Are Architects Needed for Home Additions?

Remodelling a home is a big undertaking, but a well-planned home addition will pay for itself time and time again. A house addition or a room addition. Nothing less than one entire new room is added to the house: great room, dining room, or family room. The question whether the architect is needed for a remodelling project.

The direct answer is a licensed architect will give polish to your remodeling job. But professionalism comes at a cost, and hiring a credentialed designer may not be necessary. Here’s how to decide if an architect is right for the remodeling project.

Architects are highly trained in building design, engineering, and ergonomics. At the outset of a remodeling project, an architect will examine the house, listen to the client aspiration, dreams, and needs, and then provide solutions and approximate building costs.

Once the design is settled, the professional can work up simple floor plans or complete blueprints, help select a contractor, work with a structural engineer for permitting, and spot check or oversee construction to ensure it’s being done according to plan.

The overall cost for an architect can be calculated by an hour, percentage of the project cost or flat fee. The per hour is between $50 to $150. If it is charged by the percentage of the project cost isbetween 5% to 20%. If the agreement is using flat fee, the cost is between $5,000 to $20,000 on a $100,000 job.

Remodelling a Home

Generally, most professionals are willing to negotiate fees for remodeling projects. They might agree to a flat fee for the design and blueprints, and a per-hour fee for site inspections and design changes after construction has begun.

Normally, the bigger the remodeling job and the more valuable the house, the more a professional needed to be involved. In general, if the project involving changing the exterior of the building, and making significant alterations to the floor plan inside, or spending more than 5% of the value of the house, then, in this case, an architect is needed.

Both architects and contractors can save money through the creative use of space and materials. But the two professionals often solve problems differently. In a nutshell, generally, contractors look for an efficient and logical solution, but not necessarily the most innovative or aesthetically pleasing approach. Whereas architects typically propose solutions that add visual appeal and complement and flow into the rest of the house.

If the budget is tight, and at the same time the project is simple, the solution is hiring an architect who’s just starting out. His fees will be commensurate with his experience—a mixed blessing.

Another alternative is hiring draftsman, who can create technical drawings for half the price, but does not have the design and engineering expertise. Upfront it will save money, but in the end, it is needed paying for an architect and a structural engineer to approve the design before the local building authority will issue a permit.