Benefits of this Architect: is about the values you receive when this Architect designs your house project. (one of their Mountain home project photos below):
1. TOP LICENSED ARCHITECT DESIGNS & MANAGES YOUR PROJECT (not draftsmen, or “designers”).
2. MORE DETAILED DOCUMENTS (to prevent surprises later).
3. 3D MOVIES OF YOUR PROJECT BEFORE IT IS BUILT (an optional service).
4. AVAILABILITY (9AM-9PM 365 days a year).
5. LARGER GLASS VIEW AREAS (rather than smaller windows)
Let’s look at each of these benefits in more detail:
1. TOP LICENSED ARCHITECT DESIGNS & MANAGES YOUR PROJECT (not draftsmen, or “designers”).
You may not be aware that what happens at some, if not most companies is that second echelon people often design and draw your project, from start to finish. In others, the “big guy” whose name is on the door, sketches some hazy lines with a pencil, then the real worker bees of the company make the actual drawings and details. Rarely do you actually have the Licensed Architect whose hand you shook when you signed the agreement, preparing EVERYTHING from start to finish on your project. That is the case with HOME ARCHITECTS®. You get the top Licensed Architect in the firm managing, designing, detailing and coordinating all architectural aspects of your project. And that’s who you talk to, when you need to discuss your project with the company. Not secretaries or secondary personnel. Thought a bigger company would be best? Think again. You’ll be comfortable knowing that he’s been doing this for about half a century and has been licensed as an Architect for over 38 years and has won multiple design awards for both public buildings and single family house projects he designed. You get the most qualified person doing your work with this firm.
BOTTOM LINE: NOT ALL FIRMS DO THIS. This firm does.
2. MORE DETAILED DOCUMENTS (to help prevent surprises later).
This firm typically provides more sheets of drawings, including multiple pages of detailed specifications for your project. Think that’s normal? Guess again. You’ll be horrified to learn that many firms have the attitude: “It’s only a house, we don’t need no stinking specs.” While that may sound funny, it’s tragic, and one of the reasons so many houses these days aren’t as durable as they should be, rot quickly, leak, fall down during today’s more frequent storms, lose energy and can even make you sick and allow bugs and other pests to enter your house.
Specifications for houses are rare these days. This company always provides them, usually 2-3 to up to 10 (24″x36″) sheets or more for some projects. Specifications, often called “Specs”, when properly done, are custom edited for each project to include the items important for your project.
Specs list the quality level, sizes, locations, assembly, source, delivery, installation, coordination and cleanup. This firm’s specs also often include thumbnail details, right there in the specs illustrating the best way to assemble the components into your project. Everybody uses the phrase “Plans & Specs”, but the next time you’re setting about doing a new house project and you’re talking to prospective firms, ask to see one of the firm’s specifications within the context of any particular home project. You might be surprised, if they stumble about and can’t find that to show you. Why: because it takes a great deal of skill, experience and dedication to include specifications in any project, especially in a SFR (Single Family Residence).
Providing some notes on the drawings isn’t adequate. Why: A home is one of the most complex and detailed types of projects on the planet. More is happening per square foot than in just about any other building type. There are countless items needing to be specified.
Another thing: this firm includes the specifications IN THE DRAWING SET. Why is this important? Because if you have a separate “spec book”, we have actually heard Contractors say: “What specs?” and notice that they’re using a spec book as a door stop. Sounds funny, doesn’t it? Well, not when you’re paying the Contractor to include the materials and systems you thought you were getting and discover that the old switcheroo has been made without your knowledge.
Happens all the time. Which is why this firm puts their specs IN THE DRAWINGS. Impossible to overlook them or to say they didn’t know. Get what you’re paying for. Make sure your Architect includes detailed, multiple page specifications in their drawing set.
This firm also typically provides Building Sections, Wall Sections, Door Schedule, Finish Schedule, Site Plan(s), Roof Plan, blow-up detail plans, details, and more for most of its projects (depending on scope of project). This level of detail helps Contractors understand how to build your project properly. A skimpy set of documents may cost you less during the design phase, but will cost you dearly in Contractor Change Orders during construction. Why: because the Contractor will say: “I didn’t see such and so in the drawings, so I didn’t include a price for that.” That’s called a Change Order and those are dirty words to most homeowners during construction. Why: because they require you to pay more money to the builder for features you thought were included, but weren’t indicated in the drawings or specs (if there were any).
What you pay your Architect to produce a well-detailed set of CDs (Construction Documents) will help save you unexpected Change Orders later in the project. Maybe not all, but certainly less.
There have been General Contractors whom have praised this firm’s documents as the most detailed they have every seen for Single Family Residences, comparable to or better than for many commercial projects, which is the way it should be, because houses are usually more detailed projects than an average office building, warehouse, recreation center or many others.
BOTTOM LINE: THIS FIRM PROVIDES MORE DETAILED DRAWINGS. Not all do.
3. 3D MOVIES OF YOUR PROJECT BEFORE IT IS BUILT (an optional service).
It’s been said that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. If that is true, then a movie is worth a million. In other words, seeing an animated video of a proposed project design, before it is actually built, gives not only the homeowners a better understanding of the design, it also helps the Contractors to better realize the project geometry and details before they even price it, so they will have fewer questions later and also, fewer change orders (because they better understand what they’re getting into before they even start building). That’s a valuable service to have available.
BOTTOM LINE: NOT ALL FIRMS CAN PROVIDE THIS SERVICE. This one can and does, as an optional additional service.
One of the Architect’s residential projects in South Carolina (click image for video)
4. AVAILABILITY (9AM-9PM 365 days a year).
Ever try to phone or email someone important to you after 5PM during a weekday, or during the evening, or on weekends? Like who? How about your Doctor, Lawyer or Accountant? Let’s include your Architect in that group. So. Ever tried that? Probably not. Why? Because you know you’re not going to get through to the person to whom you need to talk. And why is that? Because the professionals from whom you obtain your services feel that they have to have some personal time in their lives and that their personal time is more important to them that other things. Like you. Well, not this firm. You can phone or email this company 365 days a year, from 9AM through 9PM and actually talk to the Licensed Architect designing your project. Sound impossible? It’s not. Try it. You’ll find out it is true: 828-269-9046. Rand@HomeArchitects.com
Why does this Architect do this? Because he knows that you have an important job in your life and your own family and you don’t have time during normal working hours to talk with your Architect about your new house project. You will only probably have time during evenings or on weekends. It seems like the courteous thing to do: to be available when you have the time, at your convenience. Note: when the firm has been working very late on your project, they may not answer morning calls until 10AM from time to time. The firm has been known to exchange emails with Clients after midnight.
BOTTOM LINE: THIS ARCHITECT IS MORE AVAILABLE TO YOU THAN ANY OTHER. Not all firms promise this or provide this.
5. LARGER GLASS VIEW AREAS (rather then smaller windows)
One of the Architect’s projects with tall glass areas. (Click image for video)
Many Contractors and other firms seem to have difficulty understanding that Clients want to see more of the beautiful mountain views from their land, rather than the wall of their house. This translates into more glass, not less, and taller and wider glass areas, not shorter and thinner. There are Codes that involve DP (Design Pressure), and the DP varies with required wind resistance, particularly in mountain areas (not unlike hurricane force winds in coastal areas). But knowing how to achieve compliance with the wind rating and DP is crucial to knowing how to accomplish this magic act. This firm uses larger panes of glass (still energy compliant) that are wind zone complaint than many other firms. And the methods they use to accomplish this can be economical. Don’t you want larger glass areas in your next mountain house?
BOTTOM LINE: THIS ARCHITECT USES LARGER GLASS AREAS THAN MOST OTHERS SO YOU CAN ENJOY YOUR MOUNTAIN VIEWS.
6. BONUS BENEFIT: YOUR HOUSE WILL LIKELY SAVE MORE IN ENERGY THAN THE ENTIRE CONSTRUCTION COST OF THE HOUSE, OVER THE LIFETIME OF THE HOUSE.
Click here for more ENERGY EFFICIENCY IDEAS.
tags: benefits of this architect, mountain, Cashiers, Highlands, Lake Toxaway, Glenville, Hendersonville, Asheville, Sevierville, Aspen, Telluride, post and beam, timber frame