A licensed Architect is a professional who possesses a great deal of education, training, and experience relating to the design and construction of buildings. To obtain an Architect's license, one must go through a lengthy process which takes a minimum of 9 years to complete. The process commonly takes longer though for a variety of reasons. The process of obtaining an architecture license begins with acquiring a 5 year Professional or 6 year Masters Degree from an accredited college or university. Whether the Architect has a 5 or 6 year degree will often be determined by which college or university they attended. After college, a regulated internship is required under the supervision of a licensed Architect. The internship, in most states takes a minimum of 3 years to complete, approximately 2.5 years in Florida if the candidate has a 6 year Masters Degree in Architecture. During the internship, the candidate must acquire a regulated amount of experience in a variety of areas within the profession. In addition to the education and internship requirements, like most professionals, there is a licensing exam (exams in this case) that must be passed. Architects, at the time Architect Warren E. Barry obtained his license, had to pass 9 licensing exams. Once the education, internship, and exams have been completed, a submittal to the state of documentation verifying completion of these items is made for review in order to finalize the process and obtain a license. Once licensed, Architects must continually participate in continuing education courses that keep their knowledge up to date in order to maintain their license for renewal every two years.
Draftsmen and designers are not required to go through any of the requirements outlined above. They have, to their credit, often times gone through some sort of short term high school or vocational drafting classes though, and some have completed varying amounts of college. However, they do not have nearly the same level of education or training as a licensed architect. Drafting programs focus on teaching how to manually draw a set construction documents and how to utilize computer based drafting programs. These programs do not provide the same in depth understanding of design strategies, materials and methods of construction, structural design, or building science that a licensed architect possesses. In addition, one must be a licensed architect to legally call themselves an “architect” and to offer “architectural services.” In contrast, there are no licensing, education, or experience requirements for someone to call themselves a draftsman or designer. Anyone may give themselves either of those titles.
In summary, if you want someone who has the proper education, training, experience, and knowledge to design your home, the first thing you should be looking for is a valid architecture license.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to look at more than just price when deciding who you will hire to design your home. It is critical that the person that you select has not only a good eye for design, but also has the proper education and experience to go along with it. Without the proper education and experience, a design can look great on paper but likely cannot be built as drawn. This can create the need for changes during construction which can often result in a less than desirable outcome. If your home is not visually appealing and functional when it is complete, not only will you enjoy it much less, but it can be difficult to sell, resulting in a lower resale value. A well designed home that is esthetically pleasing, well laid out, and unique, can sell for a premium. This reason alone makes obtaining a quality service from a properly qualified person worth the difference in cost as the service can pay for itself. Look at quality architectural services as an investment, not an expense. In addition, a properly qualified person (a licensed architect) can integrate not only good esthetic design and functionality into your design but also style, timelessness, durability, adaptability, energy efficiency, sound control, good moisture control strategies, and much more into a design.
With the above in mind, the first item on your checklist of priorities should be that the people you speak with be licensed architects. Be sure to check on each person’s licensing status on the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s (DBPR) website because as with any profession, there are dishonest people out there and not everyone who presents themselves as an architect is one. I encourage you to report these people to the DBPR if you come across them. Second, if you are looking to build a home, look for architects who specialize in residential construction. This is something to consider because residential and commercial projects are very different in many ways. An architect who primarily works on commercial projects is completely capable of providing a high quality service for homes, but they will be less efficient at it, and will therefore likely be more costly than an architect who specializes in residential work. An architect who specializes in residential projects will also have specialized knowledge of the products and materials utilized in residential construction which is a benefit to you. In addition, residential contractors often handle their contracts and the construction process much differently than commercial builders. An architect who is familiar with these differences is more able to plan ahead for situations that may arise and address them ahead of time in the plans. Third, determine if the architect listens to you and is concerned about working towards the results you want, not what they want. You are having a home designed for you, not the architect. The architect should give you guidance, suggestions, and honest feedback, but not override or ignore your requests.
Another consideration when hiring someone to design your home are the services offered. Is the architect flexible and willing to offer you all the services that you want/need and not those that you do not want/need? However, prior to deciding what you want, I do recommend educating yourself to be sure you understand the benefits and drawbacks of different services that can be obtained. To provide an analogy, when you purchase a car, you will typically find out what options are available and the price of the options to determine which you want. Look at hiring an architect in a similar way, there are a lot of “options” when it comes to architectural services. The nicer the home you want, the more options you will want to assure that the end result is up to your expectations. If you’re on a tight budget and just want a basic 3 bed, 2 bath home at a low construction cost, you do not need the extra services and details appropriate for a high end custom home. Some architects will only offer “high end” services while others, such as myself, offer a range of services so you can select those that fit your specific wants and needs.
There are a number of reasons why a quality set of construction documents are important. First, a quality set of plans, produced by a qualified, caring, and thorough individual, can be constructed as designed if the plans are followed. Poor quality plans often result in problems and conflicts during construction which require adjustments to the design for resolution. These “on site” or “field” adjustments often result in conditions which are functionally and/or visually undesirable.
Second, a quality set of construction documents also contains enough detail within them for you to see and verify that the finished product is what you want. What good is it to go through the process of having a home built just for you if what you end up with is not what you expected, or worse, something you dislike? Some adjustments can be made during construction but these typically result in prolonged construction time and change orders, both of which can translate into a significant cost increase due to contractor fees and construction loan interest.
Third, the construction documents are a major part of the contract between the home owner and the contractor. Plans with little detail require the contractor and their workers to interpret the lack of detail as they see fit into the final construction. The contractor’s goal is to earn a profit, if something is not detailed they are likely to build it the most profitable (cheapest) way they can while abiding by what detail does exist in the plans. The solution they choose may or may not meet your expectations; and if it does not, there is not much you can do about it but spend more money to revise it.
Fourth, the more complete and detailed your plans are, the more accurate your bids will be from contractors. Accurate bids allow you to more accurately determine your total cost of the project and also allow you to do a far more beneficial comparison of bids from multiple contractors while comparing “apples to apples”. Plans with little detail require the contractors to fill in the gaps themselves when preparing their bids. Each contractor will fill in these gaps differently, with varying qualities of craftsmanship and products. It is therefore very difficult to do a good comparison of multiple bids without detailed plans.
Fifth, more information incorporated into the plans, and more up front planning, translates into fewer decisions that need to be made during construction. This reduces the need for you to make quick and/or on the spot decisions and also reduces the amount of time you must spend working with the contractor during construction. The electrical layout is a great example of this. Many draftsmen lay out the electrical plan to simply meet code and the electricians do an on site walk through with you during construction to finalize the design. The on site walk through is good because you will almost certainly change your mind about something between the time the drawings are made and the time the electrical is being installed. This is not the time however to design an elaborate electrical layout for the entire structure. It is likely to be very hot (or cold), humid, noisy, and dusty on site at this stage of construction. You are also likely to be concerned about the amount of someone’s time that you are consuming during this meeting. These are factors that can contribute to you possibly rushing your decisions. Rushed decisions, and those that are not well thought out, are often those which are changed after work has begun. Changes during construction can add considerable cost to the project. Planning the electrical layout as much as possible during the design phase reduces the number of on site decisions to be made and allows you to have the opportunity to go over the layout at your convenience, at your own pace, and in the comfort of your current home or office. You can then have a briefer walk through meeting with the electrician during construction and be much happier with the final layout without making as many changes. This is only one example of the benefits of having detail in the plans, but it holds true for many of the decisions that have to be made.
There are many books, magazines, and websites which sell stock house plans (or pre designed house plans) for low prices. The disadvantage of this is that the plans are commonly designed for northern regions and include basements and design features that do not follow local (Florida) building codes or construction standards. This is even more so the case in Florida due to Florida having its own state building code. The Florida Building Code requires unique construction when compared with much of the country due to wind forces from hurricanes. Instead of being designed to comply with the Florida Building Code and Florida construction standards, the majority of stock plans from these sources are designed to comply with the International Residential Code. If purchased, as a result, these plans often need to be modified at additional costs to comply with local building practices and codes. These changes will commonly be made by either a business outside of Florida which may not be familiar with local construction or by a local professional of your choice who’s fee will be in addition to the cost of purchasing the original plans. When the plans are complete, the total cost of the plans along with the required adjustments and any requested design changes can cost more than having purchased plans from someone in Florida to begin with.
If a contractor tells you this, it is a sign that they very well may be a sub-par contractor and/or be dishonest. Why? Experienced, properly trained, and well educated contractors who build quality, well designed homes, will prefer detailed plans that are properly drawn by a good architect. Plans drawn by draftsmen and designers are commonly filled with critical errors, and the larger and more complex the project is, the more this is the case. Quality plans that properly detail a well thought out design and its construction details simplify the contractor’s job and make the construction process go much smother for them and you. The contractor’s job is to build the home according to the plans, not to do half the design work during construction and fix all the problems found within bad plans. If they tell you to use a draftsman, it’s because most draftsmen provide the contractor with just enough information to get through the permitting process. Then, the contractor has free rein to do as they please and have the ability, if they choose, to manipulate situations to maximize their profit in deceptive and dishonest ways, especially if they incorporate certain phrases into their contract. The contractor has very little information in the plans to worry about complying with when you obtain plans from a draftsman. They will use this lack of detail to their advantage, not yours. You also do not have the ability to properly compare bids from multiple contractors when you obtain plans from a draftsman due to the lack of detail. If you obtain a set of plans from a draftsman, every contractor you get a price from is going to bid on different materials, products, and details. Most will bid the cheapest products that they can to make the bottom line on their bid look better than everyone else’s. Many contractors will also leave things out of the bid that will be required to complete the home. Many contractors look at a set of plans not from the standpoint of what is in the plans, but what is not in the plans. The more that is missing, the more freedom they have, and the more vulnerable you are.
All of these topics are exaggerated if the contractor wants you to use their own pre-drawn plans, wants to prepare custom plans for you, or wants to hire someone themselves to prepare the plans. In these situations, the plans will be drawn to be the most profitable for the contractor, not to be best suited for you, your wants, and your needs. In addition, in these situations, you are then locked in with that contractor if you want to build the design generated. This is because the contractor will, depending on where the plans come from, either own the copyright to the plans or the right to build the home, not you, and will not likely allow the plans to be utilized by other contractors. The best source for your home plans is through someone who is independent from the contractor, that you contract with directly, that you pay directly, and that will provide a set of plans that is detailed enough for you to get accurate and comparable prices from several contractors. In addition, you want this person to be a licensed architect who specializes in residential construction for reasons discussed throughout this Q&A page.
The selection of a good home builder is critical to the success of your project. No matter how good your plans are, if you do not select a properly educated, experienced, and honest home builder to construct your home, it will likely not turn out the way it should or the way you hope. It can also cost you much more to build the home than it should if you do not go through a competitive bid process and you then make sure that your construction contract is set up correctly. Some builders incorporate inappropriate and sometimes even dishonest clauses into their construction contracts. Some contractors will also try to manipulate situations during construction to their advantage to increase their profit. It is important that you know how to properly go through the process of selecting your home builder, obtaining bids for construction, and that you know what to look out for during these phases as well as during construction.
For those who utilize my services, I have prepared a multi-page document outlining how to interview and select your builder, how to request bids, how to review and compare bids, what to look for in a builder’s contract, and some important things to do and be aware of during construction. Past clients have found this information to be extremely informative and helpful. This document is provided upon request, as a free perk for utilizing my services, to clients when contracting with me directly and not through a contractor. If additional assistance is desired during these stages of the project, which I recommend, my services can be extended through these phases so that you have someone helping you who will be looking out for your best interest.
It is good to have your Architect continue their services beyond just designing your home and producing the construction documents, especially if you are building a custom or semi-custom home. If you extend services through the biding and construction phases, the architect can be available to: answer questions that you or your contractor may have, provide feedback on construction bids you obtain from contractors, provide feedback on the contractor’s contract for construction, make site visits during construction to photograph the progress of the project and check for work that is not conforming with the construction documents, provide feedback on equipment and product selections made during construction, and more.
Having your architect available to answer questions during construction as they arise can be very helpful. I have experienced numerous times a client being told by their contractor that the contractor could not do something the way the client wanted or as it was drawn in the plans. In reality, it could have been very easily done. In most cases, the contractor either simply did not want to do it, or, was attempting to mislead the home owner in an attempt to substitute the material or detail with something that was less expensive to increase their profit. If the contractor sees something that can be done with less effort and/or a less expensive material, even though they are supposed to have bid the project to include what is in the plans, they can increase their profit if they can convince you that it cannot be done that way or that their way is better. If you are told something like this, ask your architect about it. Your architect is looking out for you and the end result of the project, not the contractor’s profit. I have also had contractors claim to clients that a detail was not in the plans when in fact it was, and not hidden or obscure, but easily found. If the contractor tells you that something is not in the plans, do not assume that they are correct. Some contractors, especially production oriented home builders, do not review the plans very well and just want to do the same thing they always do on their other projects, or, again, they could just be trying to increase their profit. When this is done, it is at the expense of you and your home. Not all contractors are deceiving in this way, and they may actually be correct in what they tell you, but this is common enough that you should verify what you are told with your architect. If your architect is available during construction, they can assist with issues such as the above, with general questions that you may have, with giving guidance on decisions that need to be made, and more.
An architect can save you from many headaches and inappropriate cost increases during construction by assisting with obtaining bids, reviewing/comparing received bids, and although not a lawyer, providing feedback on the construction contract prior to you agreeing to it. Although it is recommended that you have a lawyer review your construction contract, many lawyers are not educated in construction and the proper role of a contractor during construction. They may also not be familiar with some of the tricks that a dishonest contractor can attempt to implement. An architect can assist you with this by reviewing the contractor’s contract for inappropriate wording that contradicts the proper role of the contractor and/or wording that gives them flexibility with your home and your money which they should not have. For example: the construction contract should state that the home will be constructed according to the construction documents and that the construction bid includes all labor, materials, and fees required to complete the work detailed in the construction documents. It should also reference who prepared the construction documents, the date on the documents, and list any documents that are to be incorporated as part of the construction documents by attachment which might not be specifically referenced in the construction documents (example: a list of lighting and plumbing fixtures that you have chosen). I have seen construction contracts that had no reference to the construction documents and stated that any work not specifically mentioned in the construction contract was not included in the bid. This completely negates the construction documents and puts you at a VERY high risk of being taken advantage of during construction. DO NOT ALLOW THIS TYPE OF LANGUAGE IN YOUR CONSTUCTION CONTRACT. If the contractor has this in their contract and will not remove it, FIND A DIFFERENT CONTRACTOR. You may want to find a different contractor even if they will remove it because this is a red flag as to their level of knowledge and/or their character. This is only one example of what an architect would look for in the construction contract but there are a number of important topics that should be addressed in the construction contract. Your architect can assist you with making sure that they are both addressed, and addressed appropriately.
Site visits by the architect can be very helpful. The architect will be looking for things that you will not know to look for, not only details that affect the esthetics of the home, but also construction details that affect quality, durability, and weather resistance. Do not make the mistake of thinking that the building inspector is checking to make sure that the contractor is following the plans. The building inspector is not there to make sure the contractor builds you a “quality” home, they are only there to help assure that it complies with the building code. The building code is a minimum and does not establish quality construction, only construction that is safe to occupy. In addition, if an experienced and well known contractor is building the project, if the inspector looks around and everything seems to look normal, many inspectors will not inspect the project thoroughly. This changes if you are building as an owner-builder who is not in the construction business though. In that case, they will scrutinize it in detail because they know that most owner-builders do not know what they are doing. In addition, contractors know that if an architect is not doing site visits that they can change or leave things out, again increasing their profit by reducing labor and/or materials, and that the home owner is not likely to know the difference. If you do not have your architect inspect the project and have a good, ethical contractor, it is very likely that this will happen on your home.
During site visits, most Architects will take a number of photos. Photos taken during construction are not only nice to have for your photo book, but are nice for future reference if you ever do an addition/renovation. Photos are also good for legal documentation. These photos can expose things that cannot be seen after the construction is complete. This documentation can greatly assist with determining the potential cause of a problem if one arises after construction. The photos will also be more valid and trusted if taken and presented by the architect and not the home owner. With this in mind, if the contractor knows that photos are being taken, and being taken by someone who knows what to take photos of, they will likely be more careful about properly building your home and complying with both the construction documents and the product manufacturer’s installation instructions. A contractor’s warranty is often only one year, but their liability for not having properly built the home extends much longer.
Even if you only have the Architect make one or two site visits and be available for questions, if a contractor knows this and knows that you will contact the architect throughout construction with questions, this will help keep a contractor who might otherwise be less than honest in line due to them knowing that someone with a great deal of construction knowledge will be checking behind them and giving you guidance with your best interest in mind. They will likely follow the plans more closely when this takes place because it is much less expensive for the contractor to follow the plans to begin with than to leave something out and then have to go back and fix it.
In summary, it is in your best interest to have your architect available during construction for consultation and site visits.
When building a home, the cost of construction can fluctuate greatly from one contractor to the next for the same home for a variety of reasons. For this reason, to get the most for your money, it is advantageous to get bids from more than one builder. A bid form is a form that can be utilized when obtaining bids from several contractors during a competitive bid process. This form is provided to selected contractors, along with the construction documents, to fill in when providing a bid so that everyone presents numbers in the same format. A well written bid form is project specific and allows you to much more easily compare prices (apples to apples) and determine which contractor has the best price. Without a well written bid form, each contractor will present their bid in a different format and it will be very difficult to do a proper comparison. To create a well written and usable bid form requires a great deal of construction knowledge, knowledge of how a contractor prices construction, and what the contractor’s proper role and responsibilities are in the construction process though. This knowledge is required not only so that portions of the form which request budget related information can be formatted properly, but because this form can set the stage for the contractor’s construction contract. This can be done by incorporating requirements and procedures to be used during construction by the contractor and requiring that the contractor signs the form indicating that they agree to comply with the terms and conditions outlined within it. This form is not something that is going to be usable or accepted by contractors though if written by a home owner or someone without the knowledge to generate it correctly. If written well though, by your architect, and backed by good plans and architectural services, this type of form is very well worth utilizing. I have seen prices fluctuate between contractors by as much as $500,000 for a large custom home (low bid of $950,000, high bid of $1,450,000) so the cost of having your architect assist with going through a competitive bid process with a well written bid form can very easily pay for itself. If you are interested in this service, I offer it and others within an optional extended contract. This contract makes a variety of very helpful series available to you upon request after the plans are finished.
There are a number of items that must be obtained and submitted to the building department in order to obtain a construction permit for a single family home. These items include the architectural drawings, structural drawings, the truss package, air conditioning design, energy calculations, and Florida product approval numbers. These must be submitted to the building department along with all their applicable paperwork, forms, and fees. In summary, the architectural drawings document what the home will look like, where everything is, and to varying levels of detail what materials are to be used. Although this may sound simple, there is a tremendous amount of knowledge, training, and experience that goes into preparing a quality set of plans that can be constructed as drawn, properly address thermal and moisture considerations, and results in an attractive and functional design. The structural drawings document things like what thickness of plywood/OSB is to be used on the roof, how far apart nails should be, the size of foundations, the type of hurricane straps, etc. The structural drawings are the result of mathematical calculations used to determine what needs to be done to ensure that the construction will stand up under its own weight, weight added by its occupants, and environmental forces such as wind from hurricanes. The truss package is prepared by the company who builds and delivers the pre-fabricated roof and floor trusses, as applicable, to the project site. In a quality architectural service, the truss package should be reviewed by both the architect and the structural engineer for compliance with the architectural design and so that foundations and interior bearing walls can be properly located and sized. The air conditioning design (referred to as Manual J and D), is the selection of the air conditioning equipment and the preliminary layout of the ductwork to be installed. The energy calculations are used to show that the project is energy efficient enough to comply with the energy codes. Finally, as a rule of thumb, products and materials to be installed on the exterior that will keep wind and water out of the home are required to have a Florida product approval number. These numbers must be submitted to the building department as well. This requirement is to confirm to the building department that the products have been properly tested to withstand the elements such as hurricanes which are common to Florida.
If you are considering using the services of Architect Warren E. Barry, the following is who you should expect to obtain each of the above requirements from. If you will be using one of Warren’s Designer Service Levels, Warren not only prepares your architectural drawings but will also coordinate with the truss manufacturer and structural engineer so that when his services are complete, you will have all the architectural and structural content that your contractor will need to provide to the building department. If you will be using the services of a licensed contractor to construct your home (which is highly recommend unless you have a great deal of construction knowledge and a lot of free time on your hands) the contractor should obtain the ac design and energy calculations from their selected subcontractors. Unless a project is highly custom or very large and/or complex, it is typically more beneficial and cost effective for the ac design and energy calculations to be obtained from the subcontractors who will do the work during construction. The architectural plans do however plan ahead for these systems to be incorporated into the design and provide generalized specifications to the subcontractors. The contractor should also submit for the building permit on your behalf which would include them providing the Florida product approval numbers based on the manufacturer and model number specific products that the contractor will utilize. If you will be utilizing one of Warren’s Architectural Service Levels, Warren coordinates all of the above into the plans. The contractor however still applies for the building permit. If you are considering the Drafting Service Level, which is not recommended, Warren will coordinate with the structural engineer only and all other information must be obtained by your contractor.