What exactly is the architect's role?
The architect designs spaces that enrich your built environment by listening to your needs, assessing your life style, and working with your dreams to bring them to fruition. A well designed space should be something you enjoy for years to come. An architect also, after developing the design you want, prepares the full set of drawings needed for construction and also works with you to find an appropriate contractor, negotiates a fair price for specified work, directs appropriate contractual agreements to be developed, and acts as the owner's representative on the construction site. The architect sees that on site design decisions are made promptly and correctly and are compatible with the aesthetic intent of the design and the wishes of the owner.

What does it cost?
An architect's fee for the entire design and construction project from first conceptual designs to final completion and occupancy is usually no more than 5-8% of the construction cost. LMA Architects Inc.'s architectural fee is $80 per hour for the principal's time and $50 per hour for measuring and documenting existing conditions or drafting. Preliminary drawings are priced on an hourly basis. Soon after the meeting to review preliminary designs, we assess the full scope of the project and give an estimated total fee for final drawings. We feel that, in this way, you have a "cap" on your architectural costs that can be calculated into your budget.

What are "working drawings?"
"Working drawing" is a term used by architects to indicate the set of drawings and material descriptions assembled to fully complete an architectural design. It usually consists of: floor plans, elevations (representations each exterior view of your building), wall sections ('slices' of the building taken as a whole or in parts), details of how each important piece will be built, framing and foundation plans to describe the structure of the building, interior elevations (representations of each interior wall), and any other needed drawings.

Why is choosing an architect better than working with a design/build company?
To illustrate this concept, let me use an analogy. The architect/ client/contractor relationship is set up to work like the United States government. When our founding fathers set up this country they developed a 'balance of powers', so that a dictatorship could never result. The Supreme Court, the President, and the Congress all act to balance one another, with no one branch having any excessive control. This is exactly how the architect/client/contractor relationship works. The architect carefully evaluates the work of the contractor, and stops or corrects that work if it is inappropriate or not in accord with the main intent of the drawings, which represent your design decisions. If you are working with a design/build firm, there is no balance of power because both the designer and the contractor are the same company. When faced with a problem, the solution will be in the interests of the company, not the client. The architect, on the other hand, always serves as your representative, and has no investment in the business of the contractor.

What is the architect's role in the design and construction administration process, from beginning to end?
The design process begins with a preliminary consultation between you and the architect. This meeting is one at which the architect and client get to know each other and talk over design needs. Next, the architect measures and documents any existing conditions, surveys the site conditions, and photographs the site. Then the architect draws a set of preliminary design sketches, based on what you want. These are usually fairly loose sketches, and may present more than one possible solution. The architect develops a final solution, and then, after your approval, proceeds to the working drawings and the specs. After these are completely ready, the contractors are interviewed, selected, and contracts are arranged. The architect arranges site visits on a regular basis, meets with the contractor regularly, makes on site decisions, and approves any changes. The architect signs off when the contractor has completed various phases of construction as per contract, and, at the completion, prepares a 'punch list' (a list of items not completed satisfactorily), and approves final payment of the contractor.

What are "specs"?
"Specs" is a shortened term for Material Specifications. This is a booklet, several pages in length, that describes all the products and manufacturers to be used in your project, with the standards, fees, and restrictions spelled out verbally. The contractor, when bidding a project, bids on how much these specific items cost, and the architect sees that these exact items are used on the job.

How can I save money if I am paying an architectural fee in addition to the cost of construction?
An architect can save you money in many ways. First, we can work out on paper the way a project will go together and anticipate problems to avoid, so that those problems do not become costly errors that are difficult to change on site. We can simply erase. Next, an architect can give you a more complete view of what you are building by using drawn plans, elevations, sections, and even scale models. These serve as tools to let you completely get to know and understand what you are building. Next, an architect can locate and interview a competent contractor, direct the use of appropriate contracts to protect you, and can prepare the full set of construction documents so that the project can be competitively bid by several contractors. We find that often the architectural fee is paid by the cost savings in competitively bid projects. Then, the architect protects your interests on site and sees that the project is built correctly and as specified in the construction documents.