Let’s do a little hypothetical.
Imagine for a minute you have an amazing untouched piece of land, a corner block, in a sought-after commercial precinct and you are ready to move forward and bring it to life.
You may do the right thing and talk to a builder or you might be that person who hears the word “Builder” and freaks out a little. Unfortunately, you are not alone and obviously when investing your hard-earned dosh, you want to choose the right company, but that also implies when shopping around for your Architect. P.S. Not all Builders are scary!
Before engaging an Architect, certain points should be discussed and addressed, let’s break it down:
Qualified? – If you are engaging a professional, be sure they are just that. A little online research can be handy here. Visit www.architectsboard.org.au to find out about Western Australian registered Architects.
Price?– Obviously. The cost in having your dreams and visions seen on “paper” can vary greatly from Architect to Architect. It can also depend on the size of the Architectural firm, the more “well-known” ones may see bigger invoices. The way in which an Architect may price for a design could be hourly or per square meter. An hourly charge could get out of hand due to you being unaware of how long it should take to design a project. A square meter price may be a better option.
Available? – Will your Architect be able to meet your timeframe? Will they be easy to contact and not halfway around the world on a six-week holiday? Trust that your chosen Architect will be easy to liaise with and not delay the design of your project.
Local Knowledge – Does your Architect have local knowledge? Council approvals can be a long process if plans are not correctly drawn up. Having an Architect who is aware of the Council requirements saves the back and forth. They may not be a local to the area, which doesn’t matter, but knowing Council guidelines is a must.
Suitable – Do they design hotels? houses? retail? If your project is an office/ warehouse, look for an Architect who has designed these types of builds.
View their work – Probably a good idea to check out some of the Architect’s completed works. Preferably in person, but if not a view of their portfolio would be a wise thing to do.
References – Kind of ties into the point above but having feedback from previous clients who have dealt with your Architect is invaluable.
Personality – You may think this is a little silly but being comfortable and liking the person you are engaging with professionally for your project is important. Spending time on designing your build will take a lot of conversation and face to face meets.
**photo courtesy of memecrunch.com
Now, if all that seems a little too much to worry about and daunting, why not let someone else take care of the whole process. Remember that “scary” word we mentioned before, the B word? Well talking to a commercial builder about your project can streamline the whole process.
A commercial builder would have the best access to Architects, and some even have in-house designers which would see a better price point in most cases.
Sitting down with a builder to discuss the nature of project will make all the difference to your goal. Is your office/ warehouse for your own business needs? or to lease? or to put on the market once constructed? The size of the build is important too, making maximum use of your parcel of land is paramount to a healthy return when leasing and selling. How much hardstand? How many square meters of office? All these things can be answered by a qualified builder and then reflected on plans by an Architect.
Liaising with a builder who knows their stuff, is absolutely the way to go. Yes, an Architect will have to be a part of the whole process but if you can save time, money and stress by having the builder take care of it for you and sourcing the right person for the project, then why not?
Oh, and the other B word you need to know Buildcom. Getting in touch with Buildcom Construction, we will eliminate all the hard work. We can design and construct your space On Time. On Budget and On Point, no matter the size of the development.
Buildcom’s 10 Top Tips For Your Next Design & Construct Project.
