Maybe the best way to answer this is to first answer another question: What do Architects do?

Well, the short answer is that Architects are the point person when it comes to designing your house. 

Another way to say it is that architects are highly experienced and licensed professionals, with a unique skillset that allows them to think holistically about the design of your home. On any given project they’re analyzing and make sense of all the following:

• Aesthetics (finding solutions that are beautiful and refined)

• Function (comfortable, well lit, and well-sized room, good flow between spaces)

• Technical aspects (good detailing to prevent water and/or air leaks, ensuring a tight thermal envelope, etc.)

• Code-Compliance

• Energy Consumption (HVAC and lighting design, passive design features, sustainable design goals, etc.)

• Constructability (ensuring the design is not overly-complex and can be realistically built)

Architects also manage the various design consultants required on a project—typically structural engineers, interior designers, and energy analysts, but this list can also include lighting designers, mechanical engineers, home integrators, and others.  Again, architects see the contributions of each of these team members from a bird’s eye view, making sure everything works as a whole.

If that sounds like a lot of work, well you’re right.  A well-designed house is complicated business, and you want someone who can look at it comprehensively--so every aspect is considered fully and carefully.

So, how can hiring an Architect help you? Working with an experienced Architect to create a high-quality home is investing in yourself: your time, your money, and even your health.

Consider the following:

• A high-quality set of construction drawings prepared by an Architect means your builder starts off with good information and can price and schedule your job accurately. This level of preparation means fewer change orders during construction.  Remember, change orders are a double whammy—yes, they cost you money…but they also extend the project schedule, costing you time. Avoid them, and stay on schedule.

• A good Architect’s ability to synthesize beauty and budget helps you prioritize project wants/needs, allowing you to make the highest and best use of your budget.  In addition, a well-thought-out and beautiful design will increase the property value, adding even more to your bottom line.

• An Architect’s understanding of lighting, air quality + ventilation, insulation, acoustics, and healthy building materials means your house will be comfortable and healthy to live in for you and your family.

If you’re thinking about investing in the design of a new home, don’t you want to protect that investment?

Over the years, there are a couple of things we’ve heard consistently from homeowners and builders about what it’s like to work with us—and what sets us apart.

One is that we make the design process enjoyable. We truly listen to our clients, and genuinely love working on a project team alongside client, builder, and project consultants. We pride ourselves on excellent communication with all team members, and strive to give them the information they need to make their role easier.

The second thing we’ve heard is that we’re quite detail-oriented. We sweat the small stuff, because it’s what drives excellence. For example, we create comprehensive construction drawings for all of our projects, meaning your builder can price and schedule accurately, and build based on clear information.

Homeowners sometimes think they’re saving money by not investing in thorough architectural drawings of their project. In reality, the opposite is true. A poor set of drawings means your builder has to guess at the exact scope of work, which leads to inaccurate pricing, schedule delays, and—everyones least-favorite construction term—change orders.

We focus on quality and making the process fun…because if we were a homeowner, that’s what we’d want from our architect.

It’s critical to think through overall project costs to ensure the success of your project, and we encourage our clients to do this early in the process.  Here are some things to think about when putting together an overall project budget:

• Construction Cost: The actual cost to construct the building and any related ‘built’ items such as hardscaping and landscaping.

• Soft Costs: This includes fees for architectural design + design consultants such as structural engineers, etc.  It can also include things like land purchase and development costs, a property survey, permit and inspection fees, financing costs, legal fees, as well as furniture, art, or similar elements necessary for the project

• Contingency Fees: ‘Just in case’ money, generally for unforeseen conditions uncovered during construction.

The architecture and construction industries typically use $/sq. ft. as a way to estimate construction cost.  Although these kinds of metrics aren’t perfect, they can be a useful way to ballpark cost, especially early in a project. But first, you have to figure out how many sq. ft. you actually need! That’s why it’s critical to work with an architect to develop a preliminary design that reflects the kind of home you want.  At LTBa, we love working with clients in this early stage to help them evaluate priorities.  Our goal is to help you get the home you want, but also to ensure you feel your time and money have been spent wisely.

For more on the topic of budgets, including guidelines on $/sq. ft. construction costs, check out our Blog post on the topic.

Your builder is a crucial part of the project team, so it’s worth taking your time to pick the right one for your project.

Beyond evaluating a builder’s general skillset, communication style, experience with your specific project type, and references from past clients, it also helps if they’re someone you think you might want to work with on a personal level. The construction process can take a year or more, and you’ll be dealing with your builder before and after that too. Trustworthiness and a generally pleasant demeanor go a long way to making the relationship a successful one. Take the time to interview different builders to get a feel for how they work.

And we’re always happy to share the names of our preferred builders with our clients.

Check out our Blog for more info. about picking the right builder for your project!

This is a great question! But the answer isn’t always simple.

Whether a 2nd-story addition (aka ‘pop top’) or 1-story addition makes most sense for your project depends on a lot of different factors—budget, zoning restrictions like setbacks and height limits, lifestyle or personal preferences, and many others. As architects, we help people with this question all the time…making sense of all the different factors so you can be assured you’re spending your money on the right things, and getting the most amazing house for your site and budget.

Because this topic is complicated, we wrote a separate post about it to go into more detail. Check out our Blog for that next level of info!

Licensed Architects are skilled at managing all the complexities of designing a home.  If you’re planning a new house or any kind of remodel/addition, we would highly recommend you speak with an architect to see how they can help.

But are there some projects that don’t require an architect?  Absolutely.  If you’re doing a very simple project (maybe no walls are moved, not adding on, not moving/adding windows/doors, etc.) then it’s possible a builder can tackle your project without architectural drawings. Or, if your project only involves interior fixtures/finishes, cabinetry, or similar items, it’s possible an interior designer may be a better fit.  If either of these scenarios sounds like your project, we’re always happy to recommend great builders and interior designers we enjoy working with.