Residential Architects At A Glance
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 two hundred thousand to spend.") compiling a list of priorities ("A separate Laundry is more very important to us than having a Study"), and after that making a series of decisions and compromises that satisfy the needs while staying within the established constraints. A residential architect is trained to help the future homeowner through these difficult tasks by utilizing his specialized experience and skills.
By creating a well-organized floor plan early in the design stage, the architect can present questions to the home owner and help them to make decisions for a more efficient and cost-effective house plan. For instance, spatial progressions may be studied, like moving from the Garage in to the Mudroom then in to the Kitchen, might be preferred over walking into the Family room from the Garage. Spatial relationships could also be examined, for instance, keeping the public spaces like the Family and Dining Rooms grouped together, as well as the bedrooms, bathrooms, and office spaces in more private zones. How the Kitchen connects to the Dining room, Breakfast Nook, or maybe a Hearth Room will also be 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 home. By way of example, this could possibly be the 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 within 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 also be developed, helping the homeowners envision what their home can look like from the outside. What style is 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 are the most suitable materials for the house's style? Which materials will be the most cost-effective or most durable? They are all necessary design questions that must be answered, as well as can only be addressed by quality, detailed elevation drawings showing all exterior facets of the home.
The detailed drawings produced through the residential architect can also save money for the client. Completely executed drawings will resolve more details on "paper" as well as can minimize costly errors and "do-overs" made within the field through the contractors. The architect shall usually drive the structural design of the house, working hard to coordinate the structural framing with all of the other systems of the home; like plumbing, electrical, sources HVAC, and also the interior and exterior skins. And lastly, a good group 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 of the unknowns.
The residential architect might 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 by having an eye towards budgetary limitations. By asking design questions early along the way, 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 as well as a satisfied home owner.
