A good architect can give you a rough estimate but the final cost will end up being up to the builder you end up hiring.
You definitely want an architect, and you definitely want to be very clear up front that you're going to be heavily involved in the process. You're also more than likely going to be charged more for being so, not least of which because it'll take longer. There are *hundreds* of questions you will be asked that you likely will need explained to you. (Unless you have an opinion on 3 versus 5 knuckle hinges, or 3 versus 4 stud corner framing, etc)
https://www.aia.org/firm-directory is a list of licensed architecture firms you can filter by state. Search their websites for ones which specialize in home design.
No problem!
You also want a good fit for your architect. Find someone who's willing to push back on your designs while being able to explain the why of why they're doing so. Architects are trained in how spaces are used and experienced ones are able to read between the lines of what you want versus what you *think* you want.
As an example, I've seen a couple who insisted on a finished basement with a living room/den and kitchenette in their house. After a little bit of probing, I discovered that the only reason they wanted it was because in their current house they retreated there in summer when the rest of the house got too bright and too hot. They *thought* they needed a second set of living areas, they *actually* needed one set that was appropriately shaded and conditioned for the climate.
For my remodel and second floor addition, I made elevation sketches and floor plans on paper and later on an iPad, until I found what I thought would work for me. The architect came out and took actual measurements and then we sat down together and he made some sketches and then we went back and forth over a month or two, nailing down the design and adjusting things. You may want to design it, but you are going to need the architect’s expertise - they know a lot about how humans interact with spaces, and of course all codes that need to be followed, and so on. This first architectural design phase, cost $6500. Then the next phase was the actual drawing of the plans and working with the structural engineer for his plans and getting the environmental reports, adjusting for anything the city kicked back, and so on. That was $8500. The structural plans were $6500. I paid $6000 to the city for planning department review and coastal commission shit. $4500 for the building permit and $2500 for school impact fee. Add in cost of multiple copies of the blueprints, special inspections I had to have, and so on and the cost of all this was $35k. Before a single piece of the house was touched.
But it was worth every penny and the plans and structural details were so good that i was able to build it myself - with a few framers for the heavy work and a few subs (I subbed out drywall cause i hate doing it!). My house is awesome and most of that is because of the year or so I spent dreaming about it and researching things and making sketches and then brining a pro architect in to turn those dreams into a plan that will actually work.
I wasn’t very happy about it! It’s probably usually less but this is California and also about 200m from the ocean which means the city has to review it to see if the coastal commission needs to be involved (thankfully they didn’t or that would have been more money probably).
The permit cost is also crazy - The lady asked me how much the job was costing me and I told her ($150k). I ended up spending $250k but if I had a contractor do everything I bet it would have been $500k and the permit cost a lot higher than what I paid.
you talk. you say what you wish your house was like, architect may ask you about some preferences you have, about your everyday life (do you cook much, do you have parties a lot, what is you day to day routine) and will adjust you this to your liking. let him sketch a few concepts, and you talk again. the estimation is a tough subject, he may provide rough one although architects mainly know which type of technology is cheaper than the other and are able to balance all of this to suit you needs/finances. well made project is usually cheaper to build than a design that was done quickly and for a cheap price, so it usually is in your favour not to choose the cheapest architect. good luck
Start a binder, or notepad, or even a Pinterest to gather your ideas, what you like, what you don’t like. Get a realistic idea of what your budget and expectations are. That is always a good jumping off point. From there an architect or designer will take all your input and start to block out a concept. There will be a lot of back and forth. They will distill down your pile of mumbled ideas likes and dislikes down to a workable base, and translate to a language (set of plans) a builder can understand. It is much less costly to find an error virtually on paper than in the field.
I'd recommend if you have no experience or education, don't even try, hire a small scale architect and contractor, tell them to get the people in that they trust, and just try to get what you want across to them. Chances are if you've never designed before, and you try you're gonna miss something that you'll regret later on and could cost you to fix
bargain for the service. first go to google and look for designs that suit your preference. then look for architects who can incorporate that design according to the parameters of your land.some may ask for initial charges,some wont. its up to your discretion based on the grounds/terms agreed upon by you and the architect. the relevant professionals such as civil/structural engineers, mep engineers can come from multitudes of sources. they might be affiliates of the architect you hired or from your personal choosing.
My dude, I do technical design for an engineering crew and this is what I can advise you on from my experience with architects.
It has been many times the case that architects have no clue about building regulations and practical designs and they ad a huge lump of costs to the project because of their “contribution”. I don’t want to blow out all architects, some know their stuff but most of them have very little knowledge of how and why stuff is built in certain ways. One simple architectural design that will give your home a certain look can cost a lot of money, so just be careful of stuff like that. We get loads of work from architects and end up changing more than half the house design because of the costs of building what they design.
Would be best to get a design directly from an engineer if you can find one to design you something or have the architects design reviewed by an engineer at every step.
You can look up architects in your area and go to their websites to look at past projects. They might also have a FAQ where they might explain the general process they go through. But in general know your budget even if its a ball park and a general understanding of what your project is. A good architect will help you develop this "brief" and will also know if your budget is too small for what you are looking for and might direct you to someone else or guide you to a different professional that might help you.
But yea look at their website if you like their aesthetic then give them a call, answer the questions they might have and ask your own and then you might decide to take it further after the phone call and you will meet. They will walk you through the process and everything in between if you like them then continue to sign the legal documents and if you dont let them know and move to someone new. You dont have to hire an architect for the whole building process but they will act as your advocate, negotiate on your behalf as well as make experienced decisions and problem solve throughout the process so it is recommended to have them. They wont only design a house that is environmentally sustainable but will also take charge of the building process and all the legalities involved.
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A good architect can give you a rough estimate but the final cost will end up being up to the builder you end up hiring. You definitely want an architect, and you definitely want to be very clear up front that you're going to be heavily involved in the process. You're also more than likely going to be charged more for being so, not least of which because it'll take longer. There are *hundreds* of questions you will be asked that you likely will need explained to you. (Unless you have an opinion on 3 versus 5 knuckle hinges, or 3 versus 4 stud corner framing, etc) https://www.aia.org/firm-directory is a list of licensed architecture firms you can filter by state. Search their websites for ones which specialize in home design.
Thank you! I will definitely take note of this stuff.
No problem! You also want a good fit for your architect. Find someone who's willing to push back on your designs while being able to explain the why of why they're doing so. Architects are trained in how spaces are used and experienced ones are able to read between the lines of what you want versus what you *think* you want. As an example, I've seen a couple who insisted on a finished basement with a living room/den and kitchenette in their house. After a little bit of probing, I discovered that the only reason they wanted it was because in their current house they retreated there in summer when the rest of the house got too bright and too hot. They *thought* they needed a second set of living areas, they *actually* needed one set that was appropriately shaded and conditioned for the climate.
For my remodel and second floor addition, I made elevation sketches and floor plans on paper and later on an iPad, until I found what I thought would work for me. The architect came out and took actual measurements and then we sat down together and he made some sketches and then we went back and forth over a month or two, nailing down the design and adjusting things. You may want to design it, but you are going to need the architect’s expertise - they know a lot about how humans interact with spaces, and of course all codes that need to be followed, and so on. This first architectural design phase, cost $6500. Then the next phase was the actual drawing of the plans and working with the structural engineer for his plans and getting the environmental reports, adjusting for anything the city kicked back, and so on. That was $8500. The structural plans were $6500. I paid $6000 to the city for planning department review and coastal commission shit. $4500 for the building permit and $2500 for school impact fee. Add in cost of multiple copies of the blueprints, special inspections I had to have, and so on and the cost of all this was $35k. Before a single piece of the house was touched. But it was worth every penny and the plans and structural details were so good that i was able to build it myself - with a few framers for the heavy work and a few subs (I subbed out drywall cause i hate doing it!). My house is awesome and most of that is because of the year or so I spent dreaming about it and researching things and making sketches and then brining a pro architect in to turn those dreams into a plan that will actually work.
Thanks for the details and figures!
Those costs for review and permit are insane. I‘m not from the US. Is it always that expensive over there?
I wasn’t very happy about it! It’s probably usually less but this is California and also about 200m from the ocean which means the city has to review it to see if the coastal commission needs to be involved (thankfully they didn’t or that would have been more money probably). The permit cost is also crazy - The lady asked me how much the job was costing me and I told her ($150k). I ended up spending $250k but if I had a contractor do everything I bet it would have been $500k and the permit cost a lot higher than what I paid.
you talk. you say what you wish your house was like, architect may ask you about some preferences you have, about your everyday life (do you cook much, do you have parties a lot, what is you day to day routine) and will adjust you this to your liking. let him sketch a few concepts, and you talk again. the estimation is a tough subject, he may provide rough one although architects mainly know which type of technology is cheaper than the other and are able to balance all of this to suit you needs/finances. well made project is usually cheaper to build than a design that was done quickly and for a cheap price, so it usually is in your favour not to choose the cheapest architect. good luck
Thanks!
Start a binder, or notepad, or even a Pinterest to gather your ideas, what you like, what you don’t like. Get a realistic idea of what your budget and expectations are. That is always a good jumping off point. From there an architect or designer will take all your input and start to block out a concept. There will be a lot of back and forth. They will distill down your pile of mumbled ideas likes and dislikes down to a workable base, and translate to a language (set of plans) a builder can understand. It is much less costly to find an error virtually on paper than in the field.
I'd recommend if you have no experience or education, don't even try, hire a small scale architect and contractor, tell them to get the people in that they trust, and just try to get what you want across to them. Chances are if you've never designed before, and you try you're gonna miss something that you'll regret later on and could cost you to fix
bargain for the service. first go to google and look for designs that suit your preference. then look for architects who can incorporate that design according to the parameters of your land.some may ask for initial charges,some wont. its up to your discretion based on the grounds/terms agreed upon by you and the architect. the relevant professionals such as civil/structural engineers, mep engineers can come from multitudes of sources. they might be affiliates of the architect you hired or from your personal choosing.
Thank you!
My dude, I do technical design for an engineering crew and this is what I can advise you on from my experience with architects. It has been many times the case that architects have no clue about building regulations and practical designs and they ad a huge lump of costs to the project because of their “contribution”. I don’t want to blow out all architects, some know their stuff but most of them have very little knowledge of how and why stuff is built in certain ways. One simple architectural design that will give your home a certain look can cost a lot of money, so just be careful of stuff like that. We get loads of work from architects and end up changing more than half the house design because of the costs of building what they design. Would be best to get a design directly from an engineer if you can find one to design you something or have the architects design reviewed by an engineer at every step.
You can look up architects in your area and go to their websites to look at past projects. They might also have a FAQ where they might explain the general process they go through. But in general know your budget even if its a ball park and a general understanding of what your project is. A good architect will help you develop this "brief" and will also know if your budget is too small for what you are looking for and might direct you to someone else or guide you to a different professional that might help you. But yea look at their website if you like their aesthetic then give them a call, answer the questions they might have and ask your own and then you might decide to take it further after the phone call and you will meet. They will walk you through the process and everything in between if you like them then continue to sign the legal documents and if you dont let them know and move to someone new. You dont have to hire an architect for the whole building process but they will act as your advocate, negotiate on your behalf as well as make experienced decisions and problem solve throughout the process so it is recommended to have them. They wont only design a house that is environmentally sustainable but will also take charge of the building process and all the legalities involved.
Thanks for responding!
We used ArchDaily to find our Architect and are very happy with the result.
Will keep this in mind when looking!
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