Guide to Selecting the Best Architect for Your New Home
You need to make sure that you are hiring an architect that has some favorable experience in designing homes that are similar in style to the one you want to build. Along with this, the architect should be able to coordinate your house onto the lot you have picked for your new home. Begin by getting a list of homes that this person has either designed or made heavy contributions to that have as many features that match yours as possible. Drive by and look at the homes. See if they meet the ideals that you have set for this construction job. Additionally, try to arrange a meeting with the people who enlisted the architect to do the work for them.
You will want to ask how many adjustments had to be made to the plans before the house was completed. Were the contractors able to get the information that they needed on a timely basis from this person? It is a good idea to ask about added design costs that were incurred along the way and whether the architect was willing to make improvements to the plans without elevating the cost excessively. Some discount architects plan to make up the lesser initial costs with inflated modification costs.
Never hire an architect that has not worked with the local zoning board where you are building. These boards vary dramatically from location to location. Just because an architect is a hero in the city or county down the street does not mean he will be able to work with the board that serves your area. The nuances in different communities can cost you an arm and a leg if you have to keep jumping through hoops to satisfy them because your architect does not know about them. The architect really needs to know the people. That way, they already trust the work that is being done. Instead of nitpicking it, they will often give it a pass just on the integrity and reputation of a local architect. This same thing is true for contractors in the building phase.
You need an architect that you can get along with when you start getting into the serious part of the project. He or she needs to be willing to work with your wants and desires as far as it is practical. Remember, you are paying for the professional knowledge and experience. Sometimes, you have to let a pet desire go if it is just is not feasible in this house. A lot of things can seem better in your head than they are when they meet the real world. On the other hand, you do not want an architect who will bully you out of a good idea just because he or she does not want to put out the effort to make it a reality. You do not want an architect that is a tyrant nor do you want one that is a shrinking violet. He or she should be a professional who recognizes who writes the checks.
A final consideration would be price. If all of the above falls into line, price may not be important. A voice of experience who can smooth out the rough places and deliver a quality product on time is worth more than a bargain basement job that has to be revised and remade every few days and still ends up inferior. Weigh this area carefully. You may save more in the long run by paying more at the beginning. Listen to former customers and other associates of the architect and factor that into your decision before choosing the right man or woman to design your house. If all things are precisely equal, go for less cost.
