"....that NYC's only requirement that applied to me, working within the walls of my own apartment, is that a LICENSED electrician MUST do the electrical work..." As I said, NYC has their convoluted own code, that can be (and has been) interpreted different ways even by the Dept. of Buildings.....this is apparently the same thought process that allows the architects to self-certify...which is why there are so many problems with buidling code being "misinterpreted", whether it be by accident.....or on purpose. BY all means, call them...but,also get some sort of documentation that backs up what they tell you....and/or, document exactly when the work is done, via photos, dates, receipts, etc... We did not do that back in '87....then, when we went to sell in '99, we were told a regulation was changed in '93...and we could be "grandfathered" only if we could prove the work was performed prior. The "Big Apple"...gotta love it.

I'm the OP. I'm also in the tri-state area, so yeah, expensive. My project will include taking down a load bearing wall, a bathroom remodel upstairs with all new plumbing, the kitchen with a new layout including a powder room. I'm being offered what I suppose is a reasonable enough price of ~$2,400. This will including an existing conditions drawing, from which you guys and cabinets dealers can help us work from. Then designs in progress, and then demo and final construction drawings once layouts are finalized. What it wont include is cabinet elevations, but I suppose I'll get that from the KD/cabinet dealers, many of which offer design work free of charge to drive sales. It's the structural and mechanical works, but not colors and finishes, etc. I'll be relying on you guys for that fun stuff ;-) One reason I want to go with an architect is so that when getting bids from contractors I'm comparing apples to apples. They'll know how to do the beam, what windows are going where, how to run the plumbing, how many lights and where, etc. These will also be the drawings I'll submit for local permits. And, I'm thinking if good drawings prevent one or two costly mistakes the money will be well spent. (Although the truth is, in old homes like this, once the plaster comes off the walls and you see what's really in there, all bets are off.) But having never worked with an architect before... any caveats or precautions I should consider? Anything I should be sure to ask for upfront?

Spoke to the contractor today and they will see what they can do about using their own drawings and what the county requires. Our home falls outside the city limits so I'm hoping the county isn't as picky as the city. The range they gave was worst case scenario based on other more extensive projects. They won't know until their architect/engineer returns from vacation and they will be able to squeeze my small project in. Otherwise finding my own during this busy time will be tough. For the induction, they will likely need to run the wire up through garage, up to spare bedroom, through attic, across second floor then down through master bath to get to kitchen. That's a lot of wiring!

The contract I use says this about the responsibilities of the Contractor: " 8.1.2 The Contractor shall carefully study and compare the Contract Documents with each other and with information furnished by the Owner. Before commencing activities, the Contractor shall (1) take field measurements and verify field conditions; (2) carefully compare this and other information known to the Contractor with the Contract Documents; and (3) promptly report errors, inconsistencies or omissions discovered to the Architect." Those unfamiliar with construction contracts or who like to be cynical will say this clause is for the protection of the Architect and other consultants of the Owners, but its purpose is to protect the Owners since the they are directly responsible to the Contractor for the errors of their design consultants. It does not relieve the architect or other consultant from responsibility for their design documents; it attempts to make it less likely that errors are discovered too late to be corrected without requiring additional cost and time. Its basically enforced collaboration between the Architect and Contractor. As I said before, most of the contractors I deal with do not need to be told to check existing condition dimensions. This essential contract protection is weakened when the architect is not part of the construction phase team and it is usually eliminated when the Owner allows the Contractor to write the contract. Arguments about contract responsibility will never end but I believe it should be the goal of all contract writers to provide reasonable protection to the owner and all owners should have their architect, in addition to a lawyer, advise them before signing the construction contract. I'm curious to know if the architect was involved in the contract negotiations and reviewed the contract. I wish the OP luck resolving this issue but be aware that in accusing your consultant of errors you are acknowledging your own responsibility to the Contractor for those errors. The Contractor can simply send you a bill for correcting the errors but it will be more difficult for you to recover from the architect since you have terminated your contract with him. The architect may be unwilling to correct the errors for free because that could be seen as an admission that he bears full responsibility for the errors rather than sharing it with the Contractor. I'm not defending the architect; I'm just telling you how he might see the situation. In a negotiation you need to understand the motivations of all parties. Check the drawings and specs carefully to see if there is any mention of the contractor verifying dimensions. In addition to being required in my contracts, Its occurs repeatedly on the architectural and structural plans as well in the Structural General Notes. "STRUCTURAL GENERAL NOTES EXISTING CONDITIONS: Verify in the field all existing conditions, dimensions and structural support systems ... Any discrepancies from what is shown on the structural and architectural plans shall be brought to the Architect’s or Engineer’s attention for proper resolution."