For once, I have a pretty easy answer here… just like sales tax, architects will cost about  8% - 15% of construction costs. So on average if you are planning to build a $300,000 house, your architecture fees will be somewhere between $24,000 to $45,000 for a set of house plans and administration during construction. Typically, the larger the project, the lower the percentage. So million dollar projects will have 5%-10% fees while smaller $100,000 projects will have 10% to 15% fees. This is due to the start-up costs that are involved in beginning any architectural project.  A bigger question is however….

I wish I could give you a straight answer here. This question depends on many factors like intricacies and size of the project, architect’s time, and your time. But before we break those down, I want to start with a sign you may have seen hanging on the wall in a variety of businesses from an auto repair shop to a graphic design firm, but this sign would also be right at home in any architecture firm….

Each architectural firm will have their own spin on specifically what their client experience is like, but we would like to at least introduce you to some terms. This process ensures we get you from where you are now, to us handing you the keys to your space that meets (and hopefully exceeds) your dreams and expectations.

Once your architectural agreement is signed and ready, these are the steps that you typically go through to produce good design and start building your project. Before design can happen, we start with what we call Pre-Design…

So you have a project that needs an architect - where do you begin? Most people don’t have an existing relationship with an architect, but there are a couple ways to find one that will be a great fit for your project, or maybe even more important, a good fit for you and your project. Design of your building or home and the construction of it can represent one of the larger time and money investments you will ever make. You will want to make sure you mesh well with this person (and their team) as you share your hopes and dreams, and personal financial details along the way…

Every client starts off in a different place (no ridiculous architecture pun intended). Some have a clear vision of where they want to go, and others are not sure where to begin. They know they have a need - perhaps more space for their home or business; or a vision for how they want to live based on images they see online or in magazines. Or, it might be that they wonder how the characters on Friends can afford such swanky apartments in the notoriously expensive New York City. Either way, we suggest you should call an architect when…

It's amazing the number of choices we make everyday. What to eat, what to do, what socks do I wear today? Occasionally we face larger decisions like what house to buy or where to live. Some people are quite decisive, while others need more help.  It's amazing how much time we can spend on a relatively small decisions throughout the day. When it comes to building or remodeling your home or business, the number of decisions needing made and moving parts involved are endless….