When you are considering a remodel of a room or an addition to your home, it might be a good idea to hire an architect. After all, unless you have experience, you wouldn’t consider designing your own car or even your own formal dress. Yet, many people plunge ahead into projects on their own because they believe that a professional architect would cost far too much to justify one as an expense.
In the last article, we talked about the following things to consider when deciding whether or not to hire an architect: The size and scope of your project and your needs and goals. Now, let’s look at using do it yourself design resources and whether or not hiring an architect can actually lower your overall costs.
Do it yourself design resources are great. You can find them for free at home improvement stores or for purchase to use on your home computer. But, when using these resources, it is important to judge your personal skill level with designing and construction. If you leaving your kitchen in the same layout and just changing out the countertops and flooring and painting the cabinets, then the design resources can help you pick out colors and styles and see how they will look. Or, if you have some experience with simple plumbing or carpentry, then you may be fine on your own. But, if you skill level is low and you are looking at a more complicated design, a professional architect can really help. You don’t want to find out that after installing a new bathroom that you can’t close the door once you are sitting on the toilet, for example.
An architect may charge his or her fee by the hour or as a percentage of the construction cost. This will depend on the architect and the scope of the project, and on you to some degree. A professional architect can design your project with the maximum efficiency of materials and labor, so the design fee may pay for itself in the long run. Having detailed specifications of materials and design elements makes it easier to get accurate contractor bids so you won’t be surprised later by unexpected costs.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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