Remodeling your home? One of the first decisions you may need to make is whether to work with an architect or just use the services of a contractor or interior designer. What is the right person to help design and realize your vision? Here are a few indicators that you may want to add an architect to your team.
1. Your Remodel Has a High Price Tag
Expensive renovations deserve additional care to ensure that you get your money's worth from them. A renovation that will cost more than 5% of the home's value is a significant financial investment. Protect that investment by ensuring it won't affect the home's price in negative ways. While contractors will ensure that the job gets done, an architect ensures that it adds real value.
2. You Are Altering the Home's Exterior
Interior designers focus on the home's interior setup and use. An architect looks at the house as a whole unit, with equal focus on the exterior appearance as well as interior flow. So if your plans affect the outside — such as altering roof lines, making additions, changing the windows, or adding a second story — your team should include someone who specializes in this part of the home.
3. Your Property Has Unique Features
Does your house have special circumstances that make renovations complex? For instance, a historical home with a well-defined architectural style (like a Craftsman or Georgian home) must have renovations that blend with its original designs or it will lose value. Unique uses of the home — like turning it into a short-term rental — also have unique needs. Architects find ways to please you while honoring the house.
On the other hand, it may not be the home that has special circumstances. Your property or lot could require some additional problem-solving. This might include working with large drops or rises in the ground, unusual shapes and sizes, or a unique environment (like a beach cottage or mountain cabin).
4. You Need to Think Outside the Box
Does the existing property have problems that don't seem to have an easy answer? Consider a homeowner who wants to expand but who has limited property size and a structure that can't support a second floor. This quandary may seem insurmountable, but a good architect can often find a different solution. They may be able to alter the existing layout, for example, to make the home feel larger and operate more efficiently.
5. Your Project Needs More Oversight
Many homeowners may not be aware that architectural services provide more than just a set of blueprints. They can oversee some aspects of the project or even coordinate the entire thing for you.
This additional service is a big help to someone who is new to large remodels and feels inadequate at the task of managing one. Architects can also help you make decisions you're anxious about. They will deal with the paperwork needed to get permits, enter into necessary contracts, and solve problems that come up during the construction. As a one-stop shop for the remodel, they can keep your work to a minimum.
Does your renovation fall into any of these categories? Then you may need a quality architectural firm on your side. Learn more about these professional services and how they relate to your particular project by meeting with the team at AKL Architectural Services.
We will analyze your needs, your interests, and what you have to work with to help you find the best way to improve your house and your life through home renovation. Get in touch us today to set up an appointment.