Questions People Should Ask Their Architect
Building a custom home is an exciting journey, but it begins long before construction starts.
The relationship between a homeowner and architect often lasts many months and sometimes years making it essential to find a professional whose process, communication style, and design philosophy align with your goals. While every project is unique, asking the right questions early can help create a stronger partnership and a more successful outcome. Here are seven important questions every homeowner should consider before beginning a custom home project.
1.What are the most important things that I need to know?
Begin with the end. What is your goal in building this home: is it a retirement house, vacation property, investment or other? The answers to these questions greatly influence the design of a home. If it's a retirement home, for example, aging in place considerations should be included. How long do you expect to have this home? This is important for considering the lifetime and quality of materials. Even "maintenance-free" items don't last forever. So it's important to consider the entire scope of the time that you plan to be in a home. Who do you expect to live in the home over the lifetime of the home? Clients often make the mistake of overdesigning or underdesigning a home based on their current living situation without a bigger picture of the long-term effects of those decisions.
2.What are the biggest mistakes homeowners make?
Clients tend to have a lot of enthusiasm for their home-building project at the beginning and start to add expensive--and often unnecessary--items to the beginning of the build. These can be things like paying for engineers they don't need or a heating system that is actually designed for a much larger house (and therefore inefficient for the home they are building). Unfortunately, when clients overspend at the beginning, they often don't have the finances they need to finish the home well.
3.How should the site and landscape influence the design?
The site and landscape must always be an important part of designing your home. A good architect will place the rooms you spend the most time in towards the view outside, incorporate the grade into planning for the foundation, and consider summer and winter sun angles. These choices will ensure that your home is more energy-efficient and liveable during all seasons of the year.
4.If you were the client, where would you spend your budget?
Windows. Good insulation. Beautiful Finishes. Most clients overspend on things that don't make a lot of difference or impact for the long-term life of the home. Then, when they've run out of energy or money, they skimp on the things that really make a home sing.
5.What sets your architecture team apart from others?
Creativity is found at the intersection of disparate fields collaborating in new ways. Our principals, Kreg and Danielle, embody this personally and as a team. Kreg has a background in business finance, carpentry, and architecture. Danielle melds her careers as a writer, college professor and designer. They work collaboratively on each project--often not knowing where one's ideas begin and the another ends. The final design is not only greater than its parts, but incorporates a depth of thought, intuitiveness, and connection to the client's dreams that few other firms can match.
6.How can my house tell my story?
We begin by listening and unearthing that story that you may not even know you want to tell. How do you want to feel as you live in the space? What do you want your children, friends, and loved ones to remember about your home? What special memories in the past or in the making should be designed into the space? These questions and more become an integral part of our designs for our clients. Designing the house becomes as much a part of your story and living in it after it's completed!
