When preparing to design or renovate your home, you may find yourself pondering an important question: Do I need an architect? We understand that hiring an architect is a significant investment, and therefore we believe it’s important for anyone considering a construction project to understand when an architect is required, the value an architect adds to projects even when our services are not mandatory, as well as the times when an architect would of little or no assistance. In this blog post, we will elaborate on the role an architect plays in the design and construction process, as well as provide some guidance on when an architect is and is not required by law, so that hopefully you can make an informed decision regarding your own personal projects.
Understanding the Role of an Architect
If you’re like most people, when you hear the word “architect” you think of someone sitting at a drafting table hand-drawing a pretty picture of a skyscraper. While there might be an architect somewhere in the world doing exactly that, most architects, including us at Moment Architects, operate on a more down-to-earth level. Moment Architects is a full-service firm specializing in residential architecture, which means we design custom homes for homeowners and builders, production homes and multifamily apartment complexes for developers, and additions and remodels of existing homes.
In addition to not designing skyscrapers, we also don’t draw our construction documents by hand anymore. Almost everything is done on the computer these days, and while I spend a lot of time at home drawing pictures of unicorns, dinosaurs, and chickens with my kids, (I don’t know why they ask me to draw so many chickens…) the only time I pick up a pen and paper at work is to sketch quick ideas with my team, which we then quickly translate into computer drawings.
Architects Do More Than Draw Pretty Pictures
An architect is a licensed professional trained in the art and science of designing and constructing buildings. The licensing process to become an architect involves at least three years of experience working under the direct supervision of a licensed architect, as well as a series of six grueling licensing exams that often take aspiring architects several years to complete. The reason for this intense path towards licensing is because an architect is responsible for the life-safety of every individual who will ever enter any building he or she designs. This is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly, and a good portion of the licensing process is dedicated to training architects on how to understand the manifold life-safety matters present in every project.
Beyond that, even, a skilled architect serves as a project manager for their client through the entire design and construction process, contracting with and managing a variety of engineers, consultants, and contractors to ensure the client’s project is delivered within the originally established time and budget. Like life-safety issues, project management is a big focus in the training and testing required to become a licensed architect.
Yeah, but, Do I Really NEED An Architect?
There are certain instances where an architect is required by law, other instances where an architect is not required by law but still highly valuable, and other instances where an architect is not required and wouldn’t add any value to the project. In this section, we’ll review a few common examples of each situation.
When is an Architect Required by Law?
To list all the circumstances when an architect’s services are required to be engaged for a construction process would be a task as tedious to write as it would be to read. Luckily, the State of Texas and the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners have collaborated to come up with an easy-to-follow flow chart that can answer most of the questions you may have. Follow the link below to view the flow chart in all its flowing glory.
When Is An Architect Required - Flow Chart
However, keep in mind that the flow chart is only specifying what is required by the State of Texas, but each municipality within the State of Texas can set their own requirements that supersede the requirements established by the state, and many cities and counties require architects even when they’re not required by the state. So, in general it’s best to call whatever city or county your property is located in to find out whether they will require an architect’s involvement.
When is an Architect Not Required, But Good To Have Anyways?
If you looked at the flow chart in the link above, you’ll see there are many instances where an architect’s services are not required in the State of Texas, such as for the construction of a private single-family dwelling. However, at Moment Architects we are experts in single-family dwellings, and are hired to design many single-family dwellings every year. Is that because our clients don’t know any better? We think not. In fact, since most of our clients are either builders or developers working in the industry, they are usually well-versed in the state’s requirements, and elect to hire an architect not because it is required, but because they understand the value an architect adds to a project.
What Value Does an Architect Add to a Project?
Even when not required, an architect can be an invaluable asset on many project types. The benefits of having an architect involved come from an architect’s deep understanding of building construction techniques, building code requirements, and the permit approval process.
Additionally, architects are trained problem solvers in the realms of spatial flow, energy efficiency, sustainability, and aesthetics. We revel in the puzzle-like nature of every project, in which we’re given bits and pieces of information, wants, needs, restrictions, and so on, and asked to put all the pieces together in a visually stunning structure that is safe, sustainable, cost effective, and constructable.
One of the most common misconceptions about architects is that we are expensive and time-consuming. While it is true that there are additional costs associated with hiring an architect, our expertise can save you money in the long run. The old adage “measure twice, cut once” can be applied here, in that architects seek to answer every question and resolve every detail before anyone picks up a shovel or hammer. You might be surprised at the number of people who contact us after they have started a project without an architect, only to find out during the construction process that they really should have hired an architect to begin with. We are happy to help in those instances, but the sad reality is that once a project has progressed to a certain point, there’s only so much an architect can do to help. Our knowledge and expertise is best utilized when applied from the earliest stages of a project through completion.
Is it Always a Good Idea to Hire an Architect?
With what was said in the paragraphs above, one might be led to assume that architects believe we are necessary always and everywhere. This is not the case. There are numerous times when we get calls from a potential client asking for our services on something, and we respond by saying that an architect is not needed, and we proceed to refer them to the professional who can better serve their needs. I will give a couple examples.
One day we got a call from a woman who owns a business that leases tractor equipment, and she had an existing office building that needed a new driveway to access one side of the building. A friend of hers had told her she needed an architect to help her get the design and permit process completed before she could start construction. After asking several questions, we confirmed that there were no alterations or additions to the existing building being proposed, there were no new structures being proposed, and the scope of work truly consisted in a driveway. As architects, we are certainly capable of drawing a site plan that shows the existing conditions and the newly proposed driveway. However, our expertise on creating construction documents for paving, utilities, and site work stops there. A civil engineer is usually involved in projects involving commercial site work, and their construction documents would provide the details needed for permitting and construction, not ours. Since we work closely with several reputable civil engineers, we were happy to refer her to a few that we know can help her and informed her that our architectural services would be an unnecessary expense.
On another occasion we were contacted by a husband and wife who were planning to remodel several rooms in their home. We enjoy residential remodel projects, so we were excited to hear from them. However, as our conversation continued, we began to understand that the scope of work didn’t really necessitate an architect, because they were not trying to relocate, remove, or add any walls in the home, they weren’t trying to move any plumbing fixtures, appliances, or electrical fixtures, and they weren’t making any changes to the exterior of the home. In truth, what they needed was an interior designer to help them select new finish materials, and provide them with guidance on color schemes, furniture, and the like. In this case, we were happy to refer them to a good interior designer and told the couple they would be better served in that way.
in Conclusion
Ultimately, the decision to hire an architect depends on the specific requirements and goals for your project, and if in doubt, please give us a call! We will always seek to give you the best advice possible, even if that advice happens to be that you’d be better off not hiring us.