Who needs an architect?

Anyone looking to build, add to, or renovate any type of building needs an Architect. There are many benefits to having an Architect involved in your project. You have a vision of what you want. Now you need to make that vision a reality.

Here's How An Architect Can Assist You:

Architects can save you money.

An Architect's services are a wise investment for the money, not an added cost to your project, because a well-conceived and designed project can be built more efficiently and economically and increase your property value. Architects avoid oversized rooms and wasted space and can help you select materials within your budget and at a fair price. Architects can reduce building costs, decrease your home's energy needs, and increase its future resale value through good design. Having a single, complete set of architectural drawings to present to a number of prospective contractors allows you to choose among comparable bids - bids that are based on the same expectations. When the contractor knows at the start what will be built and when the client has taken time to plan carefully, costly delays and change orders during construction are minimized.

Architects can make your life easier.

Building is a long process that is often messy and disruptive. Your Architect represents you, not the contractors. Your Architect looks out for your interests and smoothes the process, helps find qualified construction contractors, and visits the worksite to help protect you against work that's not according to plan.

Architects solve problems.

Few people realize how complicated a project is--that is until they find themselves lost in the maze of design options, building codes, zoning laws, contractors, and so on. The Architect is the one professional who has the education, training, experience, and vision to guide you through the entire design and construction process, from helping you define what you want to build to helping you get the most for your construction dollar.

Architects See the Big Picture

Architects are educated to assist you in defining what you want to build, present options you might never have considered, and help you get the most for your valuable investment. They don't just design four walls and a roof -- they create total environments, both interiors and exteriors, that are functional and exciting places in which to work and live. By working directly with you and assessing your requirements in great depth, the Architect tailors the design to suit your personality, needs, budget and lifestyle. An Architect's knowledge of site-planning and natural energy processes (the influence of wind and sun on the building, groundwater flow, etc.) helps accommodate your project to the site characteristics and neighborhood context. The design aesthetic of the project is perhaps the most obvious area in which an Architect makes a unique and valuable contribution, creating a visually appealing place with pleasing character and style. Ultimately, your property's value is increased through appropriate design, improved functionality and high-quality detailing.

Architects Translate Your Wishes into Plans for Construction

Each building has a special history, every site has unusual conditions, and every client has unique goals, desires and requirements. The Architect seeks a design solution that unites all of these and reflects your unique personality and style of living or working. Your hopes and dreams for your project may be vague and abstract, and are usually expressed in words. The Architect works with you to translate them into drawings and specifications that are a visual and detailed technical prescription for construction. The goal is for you, your Architect, and your builder to share the same, very specific expectations about materials, quality, workmanship and other outcomes.

Architects Help Make Sure the Project is "Code Compliant"

Both the town and state in which the project is located have regulations that govern your project. An Architect should be aware of them and help make sure that your project satisfies them. Zoning regulations, which are published by each town and vary from one town to another, concern the building's use, size, relationship to the site and parking. Building codes are published by the state and address how buildings are to be constructed, dictating, for example, door sizes and materials, window sizes and locations, structural lumber sizes, and stair and hallway dimensions. A special section of the code ensures access to public buildings for people with disabilities; it dictates requirements for bathrooms, kitchens, ramps and other building elements. The Architect's documents are submitted to your town in order to obtain a building permit so construction can begin; they are used by the town building inspector to determine that the project will meet local requirements.

Architects Coordinate the Work of Consultants

The Architect coordinates the work of specialty consultants your project may require, including structural, electrical and mechanical (heating, plumbing, air conditioning), and civil (drainage and site utilities) engineers.

Architects Help You Secure a Builder

The Architect can help you through the process of selecting a contractor through competitive bidding. About half the cost of any construction is labor and the other half materials. Since labor costs vary according to skill, experience and the contractor's overhead, competitive bidding allows you to select a contractor on the basis of cost and schedule as well as reputation and approach.

Architects Administer the Construction Contract

The Architect brings an experienced and balanced perspective to the project during construction. The Architect serves as your advocate, working to be sure the project is built as it was designed and specified. The Architect analyzes and helps you make decisions about "change orders", which could affect your project's costs. Change orders are any changes proposed by the client or the contractor or changes required to address conditions that could not have been foreseen. Finally, the Architect authorizes payment to your builder, giving you added assurance that both you and your Architect are satisfied with the builder's performance and product. Some clients prefer not to involve the Architect during the construction phase (perhaps to save money); however, by keeping the Architect involved through construction, you will have an important advocate and an important perspective on the progress of the job.

Whether you are remodeling, adding on, or building from scratch, the Architect can guide the way. Working with contractors and other construction professionals, Architects can help you end up with a well-designed project that meets your needs and works with your budget and time frame. Make your vision become a reality: Speak with an Architect who is a member of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) at the earliest stage of the design process.

When you hire Connolly Architecture, LLC as your Architect, you will realize all of the above advantages and more. Contact us today at 609-466-1600 to get your project started!

*Most of the above information is reprinted from the New Jersey Society of Architects website.