Cost-Saving/Value-Adding Design Tips from an Architect

[Josh Johnson]

Extraordinary architecture isn't dependent on expensive materials, complex details, or fancy decoration. Thoughtful design can transform ordinary materials, typical details, and minimal/no decoration into something more desirable and potentially more affordable. For me, architecture is simply creating order. It's observing all the constraints (project type, budget, familiar building materials/techniques, site, codes, etc.) and organizing them into a design strategy. Some of the following ideas were shared with me, others were lessons learned. So here are a few tips (not rules) to add value and save costs in the design:

Simple Forms
Don't try and get fancy. Some of my favorite buildings have four walls and a roof. I've been told from multiple builders that more corners = more cost. Pay attention to the other buildings in the neighborhood. Unless you're trying to make a statement, don't put a 16:12 roof on a two-story house in a post-war neighborhood filled with ranchers (happens all the time in Nashville).

Familiar Materials, Creative Implementation
Get familiar with local/common building materials, but look for opportunities to use them in a creative way. Just because white 3x6 subway tile is all you can afford doesn't mean you must install it in a running bond pattern. A stack bond pattern is appropriate in more contemporary situations. Exterior window trim might otherwise be 1x4 stock material on all sides with mitered corners. Add visual height and presence to that same window simply by using 1x4 on the sides (jambs) and 1x8 at the head and sill.

Modular Layout
Lots of building materials and construction methods are based on a 2-4' module (sheet goods, framing, masonry, finish materials, nailing patterns). Why not design your floor plan in 2' increments? You'll save in time and materials and have a grid that is the basis of creating order. Pay attention to center lines. Say you have three identical windows on 4' centers; the framing at the ceiling should have a void between joists to install a junction box or recessed light fixture directly centered on each window. And those center lines can carry all the way through the building; why not have a window, centered on a light fixture, centered on a door, centered on a hallway, centered on an entry to a room with a centered fireplace? It all aligns and fits within the modular layout, improving the quality of space while reducing waste and effort in construction.

Repeat-ability and Consistency
When possible, minimize varying sizes/types of the same building component. This includes cabinets, windows & doors, hardware, shower/tub inserts, among other things. When it comes to windows & doors I like to align the heads along an imaginary horizontal plane. If the doors are 7'-0" tall, the window might be 5'-0" tall with a 2'-0" sill height. And the kitchen cabinet carcasses ought to be nice and organized (you didn't forget about the 2' grid did you?) with a sink centered on an island, centered on a light fixture, centered on...

Finishes & Fixtures
Lots of potential to affect the budget here... But if the architecture is good (ordered and deliberate), then the finishes become less important. It's probably best to look at comps in the neighborhood. I like surface mounted lighting. It's often cheaper and less annoying to install and maintain than recessed lighting. And the buyer/tenant can upgrade easily if they don't like them. Plumbing fixtures and door/cabinet hardware don't need to be fancy, they just need to work well.

Consolidate Utilities
Consider plumbing and mechanical chases. If bathrooms can back up to each other, you can minimize runs of pipe/PEX, not to mention a single stack vent at the roof instead of two. It's not uncommon for a multi-story commercial building to be designed with a "service core" where all the systems, bathrooms, elevators, and other service functions are consolidated in one area.

Simplify Architectural Drawings
This is more for my fellow design-bid-build architects out there. I worked for an office several years ago whose clients got higher-than-normal bids from contractors simply because the architectural drawings appeared to be too complicated/expensive/high-end. Maybe that means take the fancy logo off the drawings and swap it out for text-only contact info. Maybe that means limit the amount of notes on the drawings. There's no need to have the same note twice. Use references, clearly organize drawings, beef up the index sheet with typical notes/details & coordination. When it comes time to pull a permit, only show the required drawings to the city. If you have a unique fireplace mantle detail, leave it out - the city doesn't need to see that one.

I hope there are some other architects & designers who can add to this list! Also hope this will be useful for those of you who decide against hiring an architect, or those of you who like to keep your architect in check!

-J