Working with an architect is a unique process made up of several areas of professional service
Using an architect to design your home is uniquely different than working with a builder, even a high-end custom home builder. With that in mind, it is helpful to understand the architectural process.
A common misconception is that as the client you are actually paying for a product – most typically, the finished drawings. That is anything but the case. In fact, the architect holds legal ownership of both the drawings and the design. What you are actually paying for is a professional service. This is important to understand because it puts the emphasis on the process rather than the product.
Architectural services for residential projects are generally divided into 5 distinct areas. These are Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding & Negotiation, and Construction Administration. Any contract you sign with an architect should specify which of these services (the Scope of Work) that you would like the architect to be involved in. Typically, that is at least through construction documents, which are typically the drawings used by the contractor to build. But there may be an occasion where you are only interested, for example, in hiring an architect for preliminary ideas (Schematic Design). That is certainly an acceptable request.
One area in which many homeowners unfortunately fail to see the value is Construction Administration. During CA the Architect not only supervises the job to ensure the contractor is executing the work in accord with the construction documents, but he also can act as the Owner’s representative before the contractor. This service presents a level of security assuring the work is done in the promised manner as well as a layer of peace of mind knowing that the owner’s best interests are being represented professionally before the contractor. In the end, this is a unique service that an architect can provide that can assure both quality results and durable peace of mind.
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