Marry An Architect
This topic comes up quite a bit & sadly, clients have no clue. Have you noticed how excited people get about purchasing a lot or buying a tear-down? You may even be one of them. It’s all over social; it’s the American dream & if you haven’t built a house, are you even cool?
Sadly, most people enter this contract having zero idea of the type of team they need in place to make their dream a reality. Usually find a contractor & put everything in their hands.
“We don’t need plans; we just want a few billion sq. ft. You can build that, right?!
We don’t need an architect, engineer, or designer…… famous last words.
The flags are so vibrantly red.
I realize where I rank in this list to most. I’m ok with that. I’m not most people’s designer. I design for clients who want the details, want decisions, trust the process, value guidance & appreciate advocacy of their design needs. So, I'm here to tell you if you don’t bring your designer in while your plans are in the schematic phase of evolution, you’re already behind. Yep, read it again.
One might wonder why you need to pay for plans(architect) & pay to have a designer review them or work alongside your architect. I mean, your call, but do you like costly mistakes?
Here are a few examples:
Would you like a Primary Bedroom without thoughtfully placed electrical outlets or a size that doesn’t fit your bed? How about a brand-new beautiful kitchen that has no working triangle? Or an entirely new build that has zero storage. Do you like your toilet right in front of a window or a 4000 sq. ft home with 3 tiny bathrooms? This is just a shortlist.
Now, I’m not knocking architects. I love architects. This post is called Marry an Architect. I can’t make the magic happen without them & they need us too. When done right, like a marriage, it's a beautiful thing. Architects are technical & while designers are also technical, we are functional. We are thinking about how you are going to use that box & the layout of the components within that box. So, when it comes time for you actually to live there, you are not asking yourself, “wtf?”
I don’t want their job & usually, they don't want mine. I mean, it’s rad, though. We know our roles; we stay in our lanes & we respect each other’s ideas. The same goes for contractors & engineers. It’s the same jam.
Moral of the story. Your designer gets hired at the same time your architect does. Unless you like redoing things & spending more money on your house build because that NEVER happens right???
If you’ve read this far & you’re having an “oh shit!” moment, I offer plan reviews & virtual plan reviews. My fee will be less than your first change order.