Architectural Design Process – Step 6: Finishing Your Building Project

Finishing your building project is definitely time for celebration. You’ve been through all the work, expense and emotion that any major project entails, so when the final nail has been hammered in and the last of the paint has dried, give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. But before you pop the champagne and

Architectural Design Process – Step 5: Construction Administration

The design development is complete, the construction documents are done, and you’ve selected a contractor. Congratulations! You’re moving into one of the most exciting phases of your architectural design project: construction. During this phase, contractors will begin the task of building your dream, and with it comes the essential task of construction administration. Construction Administration Purpose A building or remodeling

Architectural Design Process – Step 4: Bidding

During the bidding phase of your architectural design project, your architect can help you select the contractors who will build your dream. Once your design has been finalized, you’ll need to send design documents to qualified contractors, who will use them to provide estimates of the costs of labor and materials for your project. Bidding

Architectural Design Process – Step 3: Construction Documents

Once the design development phase is complete, it’s time to move on to step three in the architectural design process: creating the construction documents. Construction Documents Purpose The construction documents represent the completed design for the project. They are submitted to the city for any required permitting, and the final versions of these documents will

Architectural Design Process – Step 2: Design Development

After the schematic design is completed, the next step in the architectural design process is the design development. Design Development Purpose While the schematic design’s purpose is to provide an overview of the building or remodeling project, the design development phase is intended to fill in the details. During this phase, the architect works with

Architectural Design Process – Step 1: Schematic Design

The first step in the architectural design process is the schematic design. After the initial consultation with the client, the architect should come away with an idea of the overall concept and scope of the project. Further meetings or phone calls with the client, or visits to the proposed building site, may be necessary to

Get Through Your Commercial Building Project Without Losing Your Mind

A commercial building project is complex. It often involves a large team of people with different skills, time pressures and communication styles. When you add the worries any entrepreneur has when building a new business or revamping an old one – local competition, market changes, permitting issues and environmental requirements, to name just a few

Why Your Architect Should Supervise Your Construction Project

As an architect, I like to think of remodeling and building projects as a symphony. All the sections of the orchestra – the strings, the brass, the percussion – use their unique skills to work on their separate bits of music, yet somehow, everything comes together to create something beautiful. But without a conductor to