I have not received any money yet, so they probably are doing the right thing and looking for a local architect.

I have noticed many people spend a lot of time searching online plan factories for house plans that fit their needs. I often wonder if they were to figure the hours spent on their search and attached and hourly rate to the time how much it cost them. I would guess the amount would make hiring an architect a good investment.

Not all architects are the same and some effort is needed to find the right one for you and your project.

Some caution in needed in that the use of the term 'architect' is regulated by state law and one can not call themselves an 'architect' unless they are licensed by the state. Usually each state has means through the internet of verifying is someone is a valid architect.

Mark,

I've got a friend who is building their retirement home. Its a narrow lot. They want four stories on the beach in Florida. I urged them to get a real architect for the project, but their builder insisted on using his draftsman. I explained some of the issues they might encounter. They used the draftsman. Now they are behind schedule, still don't have a workable plan and the plans they showed to me were seriously flawed. They are like lambs to the slaughter. Sometimes you just can't save people.

Folks don't know what they don't know. And for many it may be a costly and painful learning lesson.

...and architects don't know what they think they know. For many, hiring one may become a painful and costly learning lesson. Luckily, only 1-2% of new home consumers take that chance...

There's that worthless statistic again!

A perfect example of someone that doesn't know what they think they know....

The percentage of houses designed by architects is due to economic forces rather than the value added by architects. Most people cannot afford to buy a lot and finance the design and construction of a new house. Many who can afford to do that have no desire to do so and are happy to buy an existing house and make minor modifications to it. Most houses are built by developers who might or might not have used an architect.; that information is usually not available. You can't blame these factors on architects.

The 2% guesstimate appears to be for all single-family houses, not custom houses. No one seems to have bothered to estimate the % of expensive custom houses that are designed by architects. It might be 50% or more for all anyone knows. I've never designed a house that cost less than $700,000 to build and I've designed renovations that cost twice that much. The reason for that is because its almost impossible to make a reaonable living designing small projects.

I regret that I can't help people who are not wealthy but I hope I make up for it on the forum in spite of the abuse from people who have an axe to grind with architects.

And what makes them useless ksc? I guess in your world there should be no art on the walls, no printed or woven pattern on your clothes, no design for any of the things you put in your house from door handles to ceiling fans to coffee pots, to dishes and everything in between. No printed fabrics for your drapes, no design even for your woven drapes, no rugs with any pattern, etc. I'm guessing you also want plain jane white tile throughout your bathrooms and certainly no patterned quartz.

Why do I say that? Because every single item in your home was designed by an artist. And all those subjects help create individuals who can think outside the box and not just spit out what the usual. It is why more and more businesses are hiring those with arts degrees.

I think Marks assessment is right.

And just because most people don't use an architect doesn't mean using one is a bad thing. Most of the people here who start with their own plan or a plan factory plan and then wind up hiring an architect are so much happier with their house plan because they got exactly what they want and need.

They built a house to fit their needs, not fit their needs to the house.

Architecture might be considered a useless undergraduate major but only because it is not a professional degree and not a prerequisite to the professional degree required to become an architect.

There are no "majors" in the graduate schools of architecture where future architects are trained.

That's a good example of not knowing what you think you know.

That classification for majors is most probably referring to the financial part. If you go to a private school and pay 50k a year to graduate with an art degree, the chances of ever paying that loan is close to zero. Very few make enough to pay the large loans. For the architecture, it's known that it is a difficult degree and the jobs are not well paid. Those who are very talented and creative will make it in the end, with a bit of luck and lots of work. It is unfortunate, but that's the reality for many of these degrees.

That's not quite true.

An undergraduate degree in Architectural Science (or whatever they're calling it now) is no more helpful for gaining entrance into a professional graduate school of architecture program than any other undergraduate degree so it is no more valuable than a fine arts degree or the other degrees listed by Today.

I don't mean to denigrate those majors; they can teach people extremely valuable and useful skills.

Amills - regardless of your major, it is a good idea to engage an architect to get the home you want. You have the opportunity to be in the top 1-2%.

Oh yes, kcs's "1-2%" ever cited single statistic quote. If that's true, which I doubt (see next paragraph), I'm actually GLAD it's not HIGHER as since 1980 when I set up my own shop, I've always been booked up, sometimes months in advance...well ok, I wasn't booked up in 2009 but that had nothing to do with being an architect as I was spending my days down at the local bar commiserating with all the unemployed carpenters and plumbers....LOL!

And with the only large metro area I've been intimately familiar with for over four decades (Northern Virginia), practically 100% of the new, coming on line production housing in Fairfax and Loudoun counties is designed by architects. NV Homes, Miller and Smith, Van Metre Homes, Ryan Homes, Evergreen Homes, Craftmark Homes, Beazer Homes, etc. all use registered architects for land planning and home design, either in house or outsourced (and I was part of the latter group for 30 years). In Northern Virginia, it's very likely the reciprocal percentage is more accurate.

And even here in "Lower, Slower, Delaware" where I live now, the two biggest builders, Schell Brothers and LC Homes, use architects (note...just to be technically correct, the Schell Brothers guy graduated from Va. Tech's college of architecture and is in the process of taking his exam...again, just to be technically correct....LOL!).

I was kind of amused by the "useless" degree comment. I've never regarded education and knowledge in any field to be "useless." Do degrees in the arts equate directly to employment? No, but that's not necessarily the purpose of higher education. The pursuit of knowledge for its own sake has its own worth. People who think otherwise are those who, as they say, know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

^^^ Standing up and clapping!

BTW: I have a fine arts degree and I've managed to do just fine in my life and I've only done art my whole life. Both commercial and fine art.

I was an art major in college. That degree enabled me to enter a 3 1/2 year graduate school program in architecture, work for architects for 3 years and pass a 5 day exam to become an architect. What I learned in college was very useful to me. Been liv'n the dream ever since.

I thought the same thing about the "useless" degree post. To carry that forward, I'm assuming that means the time I volunteering is "useless" time, at least according to ksc36.

And of course, typical from the folks who are down on a single profession, they never seem to get around to revealing what they do.

Ksc shows up, from time to time, and apparently she loves to bash architects and architecture. Her comments reflect more on her lack of knowledge than anything else.

As for architectural education, there are at least four different degree-granting programs at various univerisities in the U.S. (not all universities offer all of these types of degrees):

--A four-year, undergraduate non professional degree program in "architectural studies";

--A five-year, undergraduate, professional degree program in "architecture";

--A one-year, graduate professional degree program for those holding a five-year undergraduate professional degree program in "architecture", and;

--A two-year, graduate professional degree program for those holding a four-year, undergraduate non professional degree program in "architectural studies" and some related fields of study.

There may well be some other graduate degree programs (or required lengths of study), tailored to various undergraduate, non-professional degree programs.

One prerequisite for licensure in architecture (in most U.S. states I believe) is to have a professional degree in "architecture", achieved in one or another of the categories above.

I know this is more than anyone wanted to know.

Interesting thread. Too bad the OP is missing in action...

They're busy trying to find a good architect.

Hopefully

ARG - OMG, you're my neighbor. :)

I bought a second home in RB. In a development, of all things. But I love the people around me and am very happy with the neighborhood, so all is good.

It was a way to test the waters, to see if we'd like it down there. We love it!

We'll be moving down full time in ~ 5 years and have toyed with the idea of building something for just us. It's so hard to find lots without builder tie-ins, in RB. If we're lucky enough to find something, now I know who to call!

Patriceny....Yes we've been coming to RB for years and when we sold our house in Annapolis quite unexpectantly we rented here until we found something....Well, it's been a year and we haven't yet but we're kinda particular.

Mrs. ARG and I have designed and built three houses over 25 years and we may have to do another. It's a valuable lesson in building when it involves one's own money I've discovered!....LOL! We're down off of Old Landing Road.

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!

" It's a valuable lesson in building ".

If all architects spent less time in the classroom and were required to spend some time in the field they might garner more respect in the building industry.

ARG - the world is too small. Proof? My house is in The Meadows/VOL. Please tell me you're not the guy I was yakking up a storm with at the pool last summer....

:)

Of course, no one knows what you do kcs but every industry has the excellent, the very good, the pretty good, the fair, the not so good and the horrible. Architects are no exception and neither is your profession, whatever that is.

Granted I know some architects I wouldn't trust to design a house for my dog....."Now sit down and stop growling Miss Martha....it's going to be ok, I promise. It won't happen. I'll be designing your house.....Good girl!!! Now here's a bone!".....I think it's patently unfair for you to continuely lump ALL architects into the last category.

Edit: But yes, Mrs. ARG and I have designed AND GC'ed three houses over 25 years and it has served me well as to the value of a clients dollar, no question.

Patriceny.....I live in The Meadows too. Down on Wanoma Circle. Never used the pool but we've been to a coupla functions at the pool house there. You might have seen me running out of the neighborhood in the mornings. Small world!

ARG is the guy running around the neighborhood. Too funny. Now you two need to meet.

Yeah, my house is the one with the light on at 3:51AM as I try to meet a deadline to keep a client happy....LOL!

OMG, are you serious? This is hysterical. Our house is on Wauwinet. :)

You can look for us this weekend. 2 old fat people with 2 little white dogs. We'll be the ones grinning like fools - we call it our "happy place" and really enjoy walking around and talking with the neighbors. The dogs have their own fan club on our circle.

following... love the fact that you guys are neighbours...what is the saying; 6 degrees right?

Our house is on Wauwinet

Then I've run right past your house. Usually run over and through Arnell Creek and if I want to add a little more, run the neighborhood streets around all the circles on the way back.

You must know Craig and Beau then? Beau is the crazy yellow lab. One of my dogs just loves him and we stalk him every morning when we're there. We stand in the traffic circle like a bunch of fools, just waiting for Craig to show up....

Seriously, say hi if you see us out. Would love to meet you. :) Look for the house that backs up to The Landing, with the truck with New York plates in the driveway....

My hubby has some landscape architecture training and has been re-doing our house down there. Lots of new hardscaping, more to come....

Yes. I've seen Craig and Beau. I think I might have run by you all talking last February right after it snowed.

See!! You don't get this type of quality personal interaction with ready made plans.

LOL Mark. I am literally laughing out loud. What are the chances?! This is crazy. :)

What are the clouds like in RB?

Now that we've completely derailed the thread (sorry amills86 but this is exhausting too....LOL ) I recognize those cute little dogs.

And a bunch of us guys play pool over at the Thomas's and drink copious amounts of their home brewed beer for an afternoon every week....like tomorrow.

Then I stagger home and do structural calcs.

Mark....not as nice as the ones on vellum but I think I'll get some chalk and draw some on Patriceny's driveway.

I'd like to live wherever it is that architects spend time in classrooms and don't check the work of contractors in the field or sign affidavits of code compliance.

I am afraid that is only in someone's head.

Actually, the reality is anyone can design a project, get a permit and build it. I've designed many small additions/remodels. No architect needed. It's only in your head that you're needed.

I can see why that must really grate at you after spending all that $$ and time to get a degree and see so many potential clients getting a nice set of plans for $895.

Virgil - Thank you for introducing me to Dunning-Kruger, they help me understand recent events.

Some people really like to do-it-yourself. I do. For example, I trim my own bangs. It's a money saver and I think I do a pretty good job. (And if I make a slip, in a few weeks they're long enough to trim straight again!)

And if I was looking for a pretty standard type of house, I might just find some standard plans that worked for me. But if I had the kind of non-standard wants that the OP did, and was laying down $$$ for a house, I'd want someone who had the right training to do a custom job for me. Especially if I'd been looking at standard plans and finding nothing that suits me.

This recent Houzz video and story is really inspiring about how an architect helped this couple build their absolutely perfect in every way dream home.

https://www.houzz.com/houzz-tv/retired-houston-couple-replaces-starter-home-with-forever-home-stshtvvw-vt~119122231

see so many potential clients getting a nice set of plans for $895.

That's very debatable how nice they are.