Fun fact, most insurers will not ensure an Architect who does not provide Construction Administration, because it is too risky of an endeavor. Even if you have spent months designing and permitting your drawings, your space can end up dramatically differently once it is built. Contractors are trained to build. Architects are trained to design. When the collaboration goes well, one heightens the quality of the other. However, when the collaboration goes poorly or there is NO Collaboration, chaos can ensue. I strongly suggest including your team in the CA phase.

Sometimes you may not need an Architect. Would you see a doctor if you had a paper-cut? Probably not. It’s like that with Architecture. If you are looking to do simple improvements to your home, you may be able to utilize a contractor with a draftsman to address your needs. 

When the stakes are bit higher (think over $100K investment), you are going to want a pro – an Architect can save you $100s of thousands in change orders, preventable water damage, structural integrity, and perhaps most importantly ensure what you are building aligns with the beautiful vision you have for it. I can’t tell you how many clients have brought me in after framing their project and realizing that they hated what they were building. Save yourself the hassle. 

Architecture has no limit. And unless you have infinite time and infinite resources, I will work strategically with you to put in place the proper inputs before we begin designing. 

What would make it worth it to you? Everyone is different. I have seen clients invest $1M into a $500K home. For them it wasn’t about “flipping” or post-design sale value, it was about constructing a piece of art. For others, they wanted to achieve a very technical goal within a specific budget. We all have to ask ourselves, what do I value? I encourage you in this process not to think through what you “should” do and embrace what it is you would like to do. There is no right answer. 

This is a question I ask all my clients to think through. And you would be surprised at the variety of answers I get. For some of my clients, they want a space that reflects how far they have come in this life. A relic of what they achived. They want a reminder every morning of the battles they’ve won to get where they are today. For other clients, they want a place that feels like it truly is theirs, and they don’t want to settle for anything less. Ask yourself before you begin this procses…what is the best possible outcome. And then ask yourself the question again, because usually the answer is bigger than you think.

My rate reflects the time it takes to produce work that aligns most closely with my creative and professional values. This often includes QA, vetting with other experienced professionals, 3D rendering all the spaces etc etc. However if you are interested in reduced rate, let’s start the dialogue. Sometimes there are areas where scope can be reduced to achieve your goals without compromising my values.

This question rarely gets asked but I wish it got asked more often! I am a licensed CA Architect. There are many folks out there who claim to offer “Architectural” services who are not architects. This is illegal. I highly recommend vetting if your architect is licensed by looking them up in the California Architecture Board’s website. It is public knowledge. Don’t get duped.

https://www.cab.ca.gov/consumers/license_search.shtml