Permitting Horror Stories 8
Don't let your contractor or engineer choose your architect.
Most residential clients end up finding themselves in a situation where they didn’t realize that that they need an architect and end up being introduced to one through the engineer or general contractor that they started the project with. A client needs to work with their architect directly and should be directly involved in hiring the architect. It’s a close working relationship that most definitely should be the client’s choice.
There should never be an intermediary between a client and the architect. Why? Because most people have no clue what an architect does and when problems arise, the client needs to be able to go directly to the architect to express their concerns. If they have to go through the engineer or contractor, it become more about telling the client what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. This is a problem that usually happens with residential clients. It’s very different from commercial projects where clients can take a more objective stance in the decision making process because time is money. In residential architecture, it’s more personal. This is someone’s house. It’s their sanctuary. They want it to be just right. They don’t want to hear the truth. And with fire rebuild clients, you’re dealing with PTSD and grief from having gone through a traumatic experience and he loss of their home.
I’m an architect here in Los Angeles, and have worked on a few fire rebuild projects. Most projects, that I’ve come across have maintained like-for-like rebuild plus a 10% increase in floor area. However, one homeowner didn’t want what they had before, which was a 3 bedroom, 3 bath house. They wanted a custom house that only included a master bedroom, master bathroom, two story, open floor plan, loft style house. In a normal design situation, it would have been fine, but when you are dealing with insurance companies and fire re-builds, it’s a completely different scenario.
Well, guess what? They got to the permitting phase and the insurance company/appraiser wouldn’t fund the project. Therefore, time and money was wasted. Homeowners, always choose your own architect. Don’t let a contractor or engineer be the go-between with your architect. If the client isn’t choosing the architect directly, then it is a recipe for disaster.