linework drafted.
- 3
Calculate
Every block lotted against the mix and the rules.
- 4
Show
The concept rendered as a plan.
- 5
Iterate and compare
Concepts side by side: units, mix and what changed.
- 6Optional
Lot the plan
Lot lines drawn on your chosen plan(s) and rendered.
No concept yet? Start in LotFabric Sketch
Free, on lotfabric.comSketchMark a block, set your mix, get layout options.
→
CAD fileYour chosen option as a DXF, ready to analyse.
The CAD file goes straight to step 3. It's already clean, so there's nothing to prepare.
Optional
Then lot the plans you choose.
Once you've picked a concept, or several, we can draw every lot line, following the counts and the product rules, and render them the same way.
It shows the lot distribution works, and makes the plan easy to read in plan changes and early discussions, inside your team and out. Your planner still prepares the draft plan.
Already have a way of doing this?
Nothing about how your team works has to change.
Your planner
They still draft the base concepts, and can be credited on the renders and the analysis.
Your proforma
The Excel workbook feeds the model you already use.
Your tools
You get the output. There is no software to install or learn.
Your pace
Start with a single concept on one site before doing more.
Test it against your own count
Send one concept you've already lotted, with your number. We run it and you compare the two. If our run tells you nothing your own count didn't, you don't pay for it. If you go ahead, it counts toward your concept package.
Pricing and turnaround
Launch pricing One package per site. Quoted before we start.
Every concept comes back counted by product and rendered, with the Excel workbook, the comparison PDF and PowerPoint slides. See what you get back
Concept package
Starting at $2,000
Three concepts for one site, plus one re-run with a different target mix or products. Includes setting up your product library and render preferences.
More concepts or re-runs
Quoted with your package
Added to the same comparison, so every option sits side by side.
Lotting chosen plans
Quoted per plan
A lotted render (and CAD file) for each plan you choose, following the counts and the product rules.
Turnaround
1 to 3 business days
From receipt of clean files. Exact timing is confirmed when the contract is signed.
Area breakdowns, ROW takeoffs and revenue analysis are available as extras.
Already lot your own concepts? Compare one concept first. If our run tells you nothing your own count didn't, you don't pay for it. If you go ahead, it counts toward your concept package. How that works
“I built the tools I never had as a development manager.”
Eric Mueller, Principal, Mueller Development Group
LotFabric™ comes out of 15 years in land development, working with developers and homebuilders. Every analysis is reviewed by Eric before it reaches you.
Start with a conversation
Tell us about your site and what you're trying to decide. We'll set up a short call. Then share a concept and get it back lotted, rendered and ready to compare.
Client plans are kept confidential, stored securely, and never shared. We can sign an NDA first.
Work with a planning, urban design or engineering firm, or are you one? See how partnering works
Prefer email? eric@muellerdevelopment.ca