What do I do as an architect?

People have asked me to describe what I do as an architect. The simplest way to describe what I do is that I make your dream home a reality.

For some reason Hollywood has made it seem as though architects design in a void, imagining an incredible structure that fills some need, and making it happen, through personal strife, sacrifice, and sheer determination. I have found that portrayal is nothing close to reality. Most, if not all projects, have you, the client, coming to me, the architect, needing something addressed. The best way I have found to describe it is with a hypothetical project.

Perhaps you inherited an old beach house on Cape Cod, and while it is quaint, lovely, and filled with fond memories, it is in dire need of repair, there’s low ceiling everywhere, there is no insulation, the windows barely open, and all of the rooms are chopped up and small. So, you look up Cape Cod Architects, and you find me.

I initially will talk with you on the phone and discuss the process. I will ask you if you have already gotten an up-to-date site plan, which is one of the most important steps for all projects. This is important as it helps to locate the existing structure in relationship to the property lines. On top of that, it also allows us to determine what the setbacks are from the property lines, locates any septic systems or wells, and gives us the exact lot size, which is important for lot coverage requirements in some towns. Depending on the local regulations, these site plans can also locate any easements, such as a buried utility line), flood plain buffers, wetlands, existing trees, draw out the topography (how the ground slopes), and utilities – because we must get power, water, and sewage out of the building.

Next, I will email over to you a questionnaire for you to fill out in advance of our preliminary meeting. Much of my early talks with clients is about information gathering as it allows for a more complete picture of your needs and vision for the project. There are many different styles and visions for a house, and what looks best, and trying to find out what your dream home looks like is an important step.

I always encourage reference imagery from wherever you take your inspiration, whether it is from Pinterest, Houzz, or cut out magazine articles, it does not matter; I ask for descriptions of what is catching your eye from each image. I usually collect both things you love and things you dislike as they both help to ensure that I have a complete vision for your beach house.

I always prefer to meet on site as it is important to see things from the location. While google earth, Zillow, Realtor.com are great to give great views of the site, there is always something to be gained by visiting the site. Whether it is getting a better understanding of the adjacent homes, so we know the character of the neighborhood- is it filled with timeless architecture? Classic homes? Relaxed, beach homes or traditional cape houses? Do you want a pool, hot tub and a pool house? How do we want to layout the driveway – do we want it to be peastone, macadam or crushed shells? Do we get any special views out to the water? As we walk around the exterior of the house we can discuss the desired style of the house, is it to be shingle style? Contemporary? Transitional? What style windows do we like – how many muntins (the grill pattern on the windows) and what configuration do we like. We discuss all the details, having exposed concrete foundation or do we want to put new England fieldstone veneer on it; do we want a bluestone or a brick patio, to having shutters and window boxes, which are often considered a luxury but do wonders to help add depth and character to any home. While some of these details are things that can change multiple times through the process, it helps to get an idea of the aesthetic appearance and the costs that are associated with each of these items.

More importantly, as we walk the house, we can discuss how to deal with low ceiling height, how to raise the ceilings in key areas but to utilize the low ceilings in others. Having lower, less important, transitional spaces, such as bathrooms, closets, hallways, do not need to have 10-foot ceilings, by keeping low ceilings there it will increase the drama of the taller ceilings in the important living spaces, such as the family room and kitchen. If we would like them, we discuss the locations of wood beams to add character, charm, and elegance to the spaces.

I typically will discuss how to open the spaces up for modern living so that we have beautiful spaces with visual connections yet are broken down with ceiling architectural details that help define smaller spaces as part of a whole. We will discuss wall finishes if we want to have beadboard, v groove, paneling or shiplap. I prefer to have elements that are more timeless so that the rest of the house can change and have pops of color yet the house itself does not get set into a certain period (like the shag carpeting or key lime toilets of the 60s).

Typically, we will get into discussions about architectural fees, which, to be honest, will be a full blog post on their own. There are different ways that we can set up the architectural fees for a project based upon the level of service desired. Each project has different needs and levels of focus and there are always levels of negotiation. There is always sticker shock at the prices of architectural services, but once we talk through the levels of service desired and what is to be included highlights the value of architectural services.

I always encourage clients to meet with multiple architects, not to overconfident or that I do not want the work, but because many times there is something to be said about people’s personalities. The design and construction process can take a long time – most construction takes upwards of 14 months, and usually 3-4 months of design, and can be riddled with pain points and stress, so it is quite helpful to ensure that you like and feel comfortable with who you are working with during the process.

Once you and I have a signed contract I will measure your existing house. It typically involves me being onsite for about 3-4 hours, and I will measure all the physical characteristics of your home that are available to measure. I do not poke holes into walls to see what size the studs are, I do not move tons of furniture to get full measurements, but I work around general living furniture for a home to do a noninvasive measurement. I typically have the floorplans drawn before I leave the house – minus some details that I fill out at home. I then draw up the existing exterior elevations from my home office. All told it takes me about 20 hours to draw up the existing conditions, depending on the size and complexity of the house, and this is billed separately – an hourly rate- from the main portion of the contract.

I will then take the existing conditions and draw out schematic designs of the dream home, utilizing the program and information gathered in our meetings, from the questionnaire and the reference imagry provided. Typically, I generate at least one full scheme of floorplans and exterior elevations for the project, sometimes, depending on the program, multiple iterations are developed. Depending on the level of service agreed upon, I typically color them up so that way they feel softer and more intimate – one of the challenges of modern technology for designs is everything can come across cold and impersonal and the coloring makes it easier to see yourself in your dream cape cod home.

There are always some tweaks to the plans, and then we take the designs through the various stages of the drawings. Next is design development / permit level – which is where I take the approved schematic design drawings to the next level by generating dimensioned floorplans, sections, exterior elevations and door and window schedules which allows us to get prices for the actual windows and see the configurations and placements of the windows. I develop and detail up the building sections, which show the vertical spaces and proposed ceiling heights, relationship to grade, and dormer details. If I’ve been retained for it, I’ll typically start including interior elevations of special rooms at this phase, typically of important spaces such as the kitchen, great room, or master bathroom. This phase concludes with a set of drawings that the general contractor can use to pull a building permit and put a realistic construction price to so we can ensure that the budget is in line and allows us to come up with ways of value engineering the project as every project can find ways of value engineering to ensure that the money is spent wisely.

If it is included in the contract, I would typically develop interior elevations, details, reflected ceiling plans and specifications for the rest of the project. These flush out the rest of the project and gives a real, solid set of plans that incorporate the structural details provided by the structural engineer and shows the contractor what everything will look like when complete. I recommend various interior moldings, casings, and trim details so you know exactly what your house will look like when finished. It helps to avoid any potential issues upfront and to give both the contractor and the client confidence in what they are agreeing to.

During the construction period I strongly advise being retained for construction administration as it allows for a better product. There are always questions during construction and having the architect who generated the drawings for the dream home to answer intent questions helps to clarify what the product will look like. Sometimes there are challenges in getting materials, products get discontinued or delayed, and we work together to find reasonable substitutions.

I hope that helps break down what I do as an architect.

Happy Independence Day Everyone!

-JimG