Working with an Architect: What to Expect - Introduction to Series

For someone who has never worked with an architect, the design process can be intimidating and often misunderstood.  There are standard phases of design that are common throughout the industry for architects to follow.  Because projects can vary greatly in scope and complexity, some projects will not require all the phases, while other projects may require additional services.  The scope of work should be determined in the initial phase and clearly defined in the Owner/Architect contract.  Each phase of work has certain goals that should be reached and approved by the client before moving on to the next phase.  Also, each phase will vary in the amount of time spent to complete it and therefore will represent a varying percentage of the total fee. 

Fees

Our fees are usually based on how much time we think it will take for us to complete the project.  Some factors that we take into consideration when estimating this is project size, type, location, complexity, and scope of services.

Questions?

Call us at (815)806-0146

E-mail Nicole at n.corbett@rjaarchitects.com

The six standard phases of design are:

1. Pre-Design

2. Schematic Design

3. Design Development

4. Construction Documents

5. Bidding and Permitting

6. Construction Administration & Observation

In the upcoming series of posts, we will explore each phase of design in more detail.  Coming up next....Pre-Design! 

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