Marin Remodels: Do I need an Architect (and what do they do anyway?)
Posted by Bill Hansell on Friday, January 8th, 2010 at 5:31pm.
"I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and want to build or renovate a house. Why do I need an architect? What's the difference between a designer, an architect, and an engineer? What's the line between an architect's work and a general contractor's?" Having practiced architecture for over twenty years now, I have answered these and similar questions many, many times.
A few years ago, when my son was in pre-school, I gave a little talk to his class about my job and was relieved at the simplicity of defining an architect's work compared to, say, a financial analyst's. Try telling 4 year olds about "limited inter-bond pari passu clauses" (no, I don't know what it means either). Yet, despite the simple definition of "a person who designs buildings", there is a general lack of familiarity with the professional duties of an architect. I hope to use this blog to answer those basic questions and others, as well as to share my building stories and those of my clients, both successes and missteps (aka "learning experiences"). I appreciate the opportunity Marin Modern Real Estate has given me to share this information via their website. Please feel free to send me your questions (bill@fuse-co.com) and I will work them into future postings. My firm, FUSE, deals with diverse project types and locations and I hope the shared experience of our partners in the SF Bay Area, Denver, New York, and Dallas will be beneficial to you. Our online portfolio includes some of the projects I will be discussing and can be seen at http://www.fuse-co.com .
So, what does an architect do? In the classic Frank Lloyd Wright-ian sense of the word, an architect draws together (literally) the parameters of the building site (both natural and synthetic, e.g. sun angle and landscape versus street frontage and easements), the desires of the client's needs ("program"), cultural influences and values ("aesthetics" or "style"), structural requirements, budget, building technology (general building knowledge down to specific crafts), public entitlement (planning and building permits), and, finally, construction administration (aka "CA", in collaboration with the general contractor) and even furnishing itself. Each one of these steps has layers of specialization and different Architects may prefer different levels of involvement in any particular step, depending upon their own desires or those of their clients. So, the Architect is basically the Maestro, or generalist, on a building project but one of the pre-requisites is knowing the specialty or detail work well enough to orchestrate the whole piece successfully.
"I thought the Architect did the structural and permit stuff and the "Designer" determined the aesthetics." That's a comment I often hear. Actually, Architects are Designers. Design is at the heart of what we do and, in a good finished product, all of the other stuff (structure, detail, execution, buildability, permitting, and, yes I admit it, even budget) are part and parcel of good Design.
"Do Architects design interiors and pick furnishings and colors?" Many do, either individually or in collaboration with an Interior Designer (a specialist), and some do not, preferring to leave that as a separate scope. Note that, by law, only licensed Architects can use the title or any form of it in their advertising, business cards, etc. If you need a licensed Architect, beware of the terms "Architectural Designer", "Architectural Interior Designer", or degree listings like "BArch" or "MArch". Those are usually indicators that the person has not completed all the licensure requirements (usually at least a five year professional degree, if not two or three years of post-graduate study, followed by a professional internship of a few years, and then a rigorous State exam.) I know a very savvy local realtor who hired someone whom he thought was a licensed Architect but was fooled by a misleading (albeit creative) brochure. He wasn't happy to discover the guy's actual credentials in the midst of a construction mess caused by lack of details and proper coordination.
"Do Architects design landscapes?" Again, many do and would argue that a good building is not designed in a vacuum but must have an intimate connection to its particular site (I have a lot more to say on that when it comes to Eichlers, which I love but which were not designed to be site-specific and can benefit greatly from alterations that address their site). Landscape Architects like Interior Designers are, of course, specialists who have more knowledge than I do about their field and yet I have to know a good deal about what they do in order to make my projects complete and successful. I have found a good collaboration between myself and these professionals, where the dialogue is very open and supportive, to result in the best outcome.
The same is true of Structural Engineers. While I studied structural physics in school and have a pretty good level of understanding about what buildings require, I do not do the structural design and documentation on my projects. That work is part of a contract with a Structural Engineer (either sub-contracted by me or directly contracted to the Owner but administrated by me.) The same thing is true of Mechanical, Plumbing, and Electrical Engineers, although in most residential projects that work is handled directly by the sub-contractors (A/C and Heating Contractor, Plumber, and Electrician, respectively) and reviewed by the Architect (this is known as a "design-build" service contract.) Some projects require other specialists like Surveyors, Civil Engineers, A/V designers. All of these, though, are usually coordinated by the Architect on the Owner's behalf so that there are not gaps or conflicts in the final project design.
"I know I need an Architect to get me a permit but then I'll just have a General Contractor take it from there." Another common misperception but one that has various ramifications: First, while just about any kind of construction work requires a permit (yes, even little projects) most jurisdictions do not require a licensed Architect's signature on drawings for single-family construction. Depending on the scope, they may require at least a licensed Structural Engineer's stamp on that portion of the work. "OK, then I'll just get a draftsman and save some money." Your building department may be fine with that approach but they also don't really care if the project looks good, is well thought out, or really fits your needs and aspirations. The value of an Architect is not just to fulfill a permit requirement but to utilize to your benefit all the general and coordinated knowledge that I mentioned above and to bring more value to your project than the cost you will spend to hire them (thus the expression "Value-Added" service.)
Second, while a General Contractor can take a basic permit set of drawings and execute it to varying degrees of success, the construction phase of a project is rife with coordination, detail, quality, and economic decisions. To remove the Architect at that stage is like telling the captain of a ship, as you head out into a storm, "Hey, I appreciate all the navigation maps but I'll take it from here." Many owners in that case fail to distinguish between intelligence (as in, "It's just construction, not rocket science, so how hard can it be?") and the value of experience. I've dealt with many clients far more intelligent than me but I've found sharing my past experience to be more valuable to them when it came to making the best decisions during construction. Most of us will do only one major construction project and, at the end of it, we don't want to feel like we finally have the correct info to start it.
Note that there are "Design-Build" firms that combine Architects and General Contractors under one roof who would argue the efficiency of such a set-up. This may or may not fit your needs. While I do Construction Management on projects, I have not had the interest to date in a full General Contractor's scope of work or license. I belong to the school of thought where it is better to separate those functions and allow the Owner to have independent contracts with the Architect and GC. In that capacity, I act as the Owner's professional eye on the GC and evaluate and advise on performance and contracts. In most projects, I assist the Owner in obtaining multiple construction bids or estimates and therefore am not financially vested in the construction pricing of the job (again, another big topic to be addressed later). Compared to the G.C., I usually have a longer relationship with the Owner and, therefore, establish more of an understanding of their needs and desires.
At the end of the day (or, more appropriately, the project), my past clients often admit that before hiring me they didn't realize the full scope and benefit of my job. The nicest compliments I receive are related to appreciation for ideas and suggestions they say they never would have thought of. That's what an Architect has to offer. In the complexity of a building project, at the very least, you should know that the Architect is the person you hire first and then trust in to guide you through the design and construction process.
For more info on building or remodeling a home in Marin or the San Francisco Bay Area, please contact Bill Hansell .
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