Friday
Mar182011
The Value of an Architect
- It is our job and skill to be able to listen carefully to a client’s needs and turn that vision into a physical reality in a well designed, budget-conscious, energy-efficient, land/context sensitive, code compliant, and functional way.
- Planning is everything. A well laid out plan can save money, time, and headaches during the construction process and avoid problems that result in tearing out non-code compliant or ill-conceived work.
- An architect will bring you into the design process, using a variety of visual methods (such as three dimensional drawings, computer models, or physical models) to help you visualize the potential solutions and understand your project before construction begins.
- Architects make it their job to know their client’s big picture concerns, from aesthetic, functional, and budget. When coordinating with engineers and other consultants, it is our job to keep the “big picture” in mind and look at all decisions in a holistic perspective.
- The skills of a contractor and an architect compliment one another, but one can’t replace the other:
- We love working together with good contractors and craftspeople! Our jobs are simply different. Contractors build off of drawings, hire the subcontractors, manage the construction schedule and process. Architects design, investigate zoning and building code (including ADA and fire), choose appropriate materials to meet performance expectations, and they are your personal advocate during the construction process.
- Don’t assume a contractor can design a good floor plan or an attractive exterior (And we’ve seen too many examples of poor layouts and a lack of three-dimensional vision to fill a book). Asking your contractor to perform design work means you will get an average result at best. Would you call us to fix your toilet or re-roof your home? We could do it…it would take at least three times as long, we wouldn’t have relationships built between inspectors and suppliers, it certainly wouldn’t be at the high level of workmanship you should expect, and we would likely make a few poor mistakes. Well, the reverse logic applies here as well. You will be best served by utilizing appropriate professional expertise through any new construction project.
- We love working together with good contractors and craftspeople! Our jobs are simply different. Contractors build off of drawings, hire the subcontractors, manage the construction schedule and process. Architects design, investigate zoning and building code (including ADA and fire), choose appropriate materials to meet performance expectations, and they are your personal advocate during the construction process.
- Well-executed projects don’t happen by accident. You start with a team of qualified and talented people, and build a relationship between the client, architect, and contractor showing respect for one another’s strengths, learning from each other’s experience, and valuing effective communication to arrive at decisions.
- Licensed architects have rigorous continuing education requirements, which include code, health, safety & welfare, and sustainability updates. We are continually educating ourselves on the new and best approaches to sustainable methods, waterproofing techniques, and other advances that are constantly being made in the building field.
- Architects can save you money:
- Story #1 — Attic Renovation: We are not invested in increasing the square footage of your project. In one of our projects, two contractors quoted our future client over 100K on attic improvements, a new bath, and insisted on an addition to house a new stair, because neither contractor could see how to make a new stair work in the existing space. C+N analyzed the existing home, discussed options with the building code officials, and figured out how to fit a new, code compliant stair within the confines of the home. Result? We helped the client save the exterior of their historic 1916 era home and save around 50K.
- Story #1 — Attic Renovation: We are not invested in increasing the square footage of your project. In one of our projects, two contractors quoted our future client over 100K on attic improvements, a new bath, and insisted on an addition to house a new stair, because neither contractor could see how to make a new stair work in the existing space. C+N analyzed the existing home, discussed options with the building code officials, and figured out how to fit a new, code compliant stair within the confines of the home. Result? We helped the client save the exterior of their historic 1916 era home and save around 50K.
- Good design is worth investing in:
- Story #2 — New Home in an Old Shell: In a circa 1900s era home, three investors decided to gut the home down to the studs and modernize the interior. The stairs were dangerously steep and the only access to the one bathroom was through the kitchen. The contractors on site did not want to touch the stair (and have to update them to current codes) and believed there were no other options in this small home. C+N worked on the layout and created a plan that would update the stairs to code and allow for bathroom access at the stair landing, close to the upstairs bedrooms and other downstairs living spaces. The real estate agent, upon seeing the changes, immediately upped his property assessment by 20K.
- Story #2 — New Home in an Old Shell: In a circa 1900s era home, three investors decided to gut the home down to the studs and modernize the interior. The stairs were dangerously steep and the only access to the one bathroom was through the kitchen. The contractors on site did not want to touch the stair (and have to update them to current codes) and believed there were no other options in this small home. C+N worked on the layout and created a plan that would update the stairs to code and allow for bathroom access at the stair landing, close to the upstairs bedrooms and other downstairs living spaces. The real estate agent, upon seeing the changes, immediately upped his property assessment by 20K.
- Most contractors propose solutions to stated problems. Architects tend to look at solutions in context with the whole project:
- Example: If a client wishes to add a 20’ x 30’ addition to the back of their home for a new living room, a contractor is most likely going to give the client a 20’ x 30’ addition, just as described. An architect will ask what determine the size and how to incorporate the now abandoned 12’ x 18’ front living room into the home – to make sure all space is well utilized. In fact, you might even discover that the addition could be smaller by investing in the space you already have, and a couple of simple design moves will make the whole house flow better.
- Example: If a client wishes to add a 20’ x 30’ addition to the back of their home for a new living room, a contractor is most likely going to give the client a 20’ x 30’ addition, just as described. An architect will ask what determine the size and how to incorporate the now abandoned 12’ x 18’ front living room into the home – to make sure all space is well utilized. In fact, you might even discover that the addition could be smaller by investing in the space you already have, and a couple of simple design moves will make the whole house flow better.
- We make it our job to consider the characteristics of the land and integrate green solutions, such as considering window orientation, effective shading devices, solar exposure, material color and type that reduce heat gain, and other design strategies that result in mechanical and electrical cost savings throughout the life of a project.
- We understand proportion, and consider human scale (from an interior function level to the overall size and shape of the new building in a neighborhood).
- When you hire an architect for construction administration services (while the building is under construction), the architect observes the construction, reviews contractor requests for payment, works together with the contractor to address any issues that will arise during construction, and performs a final inspection of the finished work to make sure the construction documents were followed.
- Many onsite issues during construction can be turned into innovative design solutions with a collaborative relationship between contractor and architect.
- As part of licensing, an architect is bound to uphold the prevailing professional standard of practice, expected to support the public health, safety and welfare, and to practice ethically.
- Don’t let anyone convince you that architects only make things pretty and expensive! (We have to continually fight this misunderstanding.) The right owner, architect, and contractor relationship unites everyone toward the goal of realizing the hopes and dreams for your project.