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.
As a professional architect, I care about the integrity of the design and want to guide you through the process.
5. Budgetary Estimation and Finding the right architect for you.“If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four hours sharpening the axe” ~Abraham LincolnThe #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
Contact your personal architect to work on estimating a reasonable budget estimate.
6. Readiness Meter01. BUILDING PROJECT ROADMAP
Gauge how ready you are to move to the Design Phase.
Major Steps Required for Designing and Building Your New Home
Right
now you should be in the Research Phase. Please read carefully… Just like
looking out to buy stuff online, you research what you want/need and inform
yourself as much as you can to properly make a sound purchase decision.
Undertaking to design and build is a very expensive decision; you need to be
smart about this. This is where you gather information and play around with
ideas. At the point you want to get serious, you will want to check the
feasibility of your ideas and understand what the project constraints are. If
you work with me, we will move to the Analysis Phase by conducting a “Needs and
Options Review” to eliminate assumptions, identify constraints, and find your
best options. You will receive a document that can be used by me or any other
architect that will ensure you reduce project risk and get the best option for
your site and budget.
1.
Research Phase
a. Scour the internet until you find this or scattered topics in this workshop
b. Architects/ Builders - get planning & budgetary advice
c. Magazines and image search - you look for inspirations
2.
Analysis Phase
a.
Needs and Options Review - or the Project Planning activity to define your goals
b.
Select an Architect to help you in assessing needs and options
3.
Design Phase
a.
Concept Sketches - your architect now solve the general problems
b.
Design Development - your architect now detail the design that you finalized
c.
Cost Estimates and Material
Specifications - to guide your detailed decisions
4.
Documentation Phase
a.
Permits Application - the legal and right way.
b.
Construction Documents - hand approved drawings and contract docs to builder
5.
Bidding Phase (Skip if you opt to have it by Design-Build contract with your architect)
a.
Bid Proposals from
Builders/Contractors
b.
Select Builder/General
Contractor
6.
Build Phase
a.
Builder constructs your house
b.
Architect advises you on how to
manage your contract with a builder
02. Frequently Asked Questions & Should Ask Questions
Questions
to ask when hiring an architect.
It’s
helpful to have a process to make sure you get the best person for your
project. The key is to ask the right questions. Although extensive schooling
and training are required for all architects, that doesn’t mean all architects
are created equal. Finding the right architect for your project and for you
personally depends on several factors, including personality, design style,
building for taste or to make money, budget, and even whether your project
requires a specialist skillset.
Choosing
the right architect can mean the difference between an enjoyable experience and
one plagued with problems and hassles the whole way through once a project
moves into the Construction Phase.
A great
architect for you is your Designer, Advocate, Teacher, Project Leader and
Coordinator. This architect will have great answers for these following
questions that you can ask:
- What
unique value does the architect have for your specific type of project?
- How
can the architect add value to your home or building so that you can maximize
the return on investment when or if you sell the property later?
- Does
the architect offers a pre-design analysis or research and design programming
service to help move you safely and efficiently towards the design process?
- What are the specific challenges for your type of project and how has the architect overcome these in the past?
- If your budget, timeline, and scope of the project are unrealistic, will the architect let you know?
- How
would the architect like you to share your ideas, images, needs, wants and
research?
- What
can you do to help the architect deliver the best work for you?
- Does
the architect has a team game plan that outlines how you will all successfully
work together even under pressure?
- Will
the architect run the bidding process or if the architect will build his design
himself, to find and select the best construction team?
- What
educational materials will the architect provide so you can understand the
requirements of your specific type of project or needs?
03. Myths and Reality
What do Architects
really do?
An
architect’s role is a lot larger than most people realize. When an architect
manages your project, they ensure that every part of the process is handled
with the utmost care and attention to detail to guarantee that the biggest
investment in your life or career is legally compliant, safe, secure and will
deliver the best value that your money can buy.
The most
common misconception about architects is that they just provide “Sketches” or
“Drawings” that a builder can use, or just a draftsman. Other myths, misconceptions, and propagandas against architects are outlined here.
The reality
is, that above and beyond sketches, architects
delivers their service by: (but not limited to)
- Analyzing your land property and in particular, any easements, building code requirements, environmental law provisions and other development restrictions that can affect your project’s technical feasibility of what or where you can build. They are experts in building codes that you need to make sure your design is code compliant, making it smoother when you’ll be applying for building official’s approval, imagine if you got it wrong and went through much effort in detailing and paying for a design that will not pass government approval?
- A creative flair that delivers the artistic and aesthetic quality that buildings need. Surely, you would value a pleasing view of your building inside and out that can speak for your taste and personality.
- Leadership role by training, heading up the team of professionals who will work on this stage of the project including builders, tradespeople, engineers, designers, and financial professionals.
- Construction documentation that translates the design into instructions and technical specifications for contractors. Ensures your design intentions and specifications are met.
- Project management through site visits and meetings, overseeing the construction, and validating the quality of work, negotiating with a contractor on your behalf and dealing with and resolving any problems that need critical attention.
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. Read the full article on how to create a design brief that you can give to your architect for analysis of how much space you will need and what quality you are looking for in an end product.
05. Budgetary Cost Estimate & Selecting your architect
Contact your preferred architect to work on developing an estimate of your needed budget that considers your locational context, costs vary from place to place, it would be best to hire an architect near your location or who is very familiar with building trends in your area or your project's location.
Choosing an architect isn’t easy.
You need the right architect who has the specific skill for your design and construction needs. The right “fit” between you and your architect is the key.
…this may or may not be me! especially if your project is out of my reach, I can recommend more fitting architects for you or if you already have an architect in mind and you are only using this guide to your advantage, I'm happy it could help you organize your project and it makes you and your architect's life easier.
In my experience, the best way of finding out whether I am the right “fit” is for both of us to fully understand what you are looking for. This is achieved through an initial consultation and going through our “Needs and Options Review”.
If for some reason we then discover that we are not a good fit, then you are free to take the review/report to another architect for them to continue the process, but in that event, you then have a better idea on how to start properly with your project. And if for some reason, you have read this article and disagree with it, then I am not your architect and the educational resource here won't help you that much either.
06. Readiness Meter
Once your architect has your design brief and has given you an idea of how much budget you will be needing to carry on with the project, it would be prudent to gauge your readiness or confidence that you are indeed ready and that you have seen the large picture of what you want and how you will go about executing your project.
“Measure twice, cut once.” – Builders’ Mantra
Are you ready to hire an architect and start
the design process?
This last part of the workshop allows you to
assess how ready you are to move to the Design Phase. If you are not close to
10 on all scales, then you need to take some more time to do more research
and/or prepare for any of the questions that you can’t confidently score a 10
or close to 10.
If you rush into the design phase without this
information available, you’ll run the risk of making too many assumptions,
which is the number one reason why projects go over budget and over time,
Rate
yourself on the Questions below:
On a 1-10 scale, how clear are you on exactly
what you need?
On a 1-10 scale, how aware are you of all the
various options your site will accommodate?
On a 1-10 scale, how confident are you that you
are aware of all the legal requirements?
On a 1-10 scale, how aware are you of the
process you will need to have in place to get the project completed on-time and
on-budget?
On a 1-10 scale, how confident are you that
your budget will achieve your needs?
On a 1-10 scale, how confident are you that you
can afford the estimated budget that you need?
Give yourself a current overall rating for
readiness, you should not have a rating lower than 7 for each question in
order to be confidently ready, you absolutely must be honest to yourself.
If your self-rating is a perfect 10 or very close to 10 on average then the next step is to talk to your chosen architect and try to get a service and fee proposal that outlines the architect's proposed service process and breakdown service fees and terms of payment to see if that will be acceptable to you before proceeding to start the design phase of your project.
If your self-rating is a perfect 10 or very close to 10 on average then the next step is to talk to your chosen architect and try to get a service and fee proposal that outlines the architect's proposed service process and breakdown service fees and terms of payment to see if that will be acceptable to you before proceeding to start the design phase of your project.
Read other articles:
- Five most essential things to know before deciding to design and build
- Best Way to have Better Control and Fast-Tract Your Project
- How Much Does Hiring an Architect Cost
- Why contracts are essential when engaging in services
- The Architect's Basic Design Service
- 7 reasons why Architects are seen as expensive and an unnecessary cost in building projects
- How to create a Design Brief for your architect
- Philippine architecture practice and P.R.C.'s position with Civil Engineers' encroachment in the architecture profession
- Architects and Architecture: Myths vs Reality
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