Take a deep breath. Exhale.

Finding a good architect is as challenging as finding a good doctor. Or attorney. Or whatever. So keep looking. They are out there. Most of the best ones don't work for a builder or do plans at an online plan factory.

Your current plan is simply a builder's "fat" plan, which isn't concerned about siting, natural light, your needs or living patterns. It's dominated by a snout garage. And expects whomever owns it to adapt their living to the plan, which is the exact opposite of what a custom house design should do.

If you haven't already, search and read some of the past threads, like "Designing a Custom Home" written by someone I know.

Good luck on your journey--exciting times ahead.

See if you can find someone who works by themselves or is even semi retired. Where will the house be located? (General area. I ask because maybe someone knows of an architect.)

Virgil, I'm perplexed--I've heard before the "adapt their living to the plan" and it has seemed to us that this plan has fit the way we live--and that all the windows to the rear of the house look out on our wooded backyard.

I'm not wanting to be defensive here--I'm trying to understand if there's something I should be thinking about that will lead to a better home the next time around.

DuPage County, Illinois. It's not a very interesting lot -- no views.

CP described my architect perfectly.

I agree finding an architect is tough. In my (rural) area, there isn't enough residential work to keep anyone afloat. Most all architects here do 1-2 houses a year at most. I ended up finding a residential architect from a larger area who is retiring to this area :)

Bethohio- I think the basic idea of your plan is what you want the trouble is that now you want it as a ranch and need to presumably add at least on bedroom to it. I presume then that the roofing will be enormous (though admittedly, I am terrible about visualizing roofs). I would think that if your lot allows, pulling and stretching this plan out will help move things in a better direction?

If stock plans, jigs and jogs, fat interiors, designers vs. Architects are so undesirable, why are plan factories builders and designers still successful? The world is a buffet, a variety platter - and it's ok. There is a point where one could mull over and go back and forth so much over a home as a whole, it could make them crazy. Relax and go with what speaks to you.

You are telling me that you are near Chicago and can't find a good architect? We are talking Chicago! By the way, I love Naperville.

If stock plans, jigs and jogs, fat interiors, designers vs. Architects are so undesirable, why are plan factories builders and designers still successful?

Why do people eat at Applebee's when they could eat at the local restaurant that creates original pairings using farm fresh foods (for the same price)? Or why do they eat at Domino's Pizza when they could eat at the local pizza place that makes their own dough, tomato sauce and buys the freshest mozzarella cheese?

Because many times people don't know better and they believe the hype.

And because nowadays, the visual arts are not taught in schools. They are considered an unnecessary thing to teach. So too many never learn to discern good design from run of the mill design.

There is a point where one could mull over and go back and forth so much over a home as a whole, it could make them crazy.

Agreed. However there are some basics such as trying to get light into every room that works for most people.

One other thought. Stock plans are designed to appeal to the greatest number of "average" people. They aren't selling to one family. They need to sell their plans to hundreds of families to make their money.

It's the same reason when you go to sell your house, you're told it's best to keep everything neutral; to appeal to the greatest number of people. Give the people what they think they want.

But if you're spending the money to build a custom home, why appeal to the average instead of to you and your family? Why not build for your needs and not the average? If you're spending 6 figures of your hard earned money, why not make the house be what you need, instead of trying to fit your needs into the house?

naf_naf, it's not that there aren't tons of architects in Chicago--it's that I don't have a clue as to go about finding which ones to contact and how to tell via email/phone if we want to try to set something up in person. We are not there--we haven't moved yet, but we want to have plans and start the permit process before we move.

On webpages, the images all tend to be the most luxurious high-end homes--and that's not what we're looking for. Reasonably enough, the sites don't show floor plans and that makes it even harder to know if they design the sort of thing we're looking for.

I'm used to knowing how to make things happen--this is unfamiliar territory for me.

My experience - lots of architects can design a nice house for low to mid range custom/ semi custom clients. Don't get hung up on website photos.

Cast a wide net. See what you catch. We took a trip to our new area specifically to interview architects. Our "funnel" was approximately this:

100 potential architects 》40 emails 》30 responses 》10 in person interview appointments/2 phone interviews 》2 second interviews 》1 selection.

Our error was in thinking only one architect could design our home. Not true. There's only so much you can do architecturally with a sub-million budget in this area. The relationship is more important. That, and the persons willingness to spend time with you.

Good luck!

What's wrong with your own house? You sure have a LONG way to go from the kitchen to the DR, and I imagine you rarely use this room.

Bethohio3 wrote, "...I don't have a clue as to go about finding which ones to contact and how to tell via email/phone if we want to try to set something up in person..."

Well, just for fun, I googled "architects in Chicago who do custom homes" and got a ton of listings, including this one from our very own Houzz web site here, which hosts this forum: http://www.houzz.com/professionals/architect/chicago

Maybe this will help...! :-)

Confession 1: I'm really bad at waiting for things

I think you should address this early on as the process will try your patience. Things "seem" to take twice as long as you may expect (or want). I am learning.

Anglophilia, as I wrote, we use (and always intended to use) the formal dining room as an office. Aside from our bedroom, the two offices are the rooms that get the most use. (I'm in it now, in fact) Someone else may, or may not, choose to use it as a dining room some day--we haven't. Our "nook" is intentionally large enough for a table for 10 to allow it to be our dining area.

jn3344--you cast a wide net! Perhaps that's our best approach--it's not that I can't find a list of architects (that part is easy)--it's knowing which to contact. I guess I can contact a huge bunch and see what comes up. Ideally, I'd like to find someone who does a charette approach.

First look at the websites. Even if the houses shown are very high end they'll give you an idea to the architects vision. After all if you're dreaming of a shingle style home, you don't want to hire an architect who specializes in modern sugar cube houses

Some architects "specialize" and some do not. Cpartist's advice--look at their website--is good advice. You will begin to see either a diversity of work or a certain consistency of work there. Neither approach is "better" or "worse" than the other, simply different. Many architects can and prefer to work in a range of vocabularies. Better to look on their web site for the scope and scale of the work to see how closely (or not) it corresponds to your own project (as you see it). Probably an example of a potential mismatch is an architect whose works revolve around 8,000 SF custom homes for someone who wants to add a bedroom and a bath to their existing rancher.

The OP articulated my current frustrations perfectly. In my online website searches for architects, I encounter many photos of projects that show many fat house/roof and "out of scale" elevations. In my area I see either McMansiony or craftsman knock-offs. When looking at the architect's previous custom home projects, what if the "issues" I see were in response to his customer requests or ideas? Or what if the design is perfectly acceptable and It is I who lacks the knowledge to discern design? (My question is not meant to hijack OPs post, just want to continue this discussion in hopes that OP and myself could learn more!)

I don't even have a website and I've never had a lack of work......well, let's not talk about 2009 but the dearth of work that year had nothing to do with not having a website.

But, ARG, how does someone like me (not local) find someone like you?

By standing in line at WalMart and overhearing the two people in front of you saying "I know a guy.....".

Seriously, there is no good answer for that. In truth most of the good referrals (for an owner) come from a totally unplanned and random environment. Interestingly, now that I think about it, much like meeting a future life partner!

Edit: And in that regard let me forward a thought by our own Mark Bischak: [Selecting an architect is] akin to selecting a spouse, you will know when you find the
right one. It's even easier, you don't have to sit through boring dinners or
watch movies together.

And regarding a "totally unplanned and random environment"....it reminded me of this funny story......

I have a detached garage in front of my house (a bunch of mumbo jumbo design theory reasons for that which I'll skip here), it was August and I was standing in my courtyard between the house and garage, cooling down from a run.

Hot as blazes.....totally soaked and dripping with sweat.....A little beat up from the run.....I'd taken off my shirt to facilitate the dripping..... dirty....hadn't shaved in three days.....smelled like a high school locker room....No question I resembled one of the bushwackers in "Deliverance".

Anyway, a lady comes walking through my gate and starts asking me a bunch of questions about the distance from the garage to the house.....to the street.....size of the garage....height of the garage.....lot width.....height of house.....height of fencing....etc.

She finally asks "Who was the architect?". I had no choice but to reply "I hate to admit this, but you're lookin' at him!"

Turned out her and her husband had just purchased a narrow lot and were thinking of a detached garage and she was just driving by and saw mine. The discussion morphed into an impromptu interview, my first and hopefully last shirtless one! I went into the house to get a card, being very careful to hold it by the edges so to keep the sweat off it.

Two days later got a "Let's go" call from her.

Oh my goodness ARG, that is too funny. I guess when I'm in the check out line I'd better put the tabloids down and start talking to people. ;)

You bring up a good point though. I think I am searching for a perfect "formula" and in some ways this project is not going to work like that.

You bring up a good point though. I think I am searching for a perfect "formula" and in some ways this project is not going to work like that.

Nothing is perfect. Only good enough, or the best possible within the parameters.