Who you gonna call?
Understand your options for planning your project:
You’ve got a project. Well, you have an idea for a project. You’ve got a sense of what you want to do; your Pinterest board is getting filled in and your partner leaves HGTV on in the background all the time for inspiration (or as a reminder).
You’re ready to move to the next step, but aren’t entirely sure what that would look like for you. If you’re being honest, it is just a little bigger of a project than you’d prefer. But you’re pretty sure this will make the difference to how you guys actually experience your daily life – and what’s more important than that?
You want to make sure you really nail this opportunity. It is a big investment, and it’d be a shame if you didn’t get all the lifestyle improvement you could out of it. You’re pretty capable, so you don’t want to pay for something you don’t need. But you’re also happy to engage someone that will give you a smooth journey, and make you look like an expert in the process.
So what do you do next?
o Maybe I call that contractor who did the project down the road. But how will I know what they’ll actually do?
o Could I get a draftsperson to sketch up a floor plan? But will either of us know what we’re getting into, construction-wise?
o Maybe I should work with an architect, so I can get a plan that a few contractors can price. But what kind of architect would work on my project? And aren’t they really expensive?
o And is there anyone out there that will put in an effort to make sure I get the best house possible for our lifestyle?
While I know you’re up for an exciting challenge, this all sounds quite frustrating already… and you haven’t even started yet! If you understood the parties at play a little better, you could make the right choice for your unique situation.
We’re going to go over the four main options, and then give you an alternate that we think you might really like.
So, you’ve thought about:
o Contractor
o Draftsperson
o Design-Build Company
o Architect
Just call your contractor?
A good contractor is key to a good project, but like all of us, even the best have their limitation. Good contractors are usually quite skilled at the craft of the building process, working with sub-contractors, pricing projects and communicating with homeowners. They can give you really valuable feedback regarding what solutions may be more or less cost-effective. Some are even pretty good at helping you talk through how you’d go about accomplishing your vision.
Even quality contractors aren’t going to be great at visualizing how a space could function differently. Given their expertise, their suggestions often revolve around what they already know how to build, and they generally aren’t highly motivated to help you sort out what you can change to get your house to support your personal lifestyle. And even with the best communicators, it’s really hard to be sure you both are agreeing to the same thing. This is a big enough project; you’ll probably want to get three prices to make sure you’re not over-paying. But it’s challenging to have three people give prices for the same scope – unless there’s a plan drawn out with the proposed design shown on it.
Pros:
Ability to contribute cost-effective solutions
Sourcing and organizing sub-contractors so you don’t have to
Bring the craft of building to your project
CONS:
Not Necessarily planners or visualizers
Personal repertoire > client lifestyle needs
Lack of plan makes alternate bids and clear agreement challenging
Best fit for:
o Rehabilitation or replacement rather than re-design
Cost implications:
o Contractor may build in additional overhead to account for needing to figure out what to do
o One change-order may negate the savings of a designer’s fee
Maybe a draftsperson
A draftsperson can help augment some of the weaknesses of just working with a contractor. They can draw out a plan, and include specifications, and maybe some details so that each contractor is pricing the same scope of work. If you have some reconfiguration, they can help you see some opportunities in the plans that you might not have noticed before.
But we should be clear what you’re getting here. Independent draftspeople have particular skill-sets, and their limitations might not be clear at first. Often they come from technical training, and may have worked for a designer or a builder for a time. It’s likely they have a particular specialty – computer renderings, a construction background, or detailing millwork. If your project capitalizes on that particular skillset, you can often get a lot of value out of the arrangement. Some of the very experienced craftspeople have well-rounded expertise in designing single-family residential renovation or new construction – but they’re generally not considered just a draftsperson anymore at that point, and are more similar to an architecture or design firm.
With a competent draftsperson – either an architecture student, moonlighting designer, or professional drafter – you will very likely get a well-drawn plan that shows the layout or reconfiguration you’ve asked for. They, however, likely have a limitation you might not be aware of, such as limited structural understanding, understanding of detailing implications or lack of experience helping clients craft spatial experiences. You can still get a quality plan, but you are really taking on the responsibility for vetting through the practical capability of this option.
Pros:
Usually will draw just what you ask
Often motivated by the opportunity for a small project
Likely has a particular specialty, which can be a great value if you need it
CONS:
Propensity to draw just what you ask
Usually lacks well-rounded expertise
You take responsibility for constructability of the design
Best fit for:
o Simple reconfiguration, no structural work
Cost implications:
o Contractor may have to make significant adjustments for constructability, which could require re-design
How about a Design-Build Company?
A good Design-Build company combines the advantages of talking to your builder and a draftsperson on the front end. They are generally a construction company that has added designers to their staff. The company can have cost-control conversations from the initial meeting and help you lay out a design that’s in-line with that. The better companies are generally well organized, as their owners need to be successful at managing two distinct divisions – design and construction.
There are a few things to keep in mind when considering this route. First and foremost is you’re generally signing one contract for design and construction. That makes it very challenging, if impossible, to get multiple bids on your design. This business model generally offers at-cost design in order to secure the more lucrative construction contract. And given that a company needs more overhead to successfully manage design-build, you may find – part way through design – that your project could be successful with a smaller, lower overhead builder. If you are considering working with a design-build firm, make sure to find out the drawing-release policy beforehand.
Secondly, despite the name, these operations are generally focused on Building first and Design second. Most – but not all – Design-Build firms are construction companies first, who have added design as a secondary function. You can definitely get quality design – especially from the better firms – but unfortunately the company’s resources are not generally focused on the design experience. Some operations employ the aforementioned draftspeople, who are managed by lead contractors, rather than experienced designers focused on crafting clients’ lifestyle experiences.
Pros:
Single entity manages design and construction
Cost control from day one
Generally sophisticated business management
CONS:
Single entity managing design and construction
Inability to acquire multiple prices after design
Building-centric rather than experience-design centric
Best fit for:
o Projects whose scale matches the contractor’s overhead
o Simple, predictable design
Cost implications:
o Cost can be managed well in design, but stuck with one contractor
Okay, let’s sign up a Residential Architect or Interior Designer
If you’re considering a project with more than minor reconfiguration, you have probably come to the conclusion that a designer specializing in residential design is likely to be your best option. There are a few gradations to this category, as well as some notable skills, and common weaknesses.
You may run across “Residential Interior Designers” or “Residential Building Designers” in this area. There are some very high quality, experienced individuals in this category, but as the consumer, you should understand these individuals are not licensed or necessarily certified by an outside organization. They can still be well trained and well experienced and give you a great product – but there is nothing stopping less qualified individuals from using the same terminology.
If someone uses the term “Architect,” that means that the state board has licensed them. Most states require passing a series of 5 to 9 four-hour tests on different aspects of design and construction, completing three to five years of relevant work experience, and receiving a professional degree (at least five years, usually at graduate level). While not just any architect will be the right fit for your project, the above process helps to weed out a good amount of the never-do-wells.
With that definition behind us, what should you expect from someone in this camp? These operations are usually small shops of one to three people that specialize in residential design. They usually stay abreast of the latest design trends and technical requirements, and are apt to try to give you a project that is well composed and meets your design brief. They may be able to refer you to a few contractors that can give you multiple bids on your project.
One aspect to consider is that many of these operations are sole proprietors. That gives you the advantage of often working directly with the principal, but their capacity is often limited as they also bear the burden of running a small business as well as pleasing their clients. The best lead their projects with strong intuition, charisma, and attention to detail. This can be great, but everyone has off-days, and these size firms often don’t have strongly defined systems with checks and balances.
Most larger architecture firms don’t specialize in single-family residential. A big residential project is often comparable to a small to mid-size commercial project, which may suggest you may not get the level of attention your project deserves. There are some larger firms that specialize in residential design, if your project matches their profile, that can overcome some of these potential objections.
Pros:
Direct contact with principal
Focuses on design for the client’s needs
“Architect” has met licensure requirements
CONS:
Not highly resourced with supporting staff
Personality-based, rather than system-based management
“Interior Designer” or “Building Designer” is a non-licensed field
Best fit for:
o Projects needing customized design
o Clients needing personalized attention
Cost implications:
o Project can be detailed and receive multiple bids for the same scope
o A 5% to 10% savings in construction cost pays for the design fee
Is that all there is?
Here at Stickframe, we hear you. We just aren’t happy with the state of the industry, and think there’s a better way for you to have a home that supports your lifestyle, and have a great experience getting there.
So we went through the exercise you just read and designed a solution we think will fit your needs. And then we build a design firm around it.
We are:
Lifestyle-Design Focused. From day one, we identify how this project should support your lifestyle, and help you focus your decisions on accomplishing these goals.
System Driven Client-Experience. This allows us to ensure that each client has a high-quality, comprehensive design experience working with us. Your design is always 100% uniquely you – but we take the guesswork out of the process of getting there. From how we ascertain your wants and needs, to how we explain which meeting you’ll get what deliverable, to how we run you through your options, we make sure you feel in-control of where you’re going and what your next step will be.
Team Based, giving you access to Principals, Project Managers, and Senior Designers, as well as support staff. That allows us to craft the right team for your project, and means we have excess capacity for when things get busy.
Trained as architects, giving you the assurance we know how to craft buildings – beautifully and technically.
Independent from Construction, which allows us to focus on helping realize their lifestyle goals – even if it means a smaller, less expensive, higher quality home. And this lets you identify and work with the contractor of your choice, after the project needs are well defined.
Pros:
Best of the experience of a small architecture firm
Focus on helping clients realize their lifestyle goals
Clear process to follow for a great client experience
CONS:
Not good for people looking to reinvent the wheel
Best fit for:
o Residential clients who want a custom lifestyle solution and a reliable process to follow
Cost implications:
o Likely the same as any other architecture firm, but with a value-add of lifestyle-design and client-experience focus.
o Project can be detailed and receive multiple bids for the same scope – the 5% to 10% savings in construction cost pays for the design fee.
Conclusion
We hope that this has given you a better sense of what your options are for taking the next step in planning your project. We realize we might not be the only solution for you, but we hope that this little bit of understanding of how our industry works gives you the perspective you need to make the best decisions.