Hiring an architect for your project is like choosing a doctor – you want an ideal mix of expertise, experience, ethics and bedside manner.
So what are the most important things to look for when hiring an architect?
Look for a Licensed Architect
The architect you select should be licensed in your state. A license indicates that the architect has the training, experience and knowledge to competently fulfill his or her role.
In California, where AplosGroup practices, becoming a licensed architect is a nine-year journey, beginning with six years of education and continuing with three years of practical training and apprenticeship under the supervision of a licensed architect.
Once an architect has met a state’s requirements for education and experience, he or she must pass the Architect Registration Examination, a seven-part exam administered by the NCARB. California requires an architect to pass three separate, rigorous exams before it grants a certification.
Hiring an architect with a California state license helps ensure that the person you trust to design and oversee the building of your home or business space has the ability to create and execute designs that are innovative, attractive and safe.
Local Knowledge Helps Get Things Done Faster
For most projects, hiring an architect with extensive local knowledge is your best bet.
A local architect will be familiar with an area’s regulations and building codes, and, hopefully, will have good relationships with the people that staff your local building and zoning boards and inspectors, which can help ensure your project meets state and local requirements and proceeds without any unforeseen delays.
An architect with a good understanding of and experience building in your area can advise you on working with and making the most of your local geography and environment.
Finally, a local architect is most likely to have established relationships with your area’s best contractors, which means it’s more likely that they’ll fit your project into their busy schedules.
Relevant Experience Is Important
You want the person best suited to the job you need done. You wouldn’t hire a dermatologist to do your knee replacement. The same principle applies to hiring an architect. Look for an architect with experience in designing and building the type of project you’re doing. Looking to update your 1950s home? Talk to an architect who specializes in mid-century modern architecture. Building a commercial space for your business? You’ll want to work with someone who knows how to make a building work for you and your customers.
Hire a Good Listener & Communicator
Your architect should listen as well as she talks, and maybe better. A good architect is one who is committed to building your dream, not theirs. She should ask a lot a of questions, especially at the beginning of the project and show enthusiasm for it. Even if your project seems like a simple one, you shouldn’t feel as if you’re being sold a cookie-cutter design.
When considering hiring an architect, ask other clients about her communication skills as well as her technical expertise.
Your architect should feel like a partner. She should communicate well with you during a project. Your questions and concerns should be answered promptly and thoroughly, and solutions should be presented as choices and recommendations, not foregone conclusions.
I offer my potential clients a free, one-hour consultation. (Click here to set up an initial meeting.) This serves not only to explore a potential project, but also to see how well we might work together. Experience has shown me that it’s important to make sure clients to feel comfortable and confident working with me.
Fee Transparency Is Key
A good communicator is transparent about her fees.
Architects vary in how they charge for their services. Some charge by the hour, some based on project square-footage, some based on a percentage of construction costs, and some use a combination of fee structures.
Whatever type of fee structure your architect uses, it’s essential that she is transparent about what is included in her fees. For example, my fee includes consultations, design and schematics, drawings and plans, permitting services and supervision of construction.
Remember, though, that good communication is a two-way street. Your architect will give you an estimate of fees, but the accuracy will depend on how much information you can provide about the project during the initial meetings. The architect will revise the estimate as plans become more concrete and changes are made.
An Architect Is a Client Advocate
Some architects feel that once a design is accepted and contractors hired, their job is done. I think that’s a mistake. An architect who really cares about a project will stay with it throughout construction because he or she is in the best position to advocate for the client and make sure things go as planned.
The architect is often the only person who both sees the project as a whole and has the technical knowledge to grapple with the details. She can act as a translator between contractors and clients, which levels the playing field between them.
During the construction phase, I am often on site to meet with contractors and keep an eye on how things are going. I meet with my clients weekly to ask and answer questions, address any changes and present options. I also make a weekly report with photos to help track a project’s progress and keep the client informed.
Hiring an architect is the first step toward building your dream. Making sure you work with the right person is essential.
This post first ran in 2018.