What You Need to Know Before Hiring an Architectural Design Firm?

Are you looking to hire an architectural design firm for your next construction project? Perhaps you are building a home from scratch or renovating an existing one and need the services of a professional architect? Whether you need them to just create a design for the builders or to be around until the building is completed, here are some things you need to know before you hire an architect.

What Can an Architectural Design Firm Actually Do for You?

The big misconception people often have is that an architectural design firm only provides the design part for your house. The truth is there is a lot more that architects do.

1. Preliminary Design

This is the first phase in which the architectural design firm pays a visit to the site, interviews clients about design ideas, their housing needs and, of course, their budget. With this, the architect can come up with some rough design sketches as to how the building will look and fit into the building site. Remember though, there’s no room for guesswork here, so be sure to communicate clearly to your architect what you want.

2. Design Development

After the client agrees on the preliminary design, the real work for the architectural design firm begins as they have to turn the rough sketch into an actual building design, complete with roof and floor plans and some basic specs for the structural plan. Today, you can even use a program like SketchUp or Autodesk Revit to see your house in 3D on a computer monitor.

3. Construction Blueprints and Documents

You can’t obtain a building permit without these. Construction documents include detailed blueprints and specifications the architect will hand over to the contractor so that he knows in detail exactly how the building should look.

4. Construction Administration and Supervision

Sometimes contractors love to “cut corners”. Unfortunately, this often means that they will “forget” the design plan and, as a result, you’ll end up with something different than what you wanted and agreed with your architectural design firm. To make sure that this doesn’t happen, the architect can work as your agent and ensure that the contractor and the subcontractors follow the design and the construction blueprints.

5. Reviewing Contractors, Negotiation and Bidding

Not every contractor will be fully qualified for the construction project you have in mind. The architectural design firm can help you review contractors, go over their bids, pick the most qualified one and negotiate the best deal for you. At this stage, the contractor might also have some questions for the architect or ideas for the design and can make recommendations of his own. Of course, the final say on who the builder will be up to the client himself.
Looking for an architectural design firm that can help you make your dream home a reality? Visit White Willow Design and request a free quote now!