Your home of 20 years is for sale. You want to start building your new property immediately, so that after you’ve found a buyer for your old house, you can move right into the new one. The problem is, you’ve heard that building a home can be challenging even if you live nearby. Exactly how do you build a home, let alone find a good architect, when you are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away?

Research Architects

Kevin Qualls, an architect and partner with Springline Architects, based in the Virgin Islands, is familiar with this problem. Seventy-five percent of his clients live off the island. He suggests homebuyers visit the web site for the American Institute of Architects, the professional organization for architects (www.aia.org), and search for a local architect by the new property’s zip code.

If you already have a builder, ask for referrals. Also, tap local friends for recommendations. “You want to find an individual that is competent and respected by the people who will be building your home,” says George Geiger, partner with the firm Geiger, O’Herren & Nance Architectural & Interior Design. Geiger points out that you may not need a registered architect to draw residential plans. “You can use a draftsman with design experience and talent. This will save you a lot of money. You may get more detail than you want or need from a full architect.”

With some names in hand, ask to see the architect/residential designer’s portfolio, visiting existing homes, meeting several past clients and asking if he or she has a working relationship with local builders.

Lastly, you need to like his or her architectural style and feel comfortable with his personality. The designer needs to be able to understand your vision and put it on paper.

Go Local

Qualls strongly recommends finding an architect who lives in the area of the new property. “I work in a fairly unique area, so here at least, it is important that buyers hire a local architect with an understanding of the climate, environment and local rules and regulations. There are architects who do work all over the world. You want someone with local knowledge,” he says.

In some areas, building a home can be very site-specific. Architects have to deal with geographic features such as steep hillsides and must know how to build a home that meets local building codes.

Check Out Personal Style

Experts recommend interviewing several architectural candidates to find one with a style that matches your preferences. Some architects specialize in certain styles of homes. You would probably be better off selecting someone who specializes in the style of home you are pursuing.

Is the Work Guaranteed?

What are you actually getting with your set of plans? Will you receive a guarantee that the plans will work?

Some plans work better than others and that usually goes back to the architect and the way the home is designed. Know if your architect would be willing to help should a problem arise during construction.

Anticipate Revisions

Architects know that having patience is an important part of their work. They also know that designing a home for someone is not likely to be perfect on the first draft. It can sometimes take three or four times until you get exactly the design you want.

While homebuyers should want their home to be perfect, they must realize that there is a limit to the number and extent of changes that should be made. Also, remain open-minded. Most often, when an architect tells a homebuyer that their request can’t be fulfilled, it’s not because they’re being difficult or contrary. More likely, it’s because the request isn’t architecturally feasible.

What You’ll Pay

Before going too far, find out how the designer charges. Many architects will charge by the square foot and come up with a fixed fee at the outset.

Making changes to conceptual drawings is simple, but changing completed architectural drawings will be costly. It is advisable to get a builder involved early for cost guidance.

Some architects are paid based upon a percentage of the construction cost. Qualls figures his fee by first understanding the scope of the project. Then he puts together a preliminary estimate, including the cost per square foot. Using that as a reference point, he calculates a percentage of the construction costs as his fee. “It is usually fixed so that everyone understands what the final price will be,” he explains.

Builder vs. Architect

Sometimes a builder will assert that the plan provided by the architect is not feasible within the budget, and the homebuyer is caught in the middle.

If you have an independent architect and a builder working together, experts say it is up to the homebuyer to make sure they are aware that they must coexist on your project.

Builders argue that independent architects will consistently design homes that are not based upon accurate costs. Architects, they say, get their fee up front. A year later, when it is actually time to build, the buyer finds out that the home cannot be completed within the budget and has nowhere to turn.

At this point, the homebuyer and builder are left to find ways to cut the cost of the home. For this reason, it may be advantageous to the homebuyer to hire an architect who works for the builder. In other words, if you want to avoid being caught in the middle, consider hiring a design/build firm to take the project from vision to final construction.

Building by Remote Control

With today’s technology, monitoring progress with the architect and with subsequent construction can be quite simple, even if you live thousands of miles away. Digital cameras, the Internet, overnight mail and email all help architects and builders keep out-of-town clients informed of the latest construction developments. If you are worried about security, consider installing cameras at the job site for 24-hour surveillance.

“I have a client in Egypt. I email her drawings and she can comment on them and send them back,” says Qualls. “Sometimes I can communicate with remote clients easier with email than by using the phone.”

At the outset, however, homebuyers will want to sit down with their architect or builder and talk over ideas face-to-face to ensure that everyone is in agreement. You may want to meet again to review schematic designs so that you can give your feedback and ask questions in person. After that, designing and building remotely can be done using today’s wealth of communication technology.

The Bottom Line

When building remotely, homebuyers need to retain a professional team, including an architect and builder with solid reputations who will work together. Homebuyers have a responsibility, too. They need to do their homework and educate themselves before meeting prospective architects.

Save time, money and frustration by finding the right designer. Think and plan ahead and you’ll enjoy the design process.

Sidebar — Questions to Ask an Architect

1. Does the architect provide cost estimates?
2. Is the architect licensed? Is he or she certified?
3. How many homes has he or she designed?
4. Ask for references.
5. How much will it cost?
6. What do you get for the cost of the plans?
7. Is the work guaranteed?
8. How many revisions will you be allowed before paying more money?
9. Ask about the timeframe. How long will it take? What is required of you?
10. Will the architect provide preliminary plans and how long will you have to make changes?
11. What is the protocol for making changes?
12. Will you receive all elevations of the home?

Reprinted from Living Southern Style magazine, www.LiveSouth.com.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 10th, 2007 at 10:20 am and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.