The Project Planning Workshop

Imagine your dream home - customized for your lifestyle – completed on time and on budget, without the headaches. When you are designing a custom home, every detail matters.
As a professional architect, I care about the integrity of the design and want to guide you through the process.

“If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four hours sharpening the axe” ~Abraham Lincoln

The #1 Project Problem – Projects being handled by the wrong person, not properly planned and designed and going over time and over budget.

On a daily basis, we see people moving projects into designing before the research or the careful attention to one’s unique Needs and Options has even started or has been adequately defined. This is like a doctor starting to prescribe medicine without a thorough diagnosis or in our case of designing and building; we jump ahead at design or worst, to some, jumping to construction from sketches without properly looking at the most essential questions that's needed to be answered for an architect to prescribe solutions.

That is why I created the Project Planning Workshop. Now you have a simple process to help you move the Project Planning or Needs and Options Review Phase.

If you follow this tool, you will reduce project risk and improve project’s design success and do it fast. Once you have understood or have done your homework on all the key ideas below and is confident enough after that, you are ready to move to the Design Phase.

1. Building Project Roadmap
Review the roadmap and identify where you are in your journey and recognize where you are going.

2. Frequently Aked Questions & Should Ask Questions
Questions you need to know about working with an architect and going about your project.

3. Myths and Reality
Some things architects do above and beyond sketches to complete a project.

4. How to Create a Design Brief
Contact your shortlisted architects to start your design process

          5. Budgetary Estimation and Finding the right architect for you.

          Contact your personal architect to work on estimating a reasonable budget estimate. 

6. Readiness Meter
Gauge how ready you are to move to the Design Phase.

Five most essential things to know before deciding to design and build

You may or may not have the funds, time and an idea yet of what to build at this moment, now the question is "are you knowledgeable enough" and "patient enough" to take some time to do your homework or research into looking at the big picture of your dream and to take the first essential steps in order for your desires to start materializing? If you are willing to learn and become patient enough in realizing a huge undertaking and very expensive project such as your dream house then this article is for you.

Planning, designing, constructing, and managing projects is no easy tasks. A person becomes an architect by studying and training to become proficient with this expertise for at least seven (7) years and engineers take at least five (5) years with their respective professions, which is all you need to properly plan and design a successful project. The value that you get from professionals will pay off from the start of your project up to the useful life of your building. Of course, you can design it yourself and hire draftsman, then hire an experienced construction person but you'll get nowhere near the quality of what a team of professionals can achieve for your project. In every project you will need the combined expertise of at least four (4) professionals, foremost is your architect to coordinate with his/her overall vision of form and space the building's basic structure done by structural engineers, electrical by electrical engineers and plumbing by plumbing engineers. Other professionals are needed in more complex buildings beside a modest residential building.

Best Way to have Better Control and Fast-Track Your Project

If you are one of the many who are very concerned about control over how money is spent on your project and ensure proper spending, there is a way to do it. This decision however, must be made from the outset of your project and this requires you to have a licensed architect working with you, for you to reap the benefits of such a method of executing your project.

The traditional way of executing and delivering a project is through design-bid-build method where the designer or architect is a separate entity that provides the design and documentation only and a winning contractor from a bidding process to take up the construction contract. This method does not give you much of control over your project’s spending due to a separate contracting entity that will only be controlled with the terms of the contract, leaving the contractor to have more control over how to spend your money according only to agreed scope and specifications of the project.

Design-Build Method VS Traditional Design-Bid-Build Method; Project Pacing

The best method for your project if you want greater control and expedite the process of design and construction is that you must select an architect who has the capability of both designing and constructing your project and use the “design-build by administration” service of an architect. This type of service by an architect is a special type of project delivery method that only architects can provide the best outcomes. This way the client-architect collaboration replace the traditional method’s client-architect-contractor adversarial arrangement, where eliminating the third entity (contractor) made the process more simple.

To give you an idea of how this method could apply to you, let me share with you an example of one of my clients who opted for this type of service and how our arrangement was. My clients who were

How Much does Hiring an Architect Cost

"Price is what you Pay and Value is what you Get" ~ Warren Buffet

The fee that architects charge to their clients revolves around the value that they provide as a product for their professional services. The professional service of an architect is proportional to the complexity and risk of professional liability with a project.

The Professional Regulations Board of Architecture has prescribed in their memorandum for the published 2010 Standards for Professional Practice, a schedule of recommended professional fees according to project types, for example, for a residential project the recommended fee is set at 10% of the probable construction cost, however, while these are only recommended, architects are free to charge any amount that does not go far from what is recommended. Some highly reputable architects charge insane amounts of fees due to their reputation and quality of work and many beginning architects charge the lowest to the point of under-charging and hurting their businesses just to compete in price wars with lesser quality substitutes.

Many people are surprised to learn how high architects charge compared to engineers or other non-professionals (who are practicing architecture illegally under R.A.9266), they may go as far as to judge an architect as greedy and are way over their heads, this is because the very low fee or free service providers have far more inferior or non-existent service process compared to what architects provide from a project's start to it's finish. Engineers or non-architects do not value architectural design and charge as low as they can to secure the construction contract of your project, they let you do the designs on your own or get low-paid draftsmen and hide their fees on the construction part when you already have committed to handing them your money, either they sacrifice the quality of the work or underpay workers or both to profit from your project because they didn't charge for design and other preliminary requirements to get your project.

Why contracts are essential when engaging in services

A lot of people get uneasy when they see or hear about contracts, they immediately frown upon it due to the fear of the formality and daunting legal impression of it. The usual response of clients who don't want contracts between them and a professional is that they are very confident that nothing wrong will happen or that it brings tension to the discussions and the relationship. This mindset is so outdated and primitive that there are still so many, including well-educated people, who opt not to have written contracts when hiring designers and builders, this is also a reason that many people fear hiring an architect, they fear that they would be trapped in it and that architects want them to be trapped in signing one. In my experience, people who don't want to work with contracts are not serious clients or are not yet ready to engage in our professional service. In any case, as professionals, we would rather pass on a project that has no real security and good faith in a client.

People who are most likely to fail at negotiations and secure themselves from getting into bad investments are the ones who only deal with verbal agreements and are easy to trust with other people. This mindset is the most vulnerable type of people to con artists or scammers. Contracts or written agreements between two or more parties are very daunting indeed for first-timers but if you've learned anything from life, you never know what could happen when bad things happen and you won't have proof to claim anything from any deal. Dealing with design and construction services is not as simple as buying a fish in the market that you can purchase without contracts or receipts. Service providers promise things and you also promise to pay once the terms are fulfilled, hence, contracts are necessary to protect both you and the service provider in case the agreed terms are not being met a win-win arrangement.

Clients who want a service provider to work without any form of contract are usually the same people who engage in the mediocre services of unlicensed practitioners to save on cost. These unlicensed practitioners or illegal practitioners will not charge for professional liabilities and will not take on the risk because, in the eyes of the law, they don't exist as legitimate service providers. Without any form of contract that spells out specific terms for payment, manner of delivery and other important conditions, any project without it will operate in the dark with no clear understanding of expectations, responsibilities, and obligations and will inevitably result to confusions and the erosion of relationships when problems start to surface in the project. If you don't want to operate under this type of informal and insecure service arrangement and fail miserably in your project, you must recognize the practicality of having a well thought and written contract document that will not only symbolize both party's good faith in the project but will help guide a well-defined project and keep a healthy relationship with your service provider.

Now that you have realized the value of engaging architects or service providers with contracts, what do contracts contain, and how can contracts actually do you a favor?

The Architect's Basic Design Service

Often, individuals mistakenly believe the envisioned design or blueprint is a tangible, completed object that can be procured or acquired from a shelf, thereby enabling them to ascertain its alignment with their desires through tactile engagement. The undervaluation of architectural services can be attributed to a lack of awareness, misinformation, or misguided beliefs. It is important to acknowledge that architects should not be held solely responsible for this perception.

Architectural professionals typically request down payments or acceptance fees prior to commencing any formal work or sketching. However, clients often express concerns regarding the financial implications, as they may feel uncertain about the specific scope and outcome of the architect's services. These concerns are often voiced through comments such as, "What if the delivered design does not align with my preferences?" The prevalent misperception regarding design services lies in the tendency of clients to perceive them solely as finished products, rather than recognising the inherent nature of these services as a process-oriented endeavour. The focal points of discussion revolve around the notions of "service" and "process". In this context, service can be delineated as the diligent execution of tasks by a skilled professional, yielding tangible outcomes in the form of meticulously crafted drawings and estimates, whether in physical or digital format. On the other hand, the process entails a sequence of logical procedures, inherently intertwined with the element of time, necessitating a methodical approach for its successful execution.

The fundamental essence of an architect's design service centres around a meticulously structured process, wherein the architect meticulously assimilates the client's land descriptions, aspirations, preferences, yearnings, financial limitations, and other pertinent factors. These elements are meticulously scrutinized and evaluated by the architect, serving as the catalyst for initiating the imaginative journey of architectural conception. The probability of the client expressing dissatisfaction with the final outcome is minimal, as the client's active involvement will be ensured throughout the entirety of the project. At each stage, the client will have the opportunity to provide their approval or disapproval of proposed solutions, thereby addressing all desired factors and considerations. Ultimately, the objective of the design process is to engage in a cyclical exchange of feedback, ensuring that the design aligns with the client's desires. The architect, leveraging their expertise in building technology and regulations, employs various tools of illustration and communication to present a practical and cost-effective design outcome that can be deemed exemplary in its quality.

7 reasons why Architects are seen as expensive and an unnecessary cost in building projects

When embarking upon the endeavour of designing and constructing residential homes or commercial buildings, it is not uncommon to encounter individuals who suggest that engaging the services of an architect is an extraneous expenditure. These individuals may propose the alternative of employing a draughtsman, foreman, or civil engineer, or even assert their own capability (regardless of experience) to undertake the task without remuneration. They may entice you with the prospect of a "straight contract" arrangement, wherein they assume control over your financial resources and proffer a complimentary design. However, it is imperative to exercise caution, as such arrangements grant them unrestricted discretion over the allocated funds and the subsequent construction, affording them the latitude to act as they see fit.

A discerning and accountable buyer typically identifies warning signs in such a seemingly enticing arrangement, unless one places absolute trust in the individual making the offer with their entire life savings for most would-be home builders and bootstrapping business owners. The strategy employed is to provide complimentary services, such as design and other endeavours, in the initial stages, while presenting oneself as approachable and supportive, in order to cultivate a sense of confidence. This approach bears a resemblance to the deceptive scheme. Conversely, professionals levy appropriate remuneration for their services and the time invested, as legitimate enterprises entail expenses, straightforwardly speaking.

How to create a Design Brief for your architect

A design brief is a simple or complex list of things/ideas that a client wishes for his/her architect would want to know before beginning to design their new home. This might take 3 to 6 pages depending on how articulate a client would like at the outset of design, however, every excited home builder or client must understand the basics of what architecture is and how one should think of this art and science to appreciate the creation of this design brief checklist and be amazed and appreciate how their architect will approach the design and the client's collaboration in the design process.

Designing and building a house is a form of architecture where architects are famous for, most people would quickly assume that building a house is as simple as grabbing pictures and showing them to some carpenter would suffice. A wise home-builder such as yourself should know that it is far more complicated than that, first, you got to think about some principles to help guide your journey in defining your design problem.

Philippine architecture practice and P.R.C.'s position with Civil Engineers' encroachment in architecture profession

The issue of overlapping professional practice between the two professions has been with us since both architecture and civil engineering as formal professions were established in the Philippines in the early 20th century, in fact it is not an isolated problem and is prevalent in other countries as well, but not as toxic as the Philippine situation. It has been a dividing issue between both professions and had many reports of violent disagreements in some cases. To find out why, we need to go back to the history of both professions to understand what has transpired to this day and age.

During the Spanish era (1521-1890s), the "maestro de obras" were (what many believe) the equivalent of what architects are today but in-fact they were just the foremans as I see it in today's equivalence, the real equivalent to architects today I think were the church friars, who envisioned their churches according to their home trends in medieval Spain of their times i.e. baroque, rococo style, adopted by the maestro de obras to local building techniques and materials.

Architects and Architecture: Myths vs Reality

What are Architects and what do Architects really do? Why are they called engineers and why they are looked down upon by many people in the industry, especially in the provinces? lots of questions, now let us start answering...

An architect’s role is a lot larger than most people realize. Architects have been described or viewed unfairly over many decades due to historical and political reality in the country, civil engineers outnumber the architects 10-fold, and civil engineers enjoy the mass perception that they do what actually architects do which is to design and build buildings.

The reality is that architects undergo design and construction training for at least 7 years before getting their license, and engineers take at least 5 years with little to no experience in the totality of building design and construction but they are allowed by many to do the architect’s work, since people in power and in public offices are engineers, hence it is evident in what buildings we have, just look around, they are considered the cheap or free design option because they are like most people, they didn’t study architecture.