Selecting a house designer that will be right for your home project

We usually require some expert help to design our new house or large renovation. Architects can fulfil many functions, but importantly they can interpret your requirements and vision into construction plans and drawings. These plans and drawings are usually a requirement for construction permits. The drawings indicate how the house should be constructed.



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What you should consider when choosing a designer

You should consider the following when selecting a designer:

• Does the work that they’ve done in the past look similar to the design you have in mind? Some architects are very good at cutting edge designs but may be less familiar or willing to consider more traditional houses. Some designers are good at incorporating green principles.
• Talk to the designer. Do you think you can work with them?
• Confirm that they’re familiar with the local rules and planning requirements.
• Ask for references, then ask their references the following:
  • Was the designer willing to listen to them and incorporate their ideas?
  • Did the design meet or exceed their expectations?
  • Did the designer come up with innovative and new ideas?
  • Did the designer push certain products or building methods? Why was that?
  • Did the final price differ substantially from the original price? If it did why?
  • How willing was the designer to make changes to their design?
  • Did the contractor find mistakes on the construction drawings?
  • What other services did the designer provide?
• Check if the designer has professional indemnity insurance. 
• Ask the designer what technology they’ll use to produce their design. Will there be a 3D model? Will you be able to view the house in Virtual Reality? These products help you understand what the finished house will look like.
• Decide what services you want the designer to undertake, such as checking quality during construction, or even acting as the project manager.
• Check that the designer is willing to visit the site before starting design work.
• Ask how long it will take to complete the design.
• Check if the designer will obtain all permits and approvals from the authorities.
• Obtain a price from the designer. Check:
  • Does the price include for a full set of construction drawings, including all details? How many copies of drawings will you get. You probably want at least three sets, possibly more if you’re intending to get a number of contractors to price the project.
  • Does the price include for all design work, including architectural, structural, electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning? If not will they coordinate all the designers’ work to ensure there aren’t clashes and that the designs accommodate the requirements of all the designers?
  • How many sketch plans and changes are included while you develop the final design?
  • Will they be available to answer questions from the contractor at no extra cost?
  • Will they help with the selection of the final finishes, including providing samples and advice on colour choices?
  • Will they carry out inspections during construction to check quality?
• Ensure that the designer is appointed using a contract that clearly sets-out the services they’ll supply, the price for these services and a schedule of extra charges.

Conclusion
It's important to select a designer that's right for you, one that you can work with, one that understands what you are looking for, someone that understands the local codes and conditions, and one that won't break your budget. Importantly you need to understand what you are paying for - you don't want to pay additional and unexpected costs which you haven't allowed for. You don't want unpleasant extra costs for items you thought were included.

Not every designer will be able to interpret the home of your dreams. Selecting the wrong designer could be expensive and result in your home not meeting your expectations.

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​​For more valuable tips and advice read: 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses - Volume 1 Hiring Contractors, Managing Construction and Finishing Your Home' and 'Volume 2 Finding Your Ideal Property and Designing Your Dream Home'

​This is an extract from: 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses Volume 2' by Paul Netscher. Available in paper or eBook from Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU and all online bookstores. To read more
​© 2018 This article is not to be reproduced for commercial purposes without written permission from the author.

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