Cost-saving for new home design
The stunning homes you see in glossy magazines are almost always custom-designed by licensed architects. They are the unique creations of men and women with the skill and the know-how to explore new and unexpected possibilities. But, what if your own dreams are more modest? Must you hire an architect?
Maybe not. If your taste runs toward traditional, you may opt for one of these cost-saving alternatives.
1. Purchase a Stock Building Plan
Stock building plans are drawn by architects and home designers for mass marketing through magazines, catalogs, and Web sites.
Advantages: You can easily find stock plans for houses in a wide variety of sizes, styles, and budgets. If you are able to find a stock plan that works for you, you will save the cost of hiring your own architect.
Disadvantages: The architect who designed your stock building plan has never met you and does not know your tastes and needs. Moreover, stock building plans cannot take into account the nature of your building lot or the climate in your region. Many people who purchase stock building plans eventually decide to hire an architect to make modifications.
2. Use a Production Home Builder
New homes in suburban housing developments are often constructed by production home builders. Production home builders have contracted with architects and designers to create plans suitable for the region and harmonious with other houses in the development. When you work with a production home builder, you must select one of the builder’s offered plans. You then “customize” the plan by choosing exterior siding, light fixtures, bay windows, and other architectural features from a menu of options.
Advantages: Builders can work more quickly and more economically when they follow familiar, traditional plans. Since the plans are locally created, they will probably be suitable for the climate and the terrain.
Disadvantages: Your home will be assembled from a limited array of standard features. Although you may request some customization, your house will not be a custom home. It is likely to look very similar to the other houses in your development. Your builder may refuse, or charge highly for, any changes that are not on the established list of options.
3. Hire a Certified Professional Building Designer
Another cost-saving alternative is to hire a Certified Professional Building Designer (also known as a Home Designer) to design your now home. Home designers do not have the same level of education or the same licensing requirements as architects, and their fees are usually lower. Nevertheless, professional home designers do hold professional certificates which demonstrate that they have completed coursework and achieved experience in the field.
Advantages: Home designers specialize in private homes – not office buildings, shopping centers or gas stations. For this reason, a home designer may actually have more experience designing houses than some licensed architects. A good home designer can create a customized home tailor-made for your family.
Disadvantages: Like builders and real estate developers, home designers tend to produce plans which are traditional. In general, home designers do not have the training to create especially complex or unusual designs. If you have special needs, or if you desire a home that is truly unique, then you’ll need to hire an architect.
While most of what you are saying is is relatively solid advice, I do want to offer a coupe of comments.
First off, the licensing of the registered Architect. This certification process means that one has completed 1) the needed degree, of which (in my experience) has little practical application in the real world. True, there are some basic design skills and communication tools of the trade taught, but with such a wide variety of applications and very little understanding of actual construction. This is why the licensing requires 2) the apprenticeship part, (which is essential!). Then there is the actual licensing examination itself, which is specifically designed to focus primarily on commercial applications, code research, basic understanding of engineering principals, etc. In other words, one who is licensed may be able to design a structure that will meet code and be structurally stable, but that is about the extent of what they are tested for. As to their abilities to design a home which will meet the criteria of the individual, and be aesthetically pleasing; there is no guarantee that the title “architect” can provide to that end.
Stock plans, of course, have their pros and cons, as you stated fairly well. I would add that I also believe the vast majority of our housing problems at the moment are due to the “cookie cutter” nature of many stock plans. Not that the stock plan model in and of itself is a bad one; there is just a very poor and outdated selection of home designs to pull from in this category- most plan books produced nowadays are simply rehashes of designs dating back to the 1970′s and 1980, re-marketed in a new book with a new cover.
Finally, the certification process for the Professional Building Designer, which is meant to help fill in the gap the AIA leaves (as it focuses so heavily on the commercial aspect of design). Overall, a better system, but still only checking to ensure that homes are designed according to a basic code standards and construction techniques. The finer aesthetic qualities, being a subjective issue, are left to the judgement of the client.
Which really bring me to the main point I wanted to make. Whether selecting an Architect or a Certified Building designer (and I personally would be very careful about elevating one over the other as superior- of course, I’m hardly unbiased in that regard myself!) to be sure an check the type of work they have done already and be sure that their standards, aesthetic preferences and principles align with your own. Don’t go to someone who does several high rise office buildings a year and only a few homes (most of which are modern glass and steel boxes) just because they have the title “architect” in their name- (unless of course, the steel and glass box is what you are wanting!) Do some research and be sure you know what type of artist you are hiring, lest you expect a “Monet” from a “Mondrian”.
Also, part of the reason the Architect is such an expensive option is due to the fact that most (the really good ones anyway) stand between you and the builder and ensure that the house is built according to a very long list of specifications; detailing every material, appliance and finish. This is called “Construction Administration”, and puts the Architect as the supervisor over the construction. Most contracts are written so the builder actually can’t receive money draws from the bank unless the Architect approves of what had been constructed to date.
However, this sort of oversight is generally reserved for the very high end housing market. I think you would find that quite a few Architects who would be providing the design only to be much closer with the fees of a quality Residential Designer.
I hope you take these comments are merely observations from my own viewpoint, and hopefully not terribly contradictory to the good information you provided in your article, but merely as supplemental information. Best regards.
Dari judul sampe Esai…..,kalimatnya ngga EYD banget. Ini terjemahan tau apa ya?
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