How To Find The Best Architects Near You

Choosing the design of your home is one of the most daunting tasks in the initial stages of buying a house. Making sure that you have enough square footage, that square footage is actually functional, that the interior and exterior designs appeal to your taste and that the house can adapt with your family over time are all extremely important factors to consider in the home building or renovating process. A local architect will offer a handful of services to help you bring your vision to life.

Initial Informative Meeting

In this initial meeting your architect will sit down with you to discuss your project and needs. You all will convene to discuss the goals, needs, wants and functionality of your build or remodel. After you tell your architect your dream, he or she will help you factor in the costs of materials and construction to help determine a realistic budget. Once a budget is set, the architect will produce an outline of your proposed project.

Rough Draft Design

You and your architect will meet again in this stage to go over the rough draft he or she came up with based on the initial meeting. The architect will discuss how the design meets the requirements asked for and will also lay out the timeline of the build, proposed building materials and estimated overall cost of the project. If any design changes need to be made or the budget needs to be modified, this is when you discuss alterations.

Design Approval

After your architect has either received the okay on the original design or made the changes you requested, you all will meet again to finalize and sign off on the design of your project. At this meeting your architect will often have 3D renderings of your project so you can get a better visual of dimensions. Once everything is agreed upon, construction specifications will be outlined and your architect will typically help find contractors in order to give a more accurate cost estimate.

Construction Documentation

Perhaps the most important service your architect will provide is the procurement of construction documents. These documents will contain very detailed outlines of your project, including dimensions, materials to be used and exact specifications of build requirements for your contractors to follow.

Construction Phase

Your architect will also constantly observe the pace and quality of the construction. He or she will make sure everything is built to spec and mitigate any problems that could arise. These services provided in the construction phase will not only help ensure everything is structurally sound but also make sure your project remains on track and within your initial budget.

How architects are paid can vary depending on factors such as what you are hiring them for and their years of experience. You can usually expect to see payment structures such as hourly rates, flat fees and percentage of total construction cost.

Here are some ballpark examples of what an architect will cost ranging from least amount of experience to highest.

• Hourly rates: $45 to $250
• Flat fee for construction plans only: $2,000 to $10,000
• Percentage of construction: 8% to 20%

The pay range for architects can vary greatly. Obviously, the more you pay the more services and supervision provided. This should give you a good starting point to help you figure out where an architect can fit in your build budget.

There are many ways to find the best architects near you. Most local hardware stores will have several recommended contractors in the area that could lead you to architects they usually work with. You can talk to friends, family, and neighbors to see if they have ever used architects for home builds or remodels. However, the easiest and most proven source would be a Google search narrowed down to your location. You can do this in a few simple steps:

1. Type in Google.com in your web browser of choice.
2. Click on the search bar, and do a basic search for “Best Architects”.
3. Search one step further by allowing Google to see your location or type in your area’s zip code.
4. Narrow one last time based on the highest review ratings and recommendations.
5. Comb through their gallery of past projects to determine if their style fits your needs.
6. Set a meeting.

When to hire a local architect really depends on your needs. If you are taking on a small remodel project at the house, more than likely their services won’t be of much help. However, if you are trying to add rooms or do complete floorplan remodels, you should probably reach out to your local architect. Their expertise will ensure that your project is designed to your vision, functional for the space you have and built to the correct specifications and codes.

DIY vs. hiring an architect will likely hinge on your experience level. If you have the time and love learning and doing your own home renovations, then an architect might not be worth the money for you. But if you are doing large construction add-ons or designing your home from scratch, you should seek out your local architect. Their knowledge of engineering and design will help ensure that your project is built correctly and safely for your family to enjoy for years to come.

What questions should you ask when first meeting an architect?

• What services do you provide during construction?
• What is your design philosophy?
• What are your fees and how accurate are your price projections?
• How busy are you and how much oversight can you guarantee to our project?
• What services do you provide and how do they set you apart from your competition?
• What do you expect from us during the process?

What do you talk about with an architect?

You and your architect will talk about a lot of different things pertaining to your project and cover them in detail. However, when meeting with your architect for the first time, make sure you at least cover these important topics: design, money, location, functionality and build projections.

How do I prepare for an architect interview?

The best way to prepare for an interview with your architect is to make sure you have a clear understanding or at least a clear estimate of what your project will entail. Knowing things such as design, your budget and the ideal timeframe will help your architect guide you in the right direction.