Why Hire an Architect?

Deciding to renovate or build a new home is a huge decision, and you may be wondering where to even start. You also may be wondering if it’s worth it to hire an architect for your new project. Whether it’s deciding on floor plans, hiring contractors, finalizing designs, or anything in between, hiring an architect will help ease the stresses of this endeavor -- so you can focus on achieving the home of your dreams.

An Architect Will Help You …

… Make Great Design Decisions

A great design will make your day-to-day living as comfortable as possible. Architects have spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours working with layout design to find the most ideal layout design for harmonious living. If you want your home’s design brought to its fullest potential, an architect on your side is what you need. Great design = great satisfaction.

… Increase the Value of Your Home

A home is often a person’s largest, most valuable asset. When designing a new house, or renovating a current house, it can be important to think about resale value. The design of a residence is the single most impactful aspect on the future value of your home. A comfortable, livable space is what is most important to home buyers and appraisers. ‘Street appeal’ can be the difference as well. Hiring an architect can make sure that your house design will stand out on the market.

… Avoid Errors and Extra Costs

When designing your own home, the last thing you want is to find your finished house has design errors that are not only annoying, but costly. These errors can be avoided from the beginning when you have an expert on your side, guiding you through the process. An architect will spot any errors that could become massive issues down the line.

For instance, using the right Water Resistant Barrier behind your siding, along with attention to the flashing around all sides of each window and door, will make the difference between a tight house with long life for the windows and siding or drafts and rotted wood/ early replacement.

Doing things the right way in the beginning, with an experienced architect, will help you avoid needless errors and costs.

… Navigate Builders and Contractors

Beyond the design aspects of building your home, architects can help you navigate hiring contractors and builders. That means evaluating competitive bids to make sure that you are getting an ‘apples-to-apples’ comparison and making sure you do get the fairest price with a great builder, who will be our partner during the critical construction phase.

Also, remember that builders on their own are not necessarily aware of newer technologies, nor do they have an incentive to put more money into the best building practices for your home. When you have an architect working with you, you can be sure that you have an advocate that can speak on your behalf to builders, electricians, and other sub-contractors, to make sure you’re getting what you want for your home.

… Solve Problems

Home building always has its fair share of problems. For a novice, those problems can be next to impossible to solve. Architects have seen it all, and have spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours coming up with solutions for home design. When you’re at a loss of what to do next, a professional architect will have innovative, practical solutions to any design problems you come across for your home.

… Be Inspired

Creating your own home shouldn’t be stressful or overwhelming; it should be a fun and exciting experience. When taking on this huge endeavor, you will want the experience to be easy, fun, and inspiring. With the right architect, you will be provided with a constant stream of inspiration. You’ll be introduced to various examples of interior design, color and material samples, and similar homes. In additional, your architect will be able to show you samples of materials, so you can have a hand on approach to the design process. 

In Conclusion

Between helping with design decisions, avoiding huge errors, navigating contractors, and simply having a professional on your side, hiring an architect for any building project is hugely beneficial. So not only should you hire an architect, but you should also hire the best architect possible.

The best way to choose the right architect is for you to see examples of their built projects. When looking at each architect's projects, do not focus on whether that project is a solution to your exact problem – it should be an elegant and beautiful solution to its own design challenge. Then make sure, by talking directly with candidates, that they will be a receptive and enjoyable partner in your year-long (or multi-year) exciting endeavor. Also, talk with a former client as well - they can help you understand what the process was like from their point of view, and what the experience was like. Remember: creating your dream home should be fun!