Architect vs general contractor vs interior designer?
Hutchae84 Zone 8b/PNW
6 years ago
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gtcircus
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Architect vs. Kitchen designer?
Comments (48)I for one being an architect, and I assume most architects would put more time and get a better design if the client would be willing to pay us for the increased time and design that would go into a kitchen design. "you want to pay me an extra $4000 to design kitchen, I would love to do that...tell me about your kitchen use, yadd, yadda, yadda," I love to cook and enjoy designing kitchens. No one in this thread seemed to pick up on the extra cost of a kitchen designer. Requiring an architect to move a structural wall or rehabbing a house doesn't apply to every location, but here in Chicago it does for almost all work. So to get a kitchen designer, which people do, it cost more money. One has to realize the scope of the project you talked with your architect, if you want a great kitchen designed to your needs and wants, tell him/her and they will listen. They should charge more for the increased cost just as an extra designer is going to cost more. You get what you paid for. If a client wants me to do more work without paying, I will politely explain to them that it will not happen. I am an architect, but I am also a businessman. On contrary to what was discussed above, architects are trained in kitchen design and most learn during internships how to improve upon this and how cabinetry is built, that includes custom cabinetry. Custom is difficult to get from a kitchen designers since they want to sell their products and get more profit. (semi-custom is NOT custom) In my opinion if you are only touching the kitchen cabinets and appliances and nothing else, then get a kitchen designer. If anything else is involved get an architect and express to her/him what you want in the kitchen, if they don't seem to get it, find another one; we are not all the same....See MoreDesigner vs contractor
Comments (41)Fools rush in where angels fear to tread...So make way for me. So I know very little about the specifics of this subject but I have a blot of experience with the agency problem. I think the truth is that you guys are probably both right. Design build firms certainly will have a conflict of interest that doesn't exist in the design-bid-build model. Essentially, design build firms are nothing more than backward or forward vertical integration of the building process (depending whether contractor led or architect led.) The problem with backward or forward vertical integration is that by definition it is limiting. As a contractor you are tying yourself to a few architects or designers who have in turn tied themselves to you. Now all this sounds really bad, but in truth it is really good for a lot of consumers. Vertical integration produces synergy which cuts down on time and produces efficiencies which convert to dollar savings. You will get a house faster and cheaper, holding everything else equal. The problem is that everything else is not always held equal. A design build firm will certainly build the same house cheaper but they do not necessarily build the same house. In fact, I would be very surprised if any design build firm didn't frequently supersede the owner's desires with their effeciencies. Again, that may be a good thing for a typical buyer, but atypical buyers would not be serviced as well by design build firms. It is impossible to achieve goal alignment for clients who want items that are inefficiencies for the builder. When goal alignment doesn't exist people will maximize their benefit to the detriment of others. In other words they will usually do what is better for the firm. I think what Renovator was getting at was that for the typical client who cares about money and time, design build firms are good. However, for the atypical client (which he identified as clients spending more money, but I identify as clients who simply are not concerned about the relative cost) a traditional design-bid-build would be preferred. Having said all that, using non residential construction is not really comparable to residential construction. First, because many multi-family and commercial projects will come with more specifics, and more importantly commercial really isn't design-build, it is closer to bid-design-build. Your competitive bidding and protection of consumers comes prior to the acceptance of the job. Finally, because I haven't typed enough already, just because architects benefit from saying that clients need an agent doesn't make it not true. Clients will absolutely benefit from someone in their corner but may not benefit enough to make doing it reasonable. Which brings us to the second point, having already hired and paid the designer in this case there was no reason not to keep them. Letting them go can't help and keeping them might....See MoreAura vs Regal Classic: Interior Designer & Contractor at War
Comments (9)There is no primer in any can of paint. Paints are just self-priming now. It's an improvement in the technology of paint. They aren't actually putting primer in the cans. This all started when Behr first put 'primer in the can' in their marketing and ever since then people think there is actually primer mixed in with the paint. There isn't. What self priming means is that you do not have to use a primer for every surface. Really, self priming paint has been around for decades. It's just the marketing that has changed because manufacturers figured out you could trick people into buying their paint by making them think they are saving a step because you don't need to prime. You didn't need to prime before. We never primed even when using Regal Classic. Primers are still good things though. We still use them on raw wood, new drywall, etc. and they are still useful on surfaces that are slick where we are concerned about adhesion. I would certainly prime bare metal....See MoreInterior Architecture vs Interior Design Programs?
Comments (5)There's basically three designations that are recognized: architects, interior designers, and interior decorators. To be a licensed architect you need either a Master's degree, or a 5-year bachelors of architecture degree, plus X number of years of work experience, plus passing the licensing exam. In all, this can take anywhere from 5 to 7 years after graduation to become licensed depending on whether you have a masters or a bachelors. Most architects do both building envelope and interior configuration. But they may not always specify interior finishes. An interior designer generally has a bachelors, plus 40 to 60+ additional credit hours in an accredited program. To be certified you also have to take an exam, but it's not nearly as rigorous. A CID can work on interior reconfiguration, spec finishes, and stamp their own drawings IF there are no structural changes. If there are, either a structural engineer or an architect provides supplemental drawings for permitting. Interior decorators fill the spaces; they don't create/configure the spaces. No education is required for this and if they are involved in remodeling, they generally outsource construction docs. So, when I was in design school, I too was told there's no such thing as "Interior Architecture". You're either an architect who does interiors or you're a designer. As far as I know, there is no government recognition of "interior architect" or a separate license/certification. To confuse you further, many people who have gone to architecture school never take the exam to be licensed. In those cases, they are "architectural designers" and often work at architecture firms where someone who is licensed can sign off on their work. There are indeed real differences. Someone passing themselves off as an architect without the training or experience is overselling their capabilities. But not all projects require an architect. A kitchen or bath remodel, for example, can be comfortably handled by any reputable, certified designer....See MoreHutchae84 Zone 8b/PNW
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoUser
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoHutchae84 Zone 8b/PNW
6 years agoElle
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agopartim
6 years agogtcircus
6 years agoAnthony C
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoaprilneverends
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoJoseph Corlett, LLC
6 years agoH.E.D.E Gardens and landscaping
6 years agoNancy Walton
6 years agoJoseph Corlett, LLC
6 years agoJudyG Designs
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoEdmond Kitchen & Bath LLC
6 years agoCharles Ross Homes
6 years ago
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