A few choice words - Letters: keeping those cards, letters, and e-mails coming - Letter to the Editor

Residential Architect, Jan-Feb, 2003

I appreciated your thoughts in your April 2002 editorial ("Clients' Choice," page 13). A minor clarification--we don't "supervise" the construction; we observe and monitor it. I just designed a new home in Los Altos, Calif. The builder the owners selected seemed like a good guy. In the first week he had some suggestions for improvements. One was to change the foundation detail we had spent hours developing. It was important to the appearance of the building. It was his first suggestion that the detail would not work well, and he proposed making it "better" and more in line with "typical" convention. If I hadn't been there, the owners probably would have said yes without knowing what they had given up ($5,000 or so). If they had decided to give that up, the "improvement" by the contractor should have come with a significant credit. I find myself doing this all the time during the construction process. Owners really need a third party to be their advocate. I find I sometimes save the client a third of my fee with similar types of issues during the construction process.

Much money also is saved by having a good set of contract documents--a clear road map for construction. Contractors who offer "free design services" do not spend the time needed for a thorough design process. Their emphasis is getting to the building part and doing a quick job on the design. I could go on and on ...

I do a very soft sell on these issues to potential clients. I believe architects add a lot of value and, in the end, do not necessarily cost as much as their fee once you've factored in the savings mentioned above. I tell people that whether they hire me or not, they should do themselves a favor and hire an independent architect who has their interests as a primary concern. If people get it, they get it. Sometimes they don't, and they need to find out on their own.

Edward Kaplan, AIA,

NCARB Kaplan Architects

San Francisco

I just wanted to let you know how beneficial your editorial ("Clients' Choice," April 2002, page 13) has been in confirming and supporting our ongoing battle of gaining a client's appreciation for the fees associated with design.

We have shared it with prospective clients who seem to struggle with the costs of a seemingly intangible service. Well written and easily understood, it has helped to create a dialogue, with clients who are

considering a custom home and are being lured by some of the other options you mentioned--including the "free" services of a design/build firm and the "custom" builder.

Thank you for reinforcing our professional abilities and the investment they represent to the owner.

John McLean

OMS Architects

Spokane, Wash.