Archology

Selecting an architect is one of the most telling choices in the life of a project, and the criteria vary depending on the type of project you’re doing.  If you’re hiring an architect only because the law requires you to, price is probably your primary criteria.  If you’re hiring an architect to work on  your personal home, trust and communication is probably key.  If you’re hiring someone to do a large complicated job, experience is often the most important factor you should look at.  Notice the one issue I did not mention is size, and this is because with the advent of modern CAD and BIM software, any firm can conceivably tackle just about any project, having a firm of 20 people is not an advantage if the project only takes 2-3.

So, you’re designing a new house or addition and you’re on a tight budget.  Does this mean you’re stuck building the same bland box as everyone else, maximizing your space and minimizing your detail and whimsy?  I’d argue, no, you just have to be careful.  Everyone has enough in their budget for at least one unique feature and here’s why.  Spending the money to do one unusual, unique, inventive, or beautiful thing will not cost you more in design fees (or at least it shouldn’t, trust me, we get bored of doing boring boxes, we’d love the challenge of doing something unique on every project) and it doesn’t have to cost you more in construction costs, but when the time comes to sell, having that feature will help you stand out from a crowd and be memorable.