Four Awesome Tips About Professional Architects From Unlikely Sources
Designing a house, even in its simplest form, is the process of creating a list of needs and desires ("We need three bedrooms... we would like a two-car garage"), identifying the parameters and constraints, ("Our lot is only 60 feet wide" or "We only have 200 thousand to spend.") compiling a number of priorities ("A separate Laundry might be more important to us than having a Study"), and then making a series of decisions and compromises that satisfy the needs while staying in the established constraints. A residential architect is trained to help the future homeowner through these challenging tasks by utilizing his specialized experience and skills.
By creating a well-organized floor plan early within the design stage, the architect can present questions to the home owner and enable them to make decisions for sneak a peek at this site far more efficient and cost-effective house plan. For instance, spatial progressions can be studied, like moving from the Garage in to the Mudroom then into the Kitchen, could possibly be preferred over walking straight into the Family room from the Garage. Spatial relationships can also be examined, as an example, keeping the public spaces like the Family and Dining Rooms grouped together, and also the bedrooms, bathrooms, and office spaces in more private zones. How the Kitchen connects to the Dining area, Breakfast Nook, or perhaps a Hearth Room are also crucial factors to study at this stage of the design. An efficient floor plan will minimize hallways and underused spaces, which eliminates wasted square footage that cost money to build.
After the program is established, the architect will study detailed drawings of the vertical and spatial dimensions of the house. One example is this may be the very first time that the homeowner can envision interior features like the fireplace and surrounding bookcases and windows, cabinetry, detailed trim like columns, art niches, and crown moulding. They are going to see spatial drawings showing 2-story foyers and rooms with vaulted ceilings. These drawings also help in the selection of materials; "Should the fireplace surround be drywall, wood, stone, or brick?" All of these questions assist the residential architect and client to visualize and appropriately develop every space and surface for a far more complete and satisfying home design.
Exterior elevations will likely be developed, helping the homeowners envision what their home can look like from the outside. What style will be the house? What is its presence from the street? Does it have a bold roofline, or does it blend in with the surrounding landscape? What will be the most appropriate materials for the house's style? Which materials are the most cost-effective or most durable? These are all necessary design questions that has to be answered, and may also only be addressed by quality, detailed elevation drawings showing all exterior facets of the house.
The detailed drawings produced through the residential architect also can save money for the client. Completely executed drawings will resolve more details on "paper" and also can minimize costly errors and "do-overs" made in the field through the contractors. The architect will usually drive the structural design of the house, working hard to coordinate the structural framing with all the other systems of the house; like plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and also the interior and exterior skins. And lastly, an excellent set of construction drawings communicates better information to the bidding contractors, enabling them to confidently price all aspects of construction, rather than just inflating their prices to cover all the unknowns.
The residential architect can really help with the difficult process of turning the homeowners' dreams and desires into a functional floor plan, incorporating all the desired spatial, interior, and exterior design features with an eye towards budgetary limitations. By asking design questions early in the process, knowing materials, the latest construction technologies, and providing a detailed set of construction drawings, the architect can facilitate a more cost-effective bidding process and eliminate expensive construction mistakes within the field. All of these lead to a better final product and a satisfied property owner.
