Trying to pick our architect! What should I ask?
dsnine
5 years ago
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Do I have a bone to pick, should I pick it, and who pays for it?
Comments (13)The reason one window in the bedroom is operable is in order to meet the code requirement for an emergency escape and rescue opening in all bedrooms. I have many times advised homeowners on the GW to not allow a builder to use the cryptic convention of using 60 to mean 72" or 6'-0" on the elevation drawings. (By the way, in my experience, 60 means 72" as silly as that seems) All window sizes should be dimensioned in rough opening feet - inches for the benefit of the framer. All windows should be specified separately for the benefit of the supplier in a Window Schedule that shows the manufacturer, model, rough opening, glass type, color, mullions, hardware, etc. Otherwise you are asking for mistakes. You might ask the GC where the horizontal mullion/sash rail is in the middle of the windows that were ordered for the front of the house. Something stinks; I think someone is making you take responsibility for their unprofessional mistakes. I not only provide clients with window schedules, I insist on reviewing the order before it is submitted which is a tedious and thankless job since all manufacturers use different cryptic conventions for their order sheets. I have never checked an order where there wasn't a mistake and some of them would have been very expensive to correct after delivery. Sometimes a window manufacturer will make a mistake with a correct order but that can be corrected at no cost to the owner. The issue here is documentation. If the correct windows were documented all errors should be corrected at no cost to the owner with no debate. I should also add that in the past 40 years I've known only one GC to order through a lumberyard/box store instead of a wholesale window supplier and the resulting mistakes in that order were the worst I've ever seen....See MoreWhat questions should I ask Landscape architect?
Comments (8)You might want to do a web search including key words of your question, along with "gardenweb" and "Landscape Design forum". While the Landscape Design forum currently has fewer professionals now, it once had quite a number of helpful (though not always tactful) pros and I learned a lot there. Since this is a design/style thing, not only do you want to find someone who listens and has the appropriate training, but you want someone whose style fits what you want. So get references and not only talk to the reference for the same type of thing you would ask on any job, but either look at some of their work in person or look at their portfolio. There are also differences between landscape architects, landscape designers, and engineers, and depending on what you want done, different folks will bring different levels and types of expertise and training to the job. Some general things to think about before you have your meeting(s): Make a list of what you want in your yard and how you want to use it, ignoring what is currently there and not there. Are you a gardener and want to grow ornamentals or vegetables? Will you do your own maintenance or will you hire real gardeners or a mow, blow, and go service? Do you have kids or pets, and if so what are their needs? What is the traffic flow in your yard and do you want to change some of this? Do you like to entertain, and for what size groups? Do you like sitting out in your yard? Do you need to have any storage (trash cans, compost, lawn mower, etc.)? What issues and problems are there, such as lack of an afternoon shaded seating area or water flow or views you want to borrow or others you want to block, etc. What is your budget, and will you be doing this all at once or in stages, will you be doing the work or do you plan to hire out the work? A good book on home landscaping will probably have more of these questions to answer. Once you have thought through and answered some of these questions, you will be more ready to evaluate whether your landscape architect is right for you. You might also want to sketch out ideas, look at other folks' yards, look at other yards and gardens on the web or in books from the library so you can bring things that appeal to the meeting. In general, hardscape needs to be done first, but is also the most expensive part of the job, followed by any soil work. The plants will be the last thing added....See MoreWhat should I expect from my architect? Long!
Comments (22)Omelet's right. All architects are different to some degree but no different than that of any other profession. But as others have noted above, most successful design results come from a highly collaborative effort with the client involved every step of the way. A couple of weeks later I asked if we could meet and he showed me his preliminary plan. To be honest, that scared me a little bit. I'm a believer that the best designers are fast on their feet. Coming up with the basic concept, or "big idea" ("Parti" in architect speak), should be highly interactive with all the conceptualizing done right there. Depending on project complexity, we all have to go "back to the shop" to some degree to fine tune up the "big idea" but if a guy/girl ALWAYS has to do that, IMHO he/she is probably not that creative. I do these sessions all the time, call them design “charrettes” and they typically last 4 or 5 hours and at the end of that time we have a house conceptualized. And no spectators are allowed as everyone there is an active participant! And you’d be surprised at the number of great design ideas a builder or owner can come up with. I do all the drawing freehand and if a “straight” line is needed, I just use the edge of my scale. A computer drawing may show what I know but a sketch will show what I’m thinking. To remove some of the mystery and to give you an idea of what you should be shooting for, here’s a recent charrette and it’s interesting in that the sketch in the photo I'm working on is the first floor plan (first sketch photo) and you can see how close the final “hard line" is to that sketch. There's usually dozens if not hundreds of sketches. This highly condensed explanation might make it appear there's one per floor!! I put a little star in a circle on the ones that are important so I can find them later in the debris field! That’s the builder in the grey shirt flanked by the owners and me with pen in hand. We started at 8AM and by noon we had the freehand sketches below. I hardlined them later so everyone could understand what we did but most of the designing was done in that meeting. And here's the actual charrette sketches, the fine tuned sketches (done later) and the final. Hopefully you can see the concept is all carried forward from the first "big idea" to the final. And also, everything is thought of simultaneously. We're not coming up with a floor plan and then "tacking on" elevations. And we're stopping design at the property lines, not at the exterior walls, like most posted plans in this forum do. This sketch is the actual one I'm working on the the charrette photo: First floor "Big Idea": Second Floor "Big Idea": Elevations and plans interposed Fine tuned up Final....not much different from the freehand conceptuals that were developed interactively:...See MoreShould I move the kitchen or bathroom? Or try to work with what I have
Comments (3)I have a washing machine in my kitchen area and HATE IT! I see in your option 3 you have the stacked washer and dryer in your eating nook. In my household there are always laundry baskets that have to be stored somewhere (which takes up space in an already small kitchen). Just something to think about. Also, is there a reason you need a bathtub on the main floor? If you could get rid of it you'd have alot more space because you wouldn't need such a huge bathroom....See Moredsnine
5 years ago
beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
5 years agodsnine thanked beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionallydsnine
5 years agobeckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
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5 years agodsnine thanked beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionallydsnine
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5 years ago
PROMark Bischak, Architect
5 years ago
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