A residential project is a large investment. You want to ensure that you get the best quality work, stay within your budget and maintain your schedule. We think of the process as a tripod with three legs: design quality, budget and schedule. Managing all three together is a process that requires delicacy and expertise. An architect is someone who has dedicated themselves to honing these skills. Hiring an architect for your next residential project is a great first step.
What to Know About Hiring an Architect for Your Next Residential Project
A client often has an idea or concept or feeling of what they want. It can be an idea for how the family wants to live or how the leisure time should flow or how guests are entertained, etc. An architect can help you distill and articulate your ideas and desires and translate these into a design and then into documents for construction. A powerful design carries through from the external read of the home, to the layout and flow of the space, to the materials and finishes the residents and visitors physically touch. A full design works at all these levels and needs to be created with this in mind from the outset.
Whether building a new home or renovating and/or creating an addition to an existing home, getting the design right is the first step in delivering on your goals for your home.
As a trained professional, an architect can often see opportunities in your project that you had not imagined. At Slade Architecture, we are always aiming to deliver the project to satisfy the clients’ goals but ALSO deliver something extra and in line with these goals. This is to say capturing overlooked potential for the project and creating something that goes above and beyond the initial brief while staying within the project constraints.
The design of your residential project has to be aesthetically pleasing and practical. Your home needs to be designed so that it can evolve with you. Residents in the home change over time and the home should serve the changing dynamic: a single person taking on a new life partner, a growing family or an empty nest. Creating a home is an investment in time and money and you want the home to serve and delight you for years to come. So many factors go into the way a home ages: the way the space is laid out, how the materials in the home wear, the amount of required maintenance, the flexibility for future proofing designed into the concept.
In addition to all these design considerations, your home will also need to be safe and code compliant. To ensure you complete the residential project of your dreams, you will need to hire an architect to help you navigate the complexities of the design options, functionality, zoning laws, building codes, and much more. No two residential projects will be the same. This is why the help, imagination and expertise of an architect who will consider the unique opportunities and characteristics of your project is so important.
Hiring the right architect can be a difficult task in itself, as you want to work with an experienced and skilled professional, who can take your vision and turn it into reality. Your relationship needs to be built on a foundation of communication and understanding.
To help you on your journey, here is everything you need to know about hiring an architect for your next residential project.
What is an architect?
When you want to build or renovate a building, an architect is the professional that has been trained to interpret your goals for the project and turn them into a physical space, building and/or interior. Of all the design professions, the architect is uniquely qualified to weave together issues of safety, health, welfare and aesthetic desires as well as building construction and technology.
What to expect when hiring an architect
Establish Project Scope and Goals:
When you engage an architect for a residential project the first step is communicating your goals, budget and timing for the project. Your goals can be quantitative (sustainability, maintenance required, number of rooms, square footage, etc) and qualitative (how it feels to see or inhabit, lightness, intimacy, openness, etc). In order to ensure that you and your architect are aligned, there should be a Project Scope and Goals document prepared that you all agree on. This should include budget, target schedule and guiding principles for the design aesthetics.
Schematic Design
Based on the Project Scope and Goals, your architect should create a number of design schemes. These are design options that meet the project criteria established in different ways. There will necessarily be options that prioritize the principles in different ways. There is the saying “a picture is worth 1000 words” and it is germane at this point. Seeing the various possibilities, and evaluating benefits and detractions of each is highly instructive. You will meet regularly and review the schemes with your architect, giving feedback. There will likely be iterations as the architect hones in on your preferences for the project and revises the sketches for discussion. Ultimately, one scheme will be selected for development further.
Design Development
At this point, your architect will flesh out details of the design selected in Schematic Design with you. These details include windows, building facade materials, cabinetry arrangements, lighting strategy, interior finish materials, etc. At this point, you and your architect will begin to select specific material types (building cladding, flooring, wall finishes, fixtures, appliances). There will be visits to showrooms and online review and comparison of materials for durability, economy, tactile qualities, environmental impact, etc. The level of client involvement in this phase is very open-some clients are interested in evaluating every piece of information and others are content to get a summary and recommendations from their architect. You will have regular meetings to make sure the design as it evolves stays aligned with your vision. Depending on the level of involvement you are interested in, meeting cadence will be aligned with the level of detail desired. At the conclusion of this phase, there will be a design with insulation/energy use targets, materiality, room build out, appliances, cabinetry and fixtures generally established.
Contract Documents
This phase is when all the details of the design are finalized and articulated in documents. The architect documents and details the myriad of decisions and selection from Design Development. Detailed documents are produced which will allow firm construction bids from contractors. Contract Documents include the hardline drawings (plans, elevations, details) and specifications for all equipment and components (materials, appliances, lighting, plumbing, framing, wood, glass, metal, cabinetry, hardware, etc). At this point, the architect is primarily documenting and detailing. The majority of design decisions have been taken. However, there are some detail decisions that clients are often interested in making (hardware, pulls, plumbing fixtures, etc). This phase wraps up with the architect producing a set of documents including drawings and written specifications.
If the project is to be competitively bid by contractors, the list of contractors is finalized at this point with the client.
Final rendering presented to confirm development and final design decisions.
Filing and Bidding
Contract Documentation is issued to the local building department for filing and permitting. Any revisions or queries that come back from the building department are handled by the architect. In parallel, Contract Documents are issued to contractors for competitive bidding. In order to ensure that contractors are clear on the scope and intention of the project, there are typically in person site walk throughs conducted by the architect with interested contractors. Contract bidding can take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks and occasionally longer for highly complex or technically specific projects.
Bidding contractors then submit their bids to the architect. The architect compares bids, clarifying any confusion between the different bids. Bids are reviewed with the client. Ultimately the client selects and contracts with the preferred contractor. The architect assists with the selection process. Some of the activities used to evaluate between contractors are: budget comparison, contractor interviews, visits to completed projects to evaluate quality of built work, client references, etc.
This phase concludes with the client and contractor entering a contract together for the construction of the design. The successful contractor pulls the permits from the governing building department.
Contract Administration
This phase starts with onsite mobilization where the contractor assembles the team and resources to execute the Contract Documents. The architect meets regularly with the contractor on site to evaluate the work being done and confirm that it is being executed in accordance with the Contract Documents. Meetings are minuted and photographed. Clients are welcome to attend meetings but not required. The architect answers any questions that arise due to conditions encountered on site that differ from anticipated. Contractors submit samples of building materials to the architect for review and approval. The architect reviews and confirms that the materials selected for purchase by the contractor are consistent with those specified in the Contract Documents and Specifications as reviewed and approved by the client.
The architect reviews and administers all applications for payment. This is to ensure that the client is protected and always has the funds on hand to complete the project. The regular process throughout the construction phase is that the contractor creates an invoice for the work completed and the architect reviews the invoice, comparing with the work completed on site, and approves the appropriate payment.
As the project nears completion, project closeout begins. Some of the activities that need to wrap up at this point: preparing punchlist for outstanding items, creating material maintenance manuals for the client, balancing mechanical systems to ensure that temperatures are comfortable throughout, concluding inspections and certificates from the building department. The project concludes with the architect issues the Letter of Completion to the building department typically, although processes can differ between localities.
Why do you need to hire an architect?
Hiring an architect is worth it because you get a different project when you hire an architect.
Your architect:
Will see opportunities that may have been overlooked when evaluating the site. These could be things like extra space, a more efficient building, additional storage, a spectacular view, bringing in more light, greater privacy, unique spaces, a sense of delight in your surroundings, etc.
Will be familiar with a wide variety of materials and technologies and choose the material/system that’s best for your project. Rather than choosing things that are ubiquitous, trendy or simply convenient, a good architect is familiar with many materials and weaves that expertise into their designs.
Will understand how to drive quality for value strategically and economically in your project. Instead of lavishing money on expensive items across the board, we work to deliver outstanding projects incorporating good quality materials for good value and surgically introducing particular focal/impact items.
Will navigate the complexities and regulations of your project and communicate that you need to know-whether that’s daily detailed updates or executive summaries or something in between. In the design and construction of a building project there are a multitude of regulations and details.
Will manage the bidding process for the construction quotes ensuring you are getting competitive quotes that are comprehensive and minimizing unpleasant surprises during the construction process
When you hire an architect, they act on your behalf. The architect designs as per the clients design goals and health, safety and welfare in compliance with governing building codes. The architect then acts on behalf of the client to administer the bidding process with contractors and the construction contract - ensuring that what was designed with the client is consistent with what is built in the end.
What questions you should ask when hiring an architect
It can be helpful to prepare a variety of questions to ask when you are considering an architect for your residential project. Here are a few ideas to help you.
What draws you to my project?
How do you approach projects like this?
Can you show me relevant projects that you have completed?
What can I expect if I choose to go forward with you?
What is relevant about your experience that you would like to share?
Can you provide references?
Do you think my budget is realistic? Schedule is realistic?
Top tips on how to hire the right architect for your project
Before reaching out, reflect on the most important goals and aspirations driving your project. The more clearly you can articulate these to the candidate architects, the more likely you are to ensure that they find an architect with an aligned vision. Items that should be clear to you: your budget, your schedule, how your completed project should function, target dates for specific milestones. There may be aspects of your goals that you need professional advice on. For example, if you are looking to build a sustainable home, but you’re not sure how, then your architect will work with you in the planning phase to ensure your goals are clear.
When hiring an architect, make sure:
The architect has the right skills, experience, qualities, qualifications/accreditation.
You know how they work, how they communicate and have an understanding of concept in consultation
You like their style of work and their visions for the project
There is a connection and good flow of communication
You thoroughly review their portfolio of work and client reviews
Their services are relevant to your residential project
In addition to all this, there is an intangible aspect to the relationship that needs to work; you’ll need to develop trust and transparency in communication. Your architect will be designing a home where you will make memories, dream, bring friends and family, relax, etc. They need to understand and deliver on your unique goals for the home. It is much easier for all this to happen smoothly when you naturally connect with the person. There is even the process for, dare I say is, FUN in this. Many of our clients have become personal friends through the process.
The process is codified, documented and legally binding of course, so there are always safeguards. However, all this is redundant when the communication and vision sharing are working.
SO- do your research, look online at projects, reflect on your goals for your home for today AND tomorrow AND even 10 years from now, etc and prepare your list. Then, reach out!