Most people who choose to build a new house, take the easy route and find a builder who has a set of prepared blueprints that meet most of their wants and needs in their new home. By doing it this way, you avoid a significant amount of cost for your house. Since the builder can reproduce this same house dozens of times with only minor changes, the cost of the architect who designed the building becomes a minor cost added to each house.
If you already know exactly what you want for your dream home, you may have to have it custom designed by an architect. Plan on this costing you between 10 and 20 percent of the cost of the home itself. Architects do not work cheap. Finding the right architect can be tricky business. When possible, try to use an architect that is familiar to you. If a friend or relative has had good luck with a particular architect, there is a good chance that you will, too.
Should you not be fortunate enough to have an easy referral, you will need to do some research. There are two ways to go about this. The first way is to tour some developments that are in progress. If you find some houses similar to yours or with designs that you like, track down the name of the architect and arrange a meeting.
Interview the architect and ask to see other samples of his or her work. Discuss your plans and ask if the architect would be willing to make a rough sketch or two of how he or she perceives your wants. If these sketches are on target, begin to discuss price, time lines, and the cost of possible modifications. You will want to check on the architect's cancellation policy and how involved they will be in the actual construction should it be necessary. If the architect has knowledge of the particular building codes and ordinances in your location, you probably have found your architect if the price is acceptable.
The other route to finding an architect is to just get out the Yellow Pages and start dialing and making appointments to interview architects. Have your list of questions, concerns, and needs ready for each meeting. By asking the right 5 to 10 questions and previewing the architect's previous work, you should be able to narrow the search to two or three fairly rapidly. Do the same procedure with the short list of architects that was suggested for a single architect that you had found by looking at new construction.
Usually, the architect that has the time, works inside of your budget, and seems to understand what you want will emerge quickly. If more than one seems to be a good match, you may want to go on personality because you will have to work with this person for several months. Being able to get along with them may see big before you are finished with the project.
