Let's talk about Architects...

[Chris Witt]

Hi all, 

New to BP community and have noticed not many posts mention architects (say in contrast to CPA, legal, contractors, lenders, etc). I am a licensed architect and an aspiring investor (Chicago) and am using my background/knowledge of construction, design, problem solving, drafting plans/renderings, etc as a way to differentiate myself. I understand the rehab business is different from new construction but I'm still a little surprised about the lack of exposure I'm seeing. 

Which leads me to my question: do you use architects regularly in your projects and what value do they bring to your investments? Or put another way, how would you suggest an architect promote themselves on this site?

Curious what others think!

[Nicholas Leone]

@Robert C, Great points. Architects need to hear that sort of stuff.

Your Point #1 - Not acceptable. Call your Architect on it the first time and it should go away. Let's him know what standard of work you expect.  If your architect cant track revision requests, it's a good sign that they can't track multiple balls at once.

Point #3 - Fee structure is tough. I'm part of a number of Architect groups and fee structure is always a hot topic. I love it when, as an Architect, my client tells me how they want to structure the fee. It tells me more about what they are looking for and how to meet their expectations. As a client, if I'm being billed hourly by an architect, each line better have sufficient detail to differentiate each task. 3 hours "drafting" isn't acceptable. What did you draft? What problems were resolved? Did you have to coordinate anything across multiple design disciplines?

Point #4 - We're both in the same area - I'd be happy to buy you a beer and explain why the Architects need to own the plans. My deliverables are fully functional PDFs and physical prints when needed. I'm not going to share the Revit file as I've spent hundreds of hours refining my Revit templates over the years. There is no way I'd turn that over to anyone else.  The solution developed over time is that the Architect owns the design and grants a license to the client for that specific project. It's less about who wants credit for a cool cabinet layout and more about not having the architect's design re-used without their permission. Same design used on 5 homes carries 5x the risk for the Architect - the compensation needs to reflect that in a way that fair and equitable.

For most remodel projects discussed on BP, I agree that an Architect is not necessary and can quickly erode a project's profitability. The more complex the project, the more likely an Architect is needed. I liked the internet doctor analogy that someone used. I'm not going to go to a doctor to learn how to apply a band-aid but I do want a doctor when I get the flu.