Prior to beginning your design project, you will need to select an Architect who will work with you to complete your vision. The best way to find someone will be through word of mouth from family or friends who have used someone in the past. If you do not have any references then perform an online search for Architects in your town, county or state.
Review the websites of architects you find or who were recommended to see what type of work they do and read testimonials they have. When you narrow your search down to 2-3, then prepare a list of questions you have and call each of them and perform a phone interview. Your questions can be simple:
- Have you designed projects similar to this in the past and can I have 2 references from similar projects?
- What will be the approximate timeframe for completing this project?
- What types of projects are you currently working on?
- Is there anything I need to consider about this project that I did not mention?
- Can you explain to me the process from our initial meeting to the construction completion?
At this point you are looking for the architect to guide you a bit and give you information about the process and things that you should be considering for your project. You are not looking for design information such as where should I locate my kitchen sink, but more general information such as how will you be using the spaces, how many people will it accomodate, how many bedrooms are needed, do you have enough land to accomplish your project, are there any state restrictions in my area, are you familiar with my towns zoning requirements? After you have performed your phone interviews, set up a meeting to review your project inperson. After this meeting they will be able to provide you with a writtten proposal and contract for their sevices.
At PDRdesigns, we will educate the owners because we want them to be informed and we want to help. Clients trust us and we live up to that trust by providing them with the information they need to make a well informed decision about how to proceed.
Your relationship with your architect is a very personal one, so choose someone that you are comfortable with as you will be spending alot of time communicating with them over the course of your project! Do your homework and make your selection based on how you feel about someone after meeting them, not solely based on price.
Good Luck and call us when you are ready to proceed!
