A Prospect Architect + Your Project = What To Ask?

Published by cravat | Filed under Buyer / Seller Tips, Miscellaneous, Real Estate

You have decided to build something and now it is time to hire an architect. You know you should speak to a number of prospects but wondering what do you ask them?

You should remember that an architect is a highly skilled professional. The architect is not only highly educated and not only is required to pass stiff examinations to be licensed, but also must have artistic and creative skills that can only be honed, but not taught. You can be fairly certain that his or her services are not going to come with a cost that is not a substantial part of the overall building budget. As with any professional, unless price is truly of no concern to you at all, asking about the price of his or her services is going to be a necessary question.

However, price is not, or at least should not be, the place to start. The questions about price and experience are selection questions. They are asked before the architect is “your” architect. The architect selection process is similar to the selection of other types of professionals, but is more akin to the selection of an artistic type professional rather than the selection of a more practical type. In other words, you would select an architect more like you would an interior designer or photographer and not quite the same as you might select a lawyer or financial manager. This means the portfolio is the primary indicator of talent and experience. If you are selecting an architect to design your new church, it is helpful to view the kinds of churches he has built in the past and maybe even his artistic visions of how a church could look.

It is always important to understand this simple rule of the professional. You are going to get what you pay for. If you base your selection process on finding the least expensive architect, you might do well to be prepared to be a little less than satisfied with the results. Obviously, the most experienced and most talented architects will not only have the thicker portfolios but will command the higher price. Your goal should be centered on finding the best that you can afford.

Once you have selected your architect, the questions you will need to ask should begin with ones that establish that he has a complete understanding of your needs and desires. No matter how imaginative a design and regardless of how appealing to the eye it might be, if it does not meet your needs, it is of no value to you at all. This is the major mistake of clients with architects. The finished design must be a meeting of minds. It is a merger of the architect’s knowledge and creativity and your own practical needs and desires. It is not the place to be overly trusting or to make assumptions. You need to ask questions that satisfy you that the architect is on the same page that you are on when it comes to the desired end result.

Remember that, like many professionals, the architect’s time is a valuable commodity and one that might end up costing you. This is why your questions should be detailed and probing. This cannot be overstressed. Trusting too much is always a mistake when dealing with a professional while at the same time a great deal of rapport is what you are seeking. Like the doctor is entrusted with your body and the lawyer might be entrusted with your very freedom, the architect is entrusted with your vision and dream. If your questions establish that your architect understands your vision and even understands the scope of your dream, you can afford then to have some faith and trust.