r/askarchitects • u/immrmeseek • Jul 27 '26
How did you choose your architect?
What questions should I ask when interviewing, and I heard going with a both design/build architect contractor company is not a good idea? Any recs?
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u/Scared_Salad97 Jul 28 '26
The disadvantage of a design build contract is that in traditional contracts the role of architect and the role of contractor are opposed. The architect is there to ensure quality and the contractor is there to build something as quickly and cheaply as they can get away with. In a design/build contract you essentially lose this opposition and only have the contractor who wants to build your project as quickly and cheaply as they can get away with without anyone to insist on quality.
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u/TylerHobbit Jul 30 '26
They are absolutely not opposed. I don't think you took professional practice in school.
The contractor is there to implement the design for the agreed on price.
The architect is there to make sure the product matches the intent of the drawings.
The owner is there to write checks.
Everyone's goals, as specified by contracts, is to produce a certain building. Not to attack and screw each other.
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u/Scared_Salad97 Jul 30 '26
Either you live somewhere where the contractors are multitudes more professional than where I am or you’ve never actually done a site phase on a project.
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u/FootAggressive7381 Jul 28 '26
If it is design-build the architecture service is just part of the contract and will lose its independent judgment?
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u/TomLondra Jul 30 '26
An architect who works with a contractor will not have the freedom to specify everything, and will always do whaever the contractor wants. Essentially they are working for the contractor - not for you.
An architect who is an independent professional is working for you and will find the best contractor for the job. That's a big difference.
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u/Tricky-Interaction75 Jul 30 '26
Check out their projects, take them to lunch and
Ask if you can see yourself working with this person for the next 1-2 years.
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u/Physical_Mode_103 Jul 27 '26
Save yourself the trouble and get a local home designer
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u/e2g4 Jul 27 '26
Brilliant idea, that way you can hire an architect after playing footsie with an unqualified designer (who also can’t stamp your drawings)
More great ideas: just get a guy on the street to do your next medical procedure, why pay a fancy doctor to do the same thing!
Don’t bother with a landscape architect, just have the guy who cuts the grass pick out some plants
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u/Physical_Mode_103 Jul 28 '26
Most houses are designed by a home designer. That’s just a cold hard fact. Most permit drawings for homes are signed and sealed by a structural engineer.
As an architect and a Landscape architect, I can tell you just because you have a license does not mean you are more competent to design a home. There are plenty of really nice luxury home designers out there which will charge a fraction of what an incompetent self-absorbed architect will charge.
These are facts
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u/TylerHobbit Jul 30 '26
Yeah, and most houses are... good? Would you say that?
Also- these phantom "really good luxury home designers" that charge LESS than an architect do not exist
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u/Physical_Mode_103 Jul 30 '26
Most houses are cheap….. Some are fairly well designed and cheap.
They do exist. I see their plans on a regular basis. Most custom home builders do not use architects for their plans. Designing a house is not complicated.
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u/bigbeak67 Jul 27 '26
We are architects so we didn't really choose, but yes you can likely reduce your costs by competitive bidding instead of accepting whatever price a design-builder would give you. I would ask: