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In most residential construction, the use of an architect's services is optional. So why use an architect for your project? A well-trained architect tailors a design to an individual, taking particular needs and particular locations into account. An architect is concerned with aesthetic issues, manipulating proportions, alignments, masses, voids, and materials to create pleasing results. An architect specifies the use of materials, finishes, and fixtures best suited to achieve the client's goals.

People wonder if an architect's involvement in a project will drive up the cost. Architectural design fees pay for extensive forethought about a project before the hammers swing or concrete is poured. By thinking through and drawing the design in detail, an architect can identify potential trouble spots where special attention may be required, thus minimizing surprises and controlling costs. A well considered, well executed design adds value to your home.

An architect juggles many factors when solving a design problem. While sharing the contractor's concerns with getting the project built and meeting the budget and schedule, an architect integrates a broad range of additional concerns, including the following:

providing spaces for a client's unique needs and requirements
how the project expresses the client's feelings, values, and priorities
how the project relates to its site
how the project fits into its neighborhood
how the project fits into its historical context
how the details enhance the overall effect
how the project is structured
long- and short-term economic benefits of design strategies and material, finish, and fixture selections
jurisdictional limitations
energy and environmental responsibility
planning ahead for optional future changesin remodels or additions, how new work will fit with or contrast with existing construction

Ideally, an architect designs with all of these things in mind, creating a few alternative schemes for the client to consider. These may solve the problem in satisfying ways that the client has not even considered. When a favorite scheme is in hand, the architect develops the design into a detailed set of working documents that can be used for estimates, bids, permits, and construction. During this process, there is time for client feedback to help refine and hone the specifics of the design.

In the construction phase, the architect observes and reviews the work in progress for conformance with the design intent and the contract documents. During this phase, the architect's role is to protect the interests of the client. An architect's broad range of concerns, knowledge, skills, and experience can smooth the way through this exciting and complex process.