As you embark on a quest of building, reconstructing, or redesigning your house or apartment, say for the first time in your life, you will probably find yourself overwhelmed with the amount of information that you need to process in order to just wrap your head around the whole of it. There is a system beyond every sequence of the venture of building which an active participant as a Project Manager, a Contractor or an Architect needs to understand in depth and you as an Investor do not, but as an Investor you will need to actively participate in the process of decision making in order to get the result closest to the desired or even finer. To be able to do that, you better ask your architect some questions.
First, you need to choose an architect.
Before hiring your architect, you should inquire about:
References
Always ask about them. There are more experienced architects, there are the ones that are more talented than others but it is good to know who you are choosing and why. In addition to that, you just might like the approach, philosophy or style of one architect over the other.
Have you completed any projects in my City/State?
Do you have a portfolio I could take a look at?
And you can improvise, because the process of choosing an architect is a sort of a matchmaking.
What is your design philosophy?
What are the design principles you follow?
What sets you apart from your colleagues with comparable experience?
What do you need to know about me in order to design my house?
How will you get to know me?
The scope
Different architectural professionals or companies offer a different set of services and it is good to know to what extent you can hire your architect. Some of them could project-manage, some would do the design part only, but it’s good to know.
What services do you offer?
Explore our architectural services and discover how we can help bring your project to life — with expertise, precision, and a tailored approach.
Direct contact
If you are hiring the larger architectural firm, it is always good to inquire about the person that would be your Point of Contact. Be sure that the person you are contracting with will be updated on the Project progress.
Who would be my Point of Contact throughout the Project?
Who’s on my team?
After you are positive that you and the architect are on the same track, you can tend to details. In construction industry, as in many others, two of the most important variables are money and time. For you as an Investor, first questions to your architect should be addressing those.
Money
Cost of design
An Architect is a sort of a Project Manager, as he or she needs to combine, supervise and organize works of several different engineers, match them all to the legal framework and before all of that, adhere to your wishes concerning the design. Every experienced architect has a formula that has all of the factors calculated and approximated in one of four basic methods of cost calculations:
- Time spent hourly
- Stipulated sum (lump sum)
- Percentage of the cost of the work
- Based on the square footage
Also, many architects won’t be happy and will refuse to do infinite iterations of the design for the starting price (if they didn’t calculate by time spent), so ask about the number of major changes during the design process that is free of additional charge.
How do you charge?
What is your fee structure?
How many major changes to the design can we make without additional charges?
What is included in your fees? What isn’t? Is there a fee for our first meeting?
Are there additional fees for the consultations or site visits?
How will the additional fees be justified?
How do you schedule payments?
Cost of issuing the permits and other charges
This is the question that is often omitted but in order to avoid the unpleasant surprises, ask your architect about the fees and taxes you will be paying to the authorities during the construction.
Cost of the building process/ The budget
Probably the most important of the financial questions is the one concerning the build itself and staying within the planned budget. Your architect should give you the specifics of the cost estimates if he is making one. Also, if the estimate is based on the Bill of Quantities/Materials, do ask about the up-to-datedness of the prices.
In what phase of the design and documentation do you obtain the estimates?
How are you controlling the Project’s budget?
Cost of the future economic commitments
The basic building feature is its sustainability, both environmental and economic, and henceforward. Optimization in terms of materials or building technology used could save both time and money, but could change the design. The architect should propose alternative solutions in that regard. Some of the design solutions, not immediately noticeable will require more maintenance than others and an architect should take them into account and warn you about them. Also, you should simply ask.
How can I make my Project more sustainable?
Is there a way to reduce the need for building maintenance?
What else can we do to make my building more cost effective/energy efficient?
Time
Schedule and deadlines - there are some phases of the design process that are hard to put in a time frame, first of all – Concept Design. This one will depend both on the skill of the architect to recognize and respond to the needs of the client and the adaptability of the client to the changes of perspective and his own idea about the design concept. Also, some of the design phases overlap and go back and forth from designs for Zoning and Building permits back do the “Concept Design”, latter two being easier to set the deadline for. Last design phases – “Detailed design” and “As built” are usually easy to estimate time wise as they are straightforward.
How long can would it take to get my project to site?
How long does it take to do the survey? …get the Zoning permit? …get the building Permit? …get the occupancy permit?
How long does it take you to make the detailed design/as built design?
How long do you thing construction might last?
What could hinder the design schedule? …construction schedule?
Participation
Active participation of the client is by any mean advisable. Some of it is imperative, some voluntary and desirable and some might be counterproductive, and it is good on the tactical level to be in accordance with your architect about it. Make it as transparent as possible.
How much time I have to commit and when?
How can I help to make the process more efficient, faster, easier for the participants?
Is there something in the design/construction process you think I should not interfere with and why?
What should I pay attention to? In the big picture, what are the keystones of this process?
Design
During the design phase the basic communication will include the means of communication necessary to explain the ideas, the intent, the gist of the design. And architect can use different techniques to demonstrate their take on the subject. These could be semantic (through description), graphic (through sketches, blueprints, computer animations) or physical (through models). It is important to set the common language between the architect and the client. Further, the client should be acquainted with the usual design phases, their meaning and place.
How will I be included, how will you show me what your ideas are?
Do you offer scale models, computer animations or 3d walkthrough?
What are the steps of the design process?
Construction
During the construction phase the architect might or might not be present as a consultant, supervisor or simply to clarify the potential design issues. The function of the architect in the design phase should be defined. Moreover, you could ask the architect about the reliable contractors she or he might know about.
What would or could be your role during the construction phase?
Is there a contractor you would recommend?
Your path to the perfect home
In the end, once you have set the sails for the voyage of building your own house, you will navigate unfamiliar waters and everything might seem ambiguous, illusive and indecisive. Do not strictly conform to the formalities, and feel free to discuss all the possible and impossible aspects of the build with your architect, including form, function, decoration, color, lighting, orientation, materials, textures, meaning and context of the design, your past, present and future in that house. Even unanswered questions might lead to the mindful decisions.
Contact Madsaw Architects – we're here to support you every step of the way through this exciting journey!