This post previously ran in 2016. Starting a large building or remodeling project can seem intimidating, especially if you’ve never worked with an architect before. You’ll probably have lots of questions about timing, process and cost, and a host of others are bound to come up as your project progresses. To take some of
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
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
Many people think of an architect as someone who designs large, important buildings – a visionary who dreams up new and bold designs, like New York’s Guggenheim Museum (Frank Lloyd Wright) or Chicago’s Aqua tower (Jeanne Gang). And, of course, architects do that. But an architect does much more than dream and draw; she also
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
Several times a month, I find myself in some variation of a phone or email conversation with a prospective client that starts like this: Client: Hi. My contractor suggested I contact you. Me: How can I help you? Client: We’re doing a [describes project] and we thought it would be simple and we could just
Starting a large building or remodeling project can seem intimidating, especially if you’ve never worked with an architect before. You’ll probably have lots of questions about timing, process and cost, and a host of others are bound to come up as your project progresses. To take some of the mystery – and, hopefully, some of
