Design & Development in California

[Corbin Jones]

Hello Community! 

The intersection between architecture and real estate development is where I have spent the past three years of my life, researching and designing in an academic setting, and now I am ready to put my skills and theories to the test. 

Architecture has been my passion ever since I was a destructive young boy, and like most enthusiastic and idealistic emerging architects, there is a moment of reckoning when you discover the disconnect between how imagine architecture and the realities of the profession/industry. I remember the first time I saw a project delivery diagram, it dawned on me who really makes the decisions in the building process...the owner. So I asked myself "Well who exactly is that? Do they 'hire' the architect?", questions that changed the course of my professional outlook for good.  Over the course of two years went back and fourth from real estate lectures to design studios.  I learned that there is a fundamental disconnect between how the two groups viewed buildings.  To break it down very simply, architects see buildings as environments for people to house specific activities while real estate professionals (developers) see buildings as investments.  Well why can't they be both?

The build environment effects us all in some shape or form (no pun intended) and to approach real estate as both a design AND investment opportunity, i believe you can set yourself apart for the better.  

Architect as developer is an approach I am eager to deploy.  If anyone out there would like to connect on the topic of architectural design and real estate, please reach out!

[Dorene Mangels-Bacalhau]

@Corbin Jones it is so true about wearing both hats. Too many times I see a house flip back on the market with little time and money invested only looking for the big pay day. Those fast flips are obvious since they kept a crummy layout-why bother with "the lipstick on the pig" approach? It's usually shoddy workmanship with cut-corners to fool the perspective homebuyer. Those despicable investor types should be the definition of a "house-hacker". As for the hiring of professionals such as Architects and Designers...some are narcissistic and don't take their client's wishes and lifestyle into account while other times the fault is the micromanagement of the homeowner. 

I am currently witnessing the latter with my friend's addition(over 2yrs in the making). She and her husband bought at the height of the market thinking the only changes they had to tackle were dated floral wallpaper and paint colors. They completely overlooked the 7' ceilings throughout, steep shallow staircase, and minuscule master closets. They were newly married and had no children yet. The 3br/ 1.5ba/ 1-car garage on1/2acre appeared huge compared to the 1br apartment they were sharing w/2kittens. The listing boasted 'NEW' Kitchen & Bath and they were blinded by the clean white kitchen cabinets/tumbled marble backsplash and new vanity in the main bath that they didn't see how cheaply it was done. As they settled in and started expanding their family quality issues arose as did the lack of space. They had made changes outside immediately to personalize the house and  improve its curb appeal. With two growing children they had hired an architect for plans for an addition before finding out she was expecting her third. This back and forth with plans has been years; I even tried to help her putting what we discussed in floor plan & in 3D with various budget options to get her everything on her wish list most economically. She ultimately went in a completely different direction...literally-the addition is now out the side which maxed out 16' wide. It doesn't fulfill 1/2 what she was aiming for and relocated the laundry and mudroom further from convenience. By the look of the addition from the outside it doesn't seem like an architect was involved at all.  Proportions and style doesn't tie in to what's existing or enhance it. I wonder if she's still working with him and he's just trying to screw them over for dragging it out on tier pricing or did they think with the contractor could do better?