When building or renovating a house, you’ll find one piece of advice is to hire an architect but do you really need one and are they worth it?
In this article we cover:
- Are architects worth it?
- What you’ll gain from hiring an architect
- What you risk from not hiring an architect
Q: My partner and I have already done one self-build before and don’t think we really need an architect for our second one. What do you think?
Andrew says: Unless you are going the turnkey kit-house route I think you’d be crazy not to use an architect, even given your previous experience.
Having done one build successfully doesn’t bring you anywhere close to the experience and clout of an architect. It will be money very well spent.
I don’t know what you used your architect for on the previous build but experience shows they can offer all kinds of services and knowledge that would be impossible for you to match after even as many as five self-builds. They also have professional indemnity cover that you will not have.
If in any doubt about what an architect or any other professional designer can offer, have a look at the list below. As with so many complex undertakings in life, when things go well one can often manage without a professional. When things go pear-shaped, though, they earn their money many times over. And in the world of house building so many things can, and do, go wrong.
You’ll be making a huge personal investment of time, energy, money and emotion in your build and, as a result, may be unable to make good decisions. In contrast, your architect will simply see it as another job that has to be done well. This dispassionate approach will pay dividends for you time and again.
A good architect will:
- Look at your site and assess its viability
- Prepare design options for your consideration
- Design your house, maybe, even your landscaping
- Prevent you from making silly mistakes that you’ll later regret and that could be costly to remedy
- Guide you through ecological/sustainably options that could affect your long-term finances
- Help you decide on materials they know will be acceptable to the local planners
- Make a digital £D representation of your home so you and others can express their views
- Send suitable drawings to the planning department and negotiate with the planners on your behalf: some of these officials will be well known to your architect who may then be able to effect all kinds of solutions you would find impossible
- Negotiate planning appeals
- Ensure your build will conform to the requirement of local and national regulations
- Help find find other professionals you may need, such as engineers/surveyors/experts on geology/ecology advisors/interior designers/mechanical and electrical experts and so on
- Oversee the tendering process and advise on which quotation to accept
- Create a detailed specification document
- Work with a quantity surveyor to get your costing accurate before you start building anything
- Use his/her local knowledge of suppliers and other building contacts on your behalf
- Do the drawing and detailing required to satisfy the planners and building control officials
- Do all the necessary construction drawings so the builder can price and then build the whole thing
But, most important of all, your architect will be a listening ear and informed intermediary between the mass of officialdom and other self-interested parties who’ll appear to be getting in the way of you having what you want. This takes a lot of skill and a knowledge of how to ‘play the game’.
