Working with architects and other design professionals

Sunset, June, 2000 by Barbara Boughton

Hiring choices, how fees are structured, and how to work as a team

* What spells success for a remodeling, building, or interior-design project? A good relationship between the client and the architect or designer is essential. "That relationship can produce a home that captures your imagination, or at its worst, it can create misunderstandings that result in higher costs and too many construction delays," says Los Angeles architect Michael Lehrer. Indeed, understanding the nature of this relationship--and the basic steps of the design process--will help you achieve your dream home as efficiently as possible.

Find the professional you need

When selecting a design professional for a major project, you'll have three choices: an architect, with extensive schooling and a license in designing structures; a design-and-build firm, sometimes headed by a designer with a contractor's license, who is able to design a home from the foundation up; or an interior designer, who may specialize in kitchens and baths.

* Architect

When you hire an architect, you are hiring a highly trained imagination that has the ability to create a residence for you that is beautiful, functional, and unique. Architects provide a service, not a product. They actually hold copyrights on their architectural plans, though you do receive a copy for one-time use. You can't sell or give the plans to someone else, authorize their publication, or use them again. You're paying for the professional's expertise in defining your requirements, developing a design, coordinating the application for permit, and making sure that the residence is built as specified by the plans. If you ask an architect to develop plans for a major remodel or a new house, he or she will typically sketch out two or three possible design approaches to help you decide what's best for the way you want to live.

* Design-and-build firm

If you already know exactly what you want and how you want your design to look, you may be better off with a design-and-build firm that can translate your ideas directly into plans.

Hiring a building designer rather than an architect--especially if the designer is not licensed as a contractor--gives you less legal protection in the event of trouble. By law, designers can develop standard residential framing, but even those with contractor's licenses may need to subcontract to an architect or engineer for some calculations and structural details. However, a building designer's fees may he lower than an architect's.

* Interior designer

If you aren't planning to move walls or change your home's structure, another option is to hire an interior designer to do what they specialize in-- choosing finishes, colors, furnishings, and appliances, then coordinating everything in a cohesive layout. "An interior designer works from the inside out, looks at the flow of rooms, placement of windows, cabinetry design, and furniture. We're very detail-oriented," says Barbara Jacobs, FASID (Fellow of the American Society of Interior Designers), who heads a firm in Los Gatos, California.

Do your homework

The first task you'll face is to get the names of design professionals. Clip magazine articles on remodels that interest you and note names of architects or designers. Ask friends for referrals and ask neighbors whose homes you like for the names of professionals who have designed them. You can visit the website of the American Institute of Architects at www.e-architect.com, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry at www.remodeltoday.com, the American Society of Interior Designers at www.interiors.org, and the National Kitchen & Bath Association at www.nkba.org. Or consult the local chapters of these organizations.

Interview two or three design professionals in person and talk to several of their clients. Keep in mind that though a young architect or designer may charge half the price of an experienced one, he or she may take twice as long to finish a design--and the design may be less cost-efficient. Ask to see the architect's or designer's portfolio. Most important, try to sense whether you and the architect or designer will be able to communicate with each other. Clashing personalities can slow down your building project or even sideline it entirely. "Not only will you be working closely with an architect for a long time, but you'll also need him or her to be your advocate--in everything from selecting wood cabinets through hiring a contractor," says architect Richard Parker, MA, of 450 Architects in San Francisco.

How fees are structured

At the homeowner's request, the architect, design-and-build firm, or interior designer can outline the kind of services to expect during various phases of the project, and the corresponding fees, Architects may charge a percentage of the home's construction costs, a lump sum, or an hourly fee for the duration of the project. But they may also charge a combination of these fees, with different types of fees at different phases.

We surveyed design professionals in four Western cities and found that percentage fees for architects range from 5 to 25 percent. Building and interior designers usually charge an hourly fee, from $45 to $250 an hour; the range for architects is similar. Reimbursables such as postage, copies of plans, and travel are charged separately and marked up 15 to 20 percent. If a designer orders your furniture, it will be marked up about 30 percent over wholesale. No matter whom you hire, your budget should include 10 percent for contingencies.