1. How do we start the process of working with an architect?
Drop us an email or give us a call! We ask that homeowners answer a few questions to help us get to know their prospective projects, and we will email those to you along with a time to schedule a phone call to chat about your project. Because we want to provide the best possible outcomes for our clients, it’s important that the projects we work on align with our expertise and availability, and we like to have those conversations early in the process.
Once we’ve had a chance to talk with you and understand how we can be helpful, we will schedule an initial consultation to visit your project and meet with you to further discuss your options and how we can help you move your project forward. We will put together a proposal that outlines our mutual responsibilities, defines our services, and describes compensation and fees, including an initial payment.
2. How do you charge?
Our fee structure really depends on the type of project. Architectural fees for most of our architectural service projects (new construction and renovation projects) are charged as a combination of both hourly invoicing and percentage of the cost of construction.
3. How long does a typical project take for design?
We hate to say it depends, but it depends! For new construction or significant renovations, the design process can take a year or longer. For smaller renovation projects, the process might take much less time. Homeowners can always have an impact on a project’s deadline, and being realistic about how long you need to make critical decisions will help us determine realistic timelines for your project.
4. What services do you provide?
With over 20 years of experience, we specialize in residential renovations and new construction that help families live longer in homes they love. We provide full architectural services for our projects, offer interior services for single source design and standalone consulting services for aging in place.
5. Do you work on new construction projects?
Absolutely.
6. We just need drawings for a permit. Can you help with those?
Our services are really geared towards consulting and full service architectural work, problem solving and designing creative and thoughtful homes for our clients. If you are seeking permit drawings, especially if your design is already completed, then we suggest you work with your builder to determine how best to solicit drafting services for your project, as we are not a fit for that type of work.
7. Do you know any good contractors?
We know lots of good contractors, and we help our clients work through their selection process if they don’t already have a preexisting relationship with a builder. We provide them with resources that help them understand whether or not a GC is a good fit for them and their project.
8. Will we need an interior designer? A structural engineer? A civil engineer?
Again, this depends on your project. We offer in-house interior design services for furniture, window treatments, decorative lighting, floor coverings, and upholstery, and can work through the selection and purchasing with you if you are interested in a single source design team. We also work with other interior designers to help our clients realize their specific goals!
Your engineering needs will depend on the property and the project. Our Pre-Design phase, part of our Basic Architectural services, helps our clients determine which additional professionals would be required or would bring value to their project.
9. How and why do your services include a Construction Administration phase?
We don’t build homes, but we do include Construction phase services in our contracts. (View our “Do you know any contractors?” post.) We believe this is important for a few reasons. First, there will always be questions that arise during construction, and we like to be able to answer them. Second, construction projects are team efforts, and it’s important to us that we work together with your contractor to be able to build the project that the drawings describe, so we spend time on the site, regularly, to see how things are moving along. Finally, we believe that clear communication is one of the most important aspects of a building project, so we meet with owners and contractors on a regular basis to discuss schedules, expectations, and next steps together.
10. Do you work outside of Birmingham? Outside of Alabama?
Absolutely. Just give us a call and we can discuss.
