10 Questions to ask your Architect
If you're considering hiring an architect for your upcoming project, you're already starting to make good choices! The real value that an Architect provides is not simply drawing floor plans, but helping you navigate the very complex process that is building design and construction. A good Architect will provide a clear and structured process to turn whatever vision you have into reality. They will be a huge factor in whether you will have a fun and rewarding experience or whether you'll be stressed for the next two years.
I'd like to share a handful of questions you should be asking your potential architects, along with some insights on answers you might receive.
Contents
Have you completed projects in my area?
How does your design process work?
What excites you about my project?
Do you see any initial red flags with my project?
Who will be my direct contact on a project?
What is your fee structure?
How do you come up with your designs?
What is included and not included in your fees?
What is your involvement in the Construction process?
What software are you using and will you develop a digital Model?
Have you completed projects in my area?
It makes sense that you'd like your architect to have experience in your area as they will have a more thorough understanding of the permitting process and be better connected with contractors and interior designers. If they do, that's great!
But don't immediately dismiss them if they haven't worked in your area before. Many architects are very comfortable working in new areas because they have processes in place to handle new challenges. Follow up with them to see how they would handle the following:
Are they comfortable networking to assemble a team of local engineers, designers, builders, and other consultants?
Are they capable of thoroughly researching local zoning & building codes
Will they travel to review the construction progress?
If they have adequate systems in place to address these types of challenges, I wouldn't necessarily knock them for a lack of experience in your area. I would be more hesitant to work with them if they've never worked out of their area before.
2. How does your design process work?
Reputable architects are going to be very transparent about their design process. They should be able to explain the clear processes in place on how they take your initial ideas and input, turn them into real architecture, and produce construction documents to get the design built. This process should have multiple steps where you'll be able to provide feedback as the design gets more refined.
I always email my Design Process Guide to my prospective clients along with samples of the type of presentations I provide at each step if you request a free proposal.
3. What excites you about my project?
From start to finish, designing and building a new home can take 1-3 years depending on the scope and complexity of the project. I view that as a large, personal commitment and wouldn't want to work with an Architect who isn't genuinely passionate about the project you're bringing to them. If they don't seem 100% enthusiastic about your site or the style you're interested in it just might not be a good fit.
Something else to consider is the "beer" test: Would you simply enjoy grabbing a beer with them after walking the job? You're going to be regularly sharing intimate details of your life with them over the next couple of years. Make sure you actually like them!
4. Do you see any initial red flags with my project?
This question is about establishing trust and transparency with your prospective Architect. You want them to be upfront about potential issues they foresee or hurdles you will need to overcome. There's no such thing as a perfect project, there's almost always something that will be a challenge you'll need to overcome. Some concerns you'd like them to share ahead of time might be:
Troublesome HOA Reviews
Discretionary Permit reviews that might impact the project timeline
Unrealistic budget expectations
The style, size, or scope of your home doesn't match the current market conditions
All of these are manageable issues if expectations are set properly. You want someone who is looking ahead and sharing their thoughts upfront. You don't want an Architect who is overly optimistic about your project simply to win your business.
5. Who will be my direct contact on a project?
Often your first interaction with an Architecture firm is with someone who won't actually be involved with your project. It's not uncommon for new inquiries, sales, and outreach to be handled by Firm Principals or marketing staff.
If you're interviewing a larger firm, you want to understand, at a minimum, what role the Principal plays and how their project team structures are set up. Typically, the larger the firm, the less input your project will have from the Principals. That's not inherently an issue if their Project Managers and junior staff are experienced and well-trained. You just don't want to be 7 months into the design process and frustrated that you never saw the Principal again.
In my case, I act as a Solo-Architect and am directly responsible for every drawing, image, and email sent out. If you work with me, you'll be in touch with me every step of the way.
6. What is your fee structure?
There are 2 primary ways Architects charge: Hourly and Lump Sum.
An Hourly structure typically favors the Architect, as they have less incentive to work efficiently and get your drawing completed on schedule. If the Architect you're interviewing uses this method, make sure to request they provide an estimate for each phase of the project. The risk/reward benefit for this structure is that you might end up with cheaper Architectural fees if you're a decisive client who can make decisions quickly and move on. This structure is less beneficial (for you) if you are the type of person who needs to see a lot of options and provides a lot of input: you're simply going to be charged for the extra time you're requesting of your Architect.
A Lump Sum will often be more favorable to you as you'll know the full cost of the Architectural services before you sign a contract. This is the way I operate. My design process is broken down by a series of key, clear "milestones" such that I only move on to the next phase once I've received approval from you to do so. Once you give me an approval of a phase, then I issue an invoice for the agreed upon fee. I occasionally charge hourly if a client makes a major design change on something we had already approved. I use very flexible BIM software in my design process so I can often make minor changes easily without charging my clients.
7. How do you come up with your designs?
This is a personal question that every firm will answer differently. Some have creative Principals that simply dictate what they design will be while others heavily involve their clients to the point that the clients dictate the design.
In my case, my designs are a synthesis of 3 main inputs: your unique lifestyle requirements, your desired design style, and the unique features and limits of your site. During our Pre-Design phase, I gathered a ton of information via client surveys, site studies, and code analysis with the intent of deeply understanding these three items. Subsequently, I will come up with an initial "best foot forward" concept that I think best addresses all three of these factors. I'll often include an option or two if I think they have legitimate merit but I believe that you're hiring me for my design expertise and don't want to burden you with too many decisions. The presentation of the Initial concept kicks off a very collaborative process where we tweak and refine the design to make it your perfect home.
8. What is included and not included in your fees?
Architects can provide a lot of additional services beyond floor plans and each Architect will bundle their services differently. The following are items that you should discuss their approach:
Photo-realistic Renderings
Digital 3D models
Physical 3D models
Interior Design
Lighting Design
Energy Studies
Make sure you understand all the deliverables are included in their proposal and what items would be additional services charged separately.
9. What is your involvement in the Construction process?
You want an Architect who is going to stick around and see the project completed. An Architect who doesn't commit to Construction Administration is one who isn't invested in seeing the design executed properly and you don't want that.
The most high-quality, reputable contractor in the world is still going to have issues interpreting the plans at some point. If your Architect is not involved with the construction, he's deferring the interpretation of the plans to someone else. There is a very large chance that the way a contractor chooses to address a question will not be the same as how an Architect would address a question. Your Architect is the only person who has been involved on the project with you beginning and intimately understands your vision. You want them on hand to help see the project built per plan.
I only work with clients who want me involved throughout the construction process.
10. What software are you using and will you develop a digital Model?
There are 2 primary types of programs Architects currently use to develop their designs:
2D Drawing programs (AutoCAD)
3D BIM Programs (Revit or ArchiCAD)
The goal of this question is to help understand where your money is going when you hire an architect. If your potential Architect is using a 2d AutoCAD workflow, they're using a relatively old-school method of designing. It involves manually drafting every single detail of your project as a 2d drawing. High-quality work can be done using this method but it's not the most efficient, which means more of your money is going to the raw hours they'll need to draft up the design, rather than actually improving the design.
An architect using a 3D BIM program like Revit functions more efficiently than an AutoCAD workflow because it involves first building a complete 3d model of your design which then automatically pumps out most of the drawings. I use this program and am able to continually refine the design up until I send the drawings to the Permit reviews. I'm also able to produce photo-realistic renderings of the project for you so you know exactly what the built design will look like.
Additionally, a design built in BIM is less likely to have issues during construction as the 3d Model can be cross-referenced with 3d models from the structural or HVAC engineers to find issues. This simply isn't possible in a traditional 2d AutoCAD workflow and requires more due diligence from your contractor during construction.
I hope these questions help provide some insight into how you should approach interviewing your Architects! If you'd like to receive my Design Process Guide along with a free proposal for the project, just head over here and request a proposal.
