Hiring an Architect?

Use these tips to help you make the right choice

So you’ve made the decision to move forward with your dream home, and now you’re starting the process of hiring an architect. Congratulations! This process can begin in a number of ways, but I’m assuming you were sent here from a contractor, friend, or let’s be honest…the city made you. Nevertheless, you’re here and I’m excited to share some helpful tips for what to look for when hiring your architect. This list below is in order of importance, and is a great start to making your design journey exciting. Let’s dive in!

TYPES OF PROJECTS

The first place to start when looking into your architect is what types of projects do they design? Are they in hospitality? Education? Industrial? Residential? Not all architects are created equal and if their online portfolio looks nothing like your project in scale or typology then I would look elsewhere. You want to find an architect who specializes in your type of work. Being a homeowner, you’ll want to see renovation and/or new construction of homes on their website. If  you’re not their type of client or your project pales in comparison to their typical work, there’s a good chance you’ll be shifted around in the order of work to be completed. This ranks number one on the list for this very reason, and one problem that I’ve seen repeatedly happen to past clients.

DESIGN STYLE

What is their style? If you are a die hard modernist, do not hire a traditional architect. You’ll both be speaking a different language to one another, and it’ll never completely translate. Handle researching your architect’s design style in two ways;  past client’s homes that you love,  and look at all their online portfolios (social and website). These two will cover all your bases as some architects are very present on social and some are not. This is where previous work or past client referrals are very important. I’ve seen many wonderful architects projects in the residential world with no social presence at all! It’s important to note, that when looking to past clients and referrals, also receive the name of their contractor! Construction is a team effort, and finding a contractor who matches your design style is also very important. To make full circle, your architect’s style aligning with yours, will also put you in a circle of tradespeople that know the detailing, styling, and intricacies. This is extremely important! I’ve seen many projects where the plans look quite different from the finished product, and a lot of this is a result of this style miscommunication.

COMMUNICATION

If you’re not able to reach your architect or anyone before starting your project then move on. I’ll say it again, move on. I can assure you, when communication is missed in the early stages it will only be worse should a problem arise. Design is about deadlines, open discussions, and connections. Does this mean your architect is to be accessible always? Not at all. Communication comes in many forms. For instance, our firm doesn’t do text messaging. It becomes very difficult to keep up with correspondence located in multiple places. Our preferred area of communication is email. Our clients can expect a response within forty eight hours, and if a phone call is needed we are always willing to send out scheduled times to discuss their project! This ensures that our time is carved out and they’ll have ALL of our attention. While this tip ranks number three on the list, it’s importance cannot be understated. As previously stated, apply this tip to your contractor as well. Personal experience has proven this time and time again both professionally and personally.

SERVICES OFFERED

What do you want? Notice how this doesn’t state; What do you need? This is important. We all know that we need permits of some kind for your project, but often times it’s more than that. You may be opening a wall between your kitchen and living, but do you want to know what that looks like? Some architects only offer services that provide two dimensional drawings of spaces or what we like to call “line drawings.” These are successful communicators for construction documents, but you may want more imagery to understand how the space feels! If this is the case, ask your architect about 3d imagery. Note that there may be additional charges to provide this service, but ultimately it’s more costly to make changes during construction than in the planning stages. Do you know what materials you want? Most architecture firms offer interior design, but some firms do not. These services, just like 3d imagery, may be additional charges, but can be very important to helping you capture your vision. Our firm ask all clients about interior design in their initial inquiry. It’s a great way for us to learn the scope of the work early on and get together the perfect team to make our client’s dream come to life!

We hope these tips were helpful for you as you begin your design journey! Hiring an architect is an exciting time for you because it means that your one step closer to realizing your vision. Using these tips in some way will help you make an informed decision, and one that we fill will give you fun exciting experiences in the design process to come.