There are many reasons why a person buys a piece of land or a building lot besides the desire to build his or her dream home. The reason for the purchase may be the proximity of the property to work, schools or transportation routes - or it could be because of the price of the land. And in most cases a custom home will be built on the site but others will choose engineered or mobile homes.

A few prospective home builders will choose a lot because of the view or because it is on a waterway. In these cases there is a common reason: each one wants to take full advantage of the property to enjoy frontage and the view it has to offer. Many of these people will consult architects to make these dreams into real homes.

The Design

An architect takes the ideas of the client and puts them into practice. He or she achieves this aim by using the extensive knowledge gained from a thorough education and years of practice, and combining this with the building laws and the physical requirements of the project. In the United States licenses are given out depending on the requirements of state where the candidate will be practicing. However, there is a parity association called the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards to monitor parity between the states.

In some cases what the client wants and what the architect can deliver may vary because the building codes or county bylaws will not allow it. In the case of waterfront construction there are environmental concerns regarding the proximity of the home to the water and, in the case of rural dwellings, a strict set of codes surrounding sewage disposal. Sometimes the architect will visit the property to advise the client before the purchase is made.

Once the building site has been purchased the architect will walk the property to decide what structure will best suit the land. There will also be attention paid to nature effects like sun position, wind direction and trees. These factors will affect both the comfort level inside and outside the home like the HVAC system and the placement of outdoor living areas. With this in hand, plus the requirements of the county and the client, the architect can go about designing the structure.

Construction

Another valuable service the architect provides is to put the project out to tender and choose a general contractor. This is an extremely important function because it takes the guesswork out of the equation, a stressor that haunts many people who enter into the homebuilding realm. Because once the ground is broken the contractor is pretty well in charge, but an architect will maintain both the integrity of the build and the time considerations.

Many times contractors will take on more work than they can handle because the work is available and they think they can fit it all in. What happens is that many projects sit idle while the contractor tries to fulfill other commitments. An architect will pick a contractor who can maintain a schedule while providing a first-class job at the stated price.

From the onset the architecture firm will supply all the plans needed for the contractor and subtrades for the bid. The budget is drawn up and it is up to the architect to monitor and carry out the building instructions based on the bottom line. This includes visiting the site on a regular basis, meeting with the contractor and giving regular updates to the client. At every juncture of the project the architect signs off on the various items validating that they have been completed to the standards setup when the contracts were signed.

The Completed Project

Hiring a general contractor who has a draftsman on salary to print out CAD diagrams of what the home will look like may cheaper on the front end but you have to consider the whole ride. Because building a custom home can be a wild adventure that is not the happy kind. In the end the 7% (average cost) that you pay the architect may save you many thousands of dollars in addition to getting the dream home built on time and on budget. But the biggest advantage to hiring an architect transcends the monetary concerns. This perk is that someone else is dealing with the day to day problems that come with deadlines, diverse personalities and natural disruptions such as snow and rain.

For more information on architects contact