Finding the right architect
Lew Bryson
3 years ago
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Lew Bryson
3 years agochispa
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Professional Snobbery?
Comments (24)doggiemom, My concern is more related to finding an architect and builder who will, if not completely share my vision, at least be supportive of it and be a collaborative partner in the process. This is an entirely different issue from snobbery. We met and worked with 6 different architects in attempting to build our house, and while some were snobby, others were not, but were not flexible enough to work collaboratively. One told me, "I will design your house for you. I will even pick out the switchplates." Not my guy for sure! We did find a guy who was perfect for our needs...flexible, collaborative, we shared a design vision, he put up with our quirks, but was honest enough to tell us when we were being idiots, and understood "homeowner" (meaning limited budget) vs. "architect" (meaning dream vision). It is a very tricky process, because you want to build a home you are comfortable living in, but you are hiring someone for their expertise and taste, and you don't want to pay for that service and not benefit from their experience and wisdom (as a control freak like me easily could.) So I was very insistent on floor plan as that's what we really feel in the home in terms of day to day living in the place. He prevailed on the things I had no expertise on at all like structure, trim work inside and out, proportions, ceiling heights and styles...in between we collaborated with the understanding it wasn't personal, it was all about the job, and when we disagreed, each had to state the reasons why so together we could determine which was best. Not easy and it requires a great deal of patience, understanding, and compatible personalities to get through. That's why after 7 yrs in design and 3 yrs in build, we and "Uncle Joe" are still good friends....See MoreArchitect in Mass?
Comments (1)Hi Chris. I can recommend the architect I used to design my house without hesitation. Very reasonable and reliable. Also, I'm almost done building south of boston and I am way below 200/sq foot. I would be glad to share more info with you if you want to contact me directly. Send me your email....See MoreArchitects' proposals on rural lake house
Comments (75)RTHawk, not sure where you're located but these are not elaborate docks by Southern standards. Many lakes w/ stable water levels have covered docks and people spend a lot of time out there. If you were to see the lakes in Georgia, Lake Norman in the Charlotte area then you will see some tricked out docks (double levels, slides, etc.). We just wanted the dock to match the lines of the house otherwise, the dock is 1 level, has 1 boatslip, a small storage room. We just tried to design it well (still needs finishing) and make it comfortable to spend time on. Here's what it's looking like now:...See Morefinding the right architect
Comments (16)On our first remodel we redid both bathrooms and master closet. We worked with a contractor that bid us at about 25k for everything, and ended up at over 40k. We were so upset at the contractor.... But in the end it was probably our fault because the tile was probably way out of our budget, and the custom vanities didn't help! Then we redid our kitchen, and did most the work as "contractor" on our own. The only thing we really went over budget on was, after having the structural engineer out, we needed more support beams, or LVLs, because we took three walls out. Then we went over budget on the granite that we fell in love with! Thank you all so much for the advice!. This has by far been the most pleasant discussion I have had in these forums....See MoreLew Bryson
3 years agotozmo1
3 years agoPatricia Colwell Consulting
3 years agoLew Bryson
3 years agoCharles Ross Homes
3 years ago
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