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TOP 10 WAYS AN ARCHITECT CAN SAVE YOU MONEY
When I was in college I went snow skiing a lot. As you might know I went to school in Boulder colorado and graduate school in Denver. So, I had plenty of opportunities to go to the mountains and ski. During my junior year I transitioned from skiing to snow boarding and loved it. I picked it up fairly quickly probably since I grew up wake boarding behind a boat. Not like I was some awesome boarder but I could do it and could handle some steep slopes.
Well, a friend of mine from long time ago came to visit with his family. This was the winter of my second year of grad school. I thought I would head over to vail for the weekend and visit him since he was there. We started to make our way down a double black diamond and this was probably the steepest slope I had been on. But I was up for the challenge. So just getting into the groove when slam. My front edge or downhill edge of the board got caught on a piece of snow or some ice or who know. Point is the board stopped and I kept going.
Just as anyone facing the potential of slamming their face into the mountain would I put my hands out straight to block my fall an that is when I heard it. The loud snap and boy did it hurt. Little did I know it I just tore my rotator cuff and created what the doctor called a slap injury.
So after several weeks and the lack of ability to raise my arm without excruciating pain I went to the doctor in Denver. They took X-rays and sure enough it was torn. The next step was surgery. The Denver doctor told me that he would make about a 3 inch cut in the shape of a T and go in to repair the tear. Hmmm.
That did not sound too good. So I decided to wait until the summer. I went to another surgeon in Alabama and he was doing everything orthoscopically. He could go in with cameras and create minimal impact on my shoulder and creatE minor scaring. It sounded pretty good and he said I would recover pretty quickly. I had just graduated and was ready to get into the job market. So quick recovery sounded great.
So I thought about the recovery time I was going to save. The hopefully less pain I was going to go through because of less cutting. The procedure was pretty expensive as any surgery would be.
So I decided to do it myself.
I would just repair the tear in my shoulder myself. I had used lots of razor blades in college to build all those 3d massing models of all my architectural projects.
I can cut straight and I know how to tie knots. How hard could it be? Obviously I am teasing and would never even question whether to let an experienced surgeon work on my shoulder or do it myself.
Why do so many people feel they can or should design their own renovation or build? There are so many factors or moving parts that it surprises me someone would be comfortable taking on that kind of risk.
Just as the right surgeon saved me pain and time (pain probably being the most important) an Architect can save you time and money on your build. In this episode I am going to discuss the top 10 ways an architect pays for his or her fee by saving you more.
Don’t just hire an Architect for large renovations and new construction. An architects fee is typically 5-12% of the construction cost. So for a small $40,000 renovation that could be anywhere from $2000-$4800. You may say well $4,800 is way to much. I could not ever imagine adding $4,800 to my project. If you are doing a kitchen remodel. You are going to pay more for appliances than that. But I want to approach todays show with showing you how hiring an Architect early can save you $4,800. We will estimate and add it all up in the end.
When it comes to designing a house or renovating a house there are some very interesting relationships taking place. Don’t forget this is the home you will be waking up in each day. You will raise your family. You will have many memories good and bad. Everyone can remember the home they grew up in and I would imagine all of you would say that home shaped you in some way. I’m not saying that you will mess up. I am just saying that I decided not to be the surgeon for my own shoulder.
Engaging an Architect to design your house is not a luxury it is a necessity and can save you the architects fee and then some. So like I said we are using this $4,800 as an example. So how much have we saved yet. Nothing. Ok, time and money, lets focus.
The First one is: An experienced architect can bring better and more creative use of space that adds additional functional square footage for no additional cost.
We know how to make spaces work together and flow. Architects are naturally big thinkers and we approach design from a variety of ways. We’re used to trying lots of different solutions to the same problem and coming up with better results each time. On the house in our example we are using 40,000 as the budget for the renovation and lets just say that the price per sf is at $150 per sf. That means that for this example we are working with a 270 sf space.
With just creative design and reducing un-necessary spaces such as long corridors when adding on to a house or strange corners that end up waisted. ok so in this example we are going to add a bedroom and bathroom and closet. Maybe you are adding a kitchen. Whatever the case may be, Just creating an entry into the room that eliminates corridors can save you money. I am going to guess that if we were able to eliminate a corridor of 4’x6′ and give that space back to the useful space of the room you would be saving 24 sf x 150 = $3,600
The second is we are big thinkers.
As I mentioned before we are big thinkers. When we start to design a project we immediately or at least I can start to see the construction process taking place. My mind starts to construct the project from the ground and foundation up. It is some crazy sequencing that runs through my brain. But anyway, what that allows us to do is visualize the entire project, visualize the sequence of construction and anticipate obstacles in the project.
What are the biggest challenges with the project. If we change this over here how does that change that over there. and so on. If you have ever talked to someone that has undergone a renovation they will often tell you that they started with one thing they wanted. They had a focus on one area and as they started the construction it grew and grew and spilled into other rooms. They were not sure where to stop or how to phase the project so they blew their budget and over spent.
Architects are natural phasers. We are able to make those transitions from the new construction to the existing relate much more clearly. We are able to keep the project on budget and on scope. Remember we are recreating the entire project on paper. It allows you to have a plan. An objective. We all do much better when we have a plan. Without a direct plan of action we will all just aimlessly wander and end up wasting time and money on things that were not really part of our overall objective.
Keeping a project on track is the second way we can save you money. I am going to say that this new addition is off of the back of the house and maybe kind of off the kitchen and living area. It could be really anywhere but lets say its here because this is a harder transition to make. If its near the kitchen don’t we need to redo the kitchen?
Not necessarily. I am not going to put a value to this one but just say that being able to phase a project allows you to stay on budget and focus on what is important to you at the moment.
The third way we can save you money is by properly researching building regulations and requirements.
Have you ever gone way down the wrong road and found yourself having to backtrack. By planning ahead and understanding your projects legal limitations we can save you time and money. We have conversations with building officials fairly frequently and we are pouring through the various codes on a regular basis. There are two things that I have seen happen before.
The first is the homeowner did not fully understand the limitations their property had when they purchased it and realized after they moved in that they would not be able to add on like they had planned or were told by their agent. An architect can give you an initial consultation before you purchase a property to see what restrictions you will be forced to work within.
The second is constructing something that does not meet code and just happened to not get picked up by the building official reviewing whatever sketch was brought into the city. For an example, I had a client that hired a draftsperson to construct or draw an exterior stair for her 3 story apartment building. This was a pretty elaborate stair 25-30′ tall with bracing, railings everything. She invested some money in getting the drawing to begin with lets say $500. Then the stairs cost $4,500 to build. What the person who designed them neglected to realize was that the location where he designed the stairs to go was directly over a power easement. It was on the property survey. She ended up having to remove the stair and build a new stair in another location on the building. Once again the new stair was roughly $5,000. I think it was a little more, but I will say it was 5.
Let’s say that this addition we are talking about has a corner that would cut over a utility easement or some buffer or building setback. Knowing that allows us to work around that saving a ton of money if something had to be torn out and rebuilt. I will just take half of that 5,000. from the earlier example and say $2,500.
So far we have saved. 2,500 on knowing and understanding limits and regulations, 3,600 on efficient use of design, and piece of mind know ing you can stay within your budget. $6,100.
I was in North Carolina one year during the apple picking time. During this time there are several roadside shops set up that are probably only occupied during this time of year. They are selling their apples and they have tons of varieties and just bushel after bushel to choose from. Each apple has a little different pricing structure, just based on how that year was. Were they better, did they produce more or less. etc… If I was to walk in look at the store owner and said “I am going to give you very little information and tell you that I want to buy an apple. I want it to be a good apple. How much does it cost?” Do you think that the owner is going to tell you that they need more information before they can sell you an apple. (a good salesperson would) But there busy at the moment they know you need or want an apple. They know you want a good apple. So what do they do, they go over to the best apple bin and pull out a delicious perfectly shaped Fuji. And they give you the price for the best apple. Why did they give you the best apple when you asked for a good apple? It’s just the unknown. They have no way of measuring what you think is good, better, best so they just default to the most expensive.
This is where an Architect can come in and clarify everyones intentions. Thorough drawings produce more accurate bids. I know the price between a good apple and the best apple was probably 25 cents per pound, but when you get into construction you have much larger swings. The fourth, By providing your contractors with detailed drawings you can get bids that are 5-10% lower than if you provided minimum information. 5-10% of our 40,000 renovation is 2 to $4,000. You are able to put that money into the project and get more for your money. So lets add this 2000 to the previous savings and with the fourth way architects can save you money we are at $8,100.
Another advantage of having more complete drawings are less questions during construction creates a smoother construction process and therefore quicker.
The fifth way an Architect can save you money is by selecting quality materials that last
We work on hundreds of projects and see lots of different materials, new and old. Some work and some don’t. I have seen contractors install material that they thought was good for a vapor barrier to keep water out of the building when in reality the material they put on the building made the walls sweat with condensation and caused major mold issues for the home owner.
The sixth is by Assisting the owner with the construction contracts. Who knows how much money can be saved by having the proper contracts in place during a construction project.
The seventh is by reviewing submittals and responding to questions. The architect is watching out for the owner. We have the owners interest at heart and although we are all on a team and working together you want someone on your side that is evaluating the construction process and ensuring that the materials and methods that are in the drawings and specifications are being installed per the drawings.
The eighth is by reviewing work and reviewing pay apps
The ninth is a difficult one to measure and actually you may have noticed that I did not give 5-8 any value other than piece of mind. We have already paid for double the Architectural design fee, so all these are just a bonus. A properly designed home will increase property and resale value. This is very true and you have probably run into this first hand. When you were looking for that house you were in now, I bet you toured some homes and as you walked through them, you thought this is strange. Why did they do that? Why is that over there? What happened here? With a properly designed home you don’t ask those questions. Instead you hear yourself saying. That looks nice. I like that. Oh, we should do that or this.
I want to keep this list to ten. So the last one is going to contain several. Architects have an understanding of efficiency of design but also with materials. We have ways of saving you energy costs that can save you money for a long time down the road. We are familiar with supplier prices. We know the implications of going from a 2′-8″ window to a 2′-10″ window. The cost difference in the window alone can be huge. We know how to properly detail that new window so you don’t end up with leaks. I have been on job sites where you walk around and they have taped all the windows incorrectly. The way they taped them would actually direct water in. We are a mediator for the team. We can be your best alai on the project. We also get trade discounts on some building materials, appliances, furniture etc… that we can pass along to the owner. And the last is that we create and collect records for your house and teach you proper maintenance so you can enjoy it for many years to come. So the top 10 plus some ways an Architect can save you money.
That was a fun show and I hope you enjoyed it.
Shout out for this weeks show goes to My wife, Carolyn. Thanks for allowing me time to get out into the woods and enjoy nature. If you all did not know its currently at the time of this recording bow season and I had the pleasure of going for a long weekend. Gives me time to reflect and think in the quiet woods. If you do or don’t hunt. I suggest you take some time and go sit in the woods. Find a quiet place and just sit for an hour. Listen to that inner voice and you will feel much better an hour later with a clearer vision of where you want to go.
Take action
So, just like I always do on each episode, I wanted to end with one final take away for you. Don’t look at hiring an architect as an expense to the project, look at it as your biggest opportunity to produce a quality project while saving you money.
