Why would you want the plans if they aren't worth a shit?

Take credit for getting yourself into this by hiring someone without doing the proper vetting (client references, etc.). I'm guessing the poor service reflects a dirt cheap price. Professional service isn't cheap.

A good strategy for small projects is to start with contractors and let them recommend architects.

There is nothing to be gained from further engagement with this person, that bridge has burned. Either walk away or go to court, in either case you need to start over. Try not to let this experience color your perception of all architects. It's just like everything else, they are good ones and bad ones.

this is a great clusterfuck. Push for small claims to recoup something and move on with a real professional. 

Two novices in that scenario: designer and client.

Except now you're no longer a novice.  You've learned the (painful) lesson to ask for client references and to see examples of built work.  Whether or not you recoup her fee, the lesson is the most valuable part of this for you.

Next time if you use a standard AIA agreement there’s a clause that states they have to redesign for free if the design goes over budget. Granted this means you both agree to a budget before the architect starts.

how much money was sunk into this hack? 

you can sue and you'll lose.  going over budget and making small bathrooms aren't violations of her standard of care--if that even applies, because it sounds like she isn't licensed. 

funny you never mentioned the byfold door in the mini bath. That is an odd bedroom, where do you put the bed?

I disagree on showing examples of "built work". Everyone needs to start from somewhere and if everyone adopted this mentality (and to some reason there are many who have), architects would take any fee (or no fee) to do a project and get it built. 

However, I definitely agree on references...

I would also definitely not give contractors too much faith as they have a conflict of interest in residential projects. They would rather shit on the architect to get the project(s) themselves. 

like BB said, you're putting a lot of faith in the opinion of contractors. Sit down with an actual architect and ask their opinion. I'm not saying they didn't do a bad job, but as to the degree, I wouldn't trust the opinion of someone with conflicting interests.

It’s shocking to me that a person can run a business like this.  How do you sleep at night?  I would get a different architect and just cut your losses with her.  Legally, it all depends on what your contract spells out.  Did she breach the contract?  Can you prove it?  

Vinyl windows and 6'8" doors, just to name a few, nothing lost there...but who cares about a quality project when the clients are just poor low class migrants, right? At least your architect tried to provide some quality for your future tenants, good for her!

There are not enough movies about Architects. This would make an excellent script about one. Call it "Devil Wears Pella Vinyl Windows"

Unless there are code issues, just run with contractor's recommendations. Standard doors, standard windows, standard walls, etc. Issues with layouts are owner's problem. They were approved at some point I hope.

What was designed and what was eventually built is a significant process on any project. This is actually what distinguishes top and bottom tier Architects. You hired bottom tier. A lot will have to change in coming up construction administration.  

the corner window in the bathroom is great. I want the whole world to look at while im pinching off a loaf.

My God. I didn't realize so many people responded. I was expecting the system to send me emails when responses are posted. I apologize for late response. I'm going through responses now. Thank you. 

Guys- ADU's are exempt structures... No license required. However, if licensee is working in one, he must stamp all instruments of service under his responsible control, not just technical submissions,

Ok- yeah: she's violatiing the practice act. Report her to CAB.

Sounds like she is taking her employer's work and recycling it. She should lose her job as that opens them up to liability. 

There was enough info in the thread for me to find the firm in question.  They dance around the title issues well enough on their website - she calls herself "designer", "building designer", "certified designer" (referencing an interior design certification and a foreign certification), but not "architect" or anything with "architectural" in it.  However she is offering design and permit drawings on larger projects - hotels, large apartment buildings, etc., even though she and her listed "consultants" are not licensed in CA. 

So yes, you could certainly report it to CAB.  The most likely outcome is that she'll receive a warning, and she'll revamp her website.

But looking at her website I think it should have been immediately obvious that working with this person would be risky at best.  Besides the lack of built work (there's only one photo of a real house on the site), the firm's logo and background images are clip art, the firm's name is borrowed from a Vistaprint commercial, and the captions of half the hideous 3D models on the site are "Click Here to Edit Title".  The whole "firm" looks like some fake place holder.  It's a little hard to feel bad for the client when I'd expect anyone with common sense to run from this "firm" quick!  Why did you pick her?  Did she have any references?

Unfortunately I don't think there's much you can do to recoup fees or force this person to re-design for free.  There's no agreed-upon budget in writing, no contract requiring re-design, she delivered the plans and they got permitted - that's all the contract required. 

Pretty bad design thru and thru.  No wonder this is a extra saucy clusterfuck.

wow who rips off Vista print?

She's got at least two other firms, in addition the one I posted above: 

Altri Design: http://atrshana.wixsite.com/at... 

And "LA Design", which doesn't have a website but is registered at the same address.

It reminds me of contractors who keep staring new companies.  Usually it's best to avoid those unless they come with stellar references and you can visit actual examples of their work.

Has anyone tried getting in touch with them and confronting the fact that they have an illegal practice?

As for the original poster:  seeing the renderings, the project is simple enough that you may not need this designer to do anything more.  You've already got permits, and it seems you're not that concerned with aesthetics (i.e. cost is the driving factor), so you don't necessarily need to involve a new designer either.  Any decent builder should be able to work with you to make the changes you've listed:  switch the 6'-8" doors, vinyl windows, change the one mitered corner window to a standard window in just one wall or the other, eliminate the "double wall" cladding details, and widen the bathrooms to make the toilet clearances work.  None of this should involve anything structural.  It may not add up to the substantial cost savings you're looking for though.  Some of these things just aren't that expensive (like 7' doors - that's a standard size - the price difference is fairly minimal.)

Of course, the room layouts aren't all that practical.  Also the head clearance on the stair looks iffy - I can't read the dimension in the section so can't say that it violates code, but good luck getting any large furniture to the 2nd floor. 

If you want to substantially improve the design and functionality then you need a new architect or designer.  But if you just want to cut some costs and move forward as quickly as possible, your best bet is probably just a builder who will listen to you.  Make sure you've got a good contract and that numbers are in writing this time!  Actually call their references and visit their projects.

In california, a written contract is required by law unless:

- An architect provides services to a professional engineer or licensed land surveyor.

- provides services to a repeat client where the work is very similar to work you have done previously with a signed contract.

- You have express written notice from Owner that a contract is not required

- You offer services for which no compensation will be given

I think "confusingly similar" is the key here:

1. It is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment, for any person who is not licensed to practice architecture under this chapter to practice architecture in this state, to use any term confusingly similar to the word architect, to use the stamp of a licensed architect, as provided in Section 5536.1, or to advertise or put out any sign, card, or other device that might indicate to the public that he or she is an architect, that he or she is qualified to engage in the practice of architecture, or that he or she is an architectural designer.

She markets herself as a "building designer" which is confusing similar per CAB...

https://www.homeadvisor.com/rated.AtriumDesign.64175677.html

Rick B- good luck with that argument...

No- what I meant was that your argument of calling yourself a building designer is DIFFERENT from calling yourself an architectural designer. That argument is bullshit and you know it.  The term "building designer" is confusing similar" to architectural designer, and therefore using that title is in violation of the CA practice act.

Leave the John Cage of architecture alone!!1!! Her "Click here to edit title." are my favourite projects...

If I'd run across that firm's website without knowing this client's whole backstory, I'd totally think it was fake.  The obvious stock images, the Vistaprint rip-off, the first house project that looks like a lego-inspired burger joint...  I would so believe it was a great spoof.  Maybe it is, and the disgruntled client who wants vinyl windows is part of the brilliance. 

Dick Busch Architects has some competition!

If you think about it...

Hello, I'm the person who started this forum post. I was shocked this morning that someone managed to find this "architect's" website. When I posted I just wanted advice and purposefully did not disclose her name. But the cat's out of the bag and really don't know where this will lead. This is someone that twice tried to throw my wife and I out of her office at the mere suggestion of criticism.

I want to thank all of you wonderful disciplined architects. You take your business seriously and restored my faith in your profession. You've confirmed that my wife and I are not losing our minds, that drawing a bedroom like you see in the picture I posted is NOT good work and we have reason to ask for remediation and should not be yelled at or told pay $150/hr to fix things. 

To those who blame us, the clients, for hiring this woman, you have reason. Her website is ridiculous. We didn't ask for any reference. A check of the California Architects Board would have shown she is not licensed. A check of her facebook page would have relieved she had started her firm just a year earlier and the only mention of other job on her Linked-in page is a 7-month stint at another firm. 

Last January we were days away from having to go overseas for several months, and we just believed her representing her herself as a "architectural designer" (on her business card) and her promises to give us great work and have the permit done within a few months, while we were away. We thought we were lucky to have found someone doing work while we were away, not realizing design work requires close thoughtful work with clients, not just email the client a floor plan and a 3D exterior drawing and then begin the city permitting process. 

Nearly a year later (she took 10 months instead of 5 months promised originally), I've gained enough experience to write a small book about 1. what careless fools we were and 2. all the stress we've been exposed to and 3. the many things a client should check out before hiring. For something that ultimately will cost hundreds of thousands, why would you not even demand references? I ask myself over and over. I read a dozen reviews when buying a faucet on Amazon! Why would I not do at least that much with a project costing thousands of times more? 

But that does not excuse what this person has done: 1. Misrepresent herself as an architect. 2. totally ignore our budget and designing something incongruous with our budget, purpose and location of the project, 3. Hand us deficient plans that lack many measurements and references, filled with pages of detail that have nothing to do with our project, 2x6 construction and double walls that have no place in our humble neighborhood, dozens of non-standard doors and windows and insanely expensive steel canopies that would balloon our project by tens of thousands, bedrooms that can't even hold a queen size bed, three 5x5-foot 3/4 bathrooms that can accommodate only skinny people, missing drains and slopes, erroneous door and window schedules. The list goes on. When I was hopeful she would see light of the day, I sent her 11 emails reporting feedback from consultants we visited.

But all of the above could have been fixed if this person simply accepted the obvious facts, listened to the professionals we've consulted with (including a licensed architect and the city's own plan checker) and corrected her errors.  

What has dragged this out this far - and this applies to every professional dealing with the public - were the bizarre denials and insolence and anger we were subjected to. Instead of welcoming valuable feedback this early in her career, she first ignored us, then told us this is just industry badmouthing, then told us to get lost, claiming she can't tolerate "insults" (she meant the slightest insinuation of any wrongdoing), and then finally, after seven weeks of chasing her, she agrees to correct some items (but not others) in return for thousands of dollars more money and then send us out on our own to find a structural engineer and to the city plan checker. 

My wife, a lawyer licensed in another country and a master of negotiations, and I still don't understand the denials and insolence. I stopped contacting her because she said my emails tortured her. "I'm a designer, not her to read emails all day," she screamed at my wife over the phone. My wife instead tried to negotiate with her in her native  language. But last Friday I realized this is taking a huge toll on my wife, who feels awful for having made the introduction a year ago. She arrived home after after enduring another avalanche of insults at the architect's office. One of her latest excuses is that my wife is ignorant because she is a recent immigrant and doesn't speak English well.

This is what brought me to this forum. Every consultant we've seen in person, has told us to either sue or abandon everything and start anew. I came to this forum for advice on other options. But how do you get someone to do the right thing without the enforcement of law? I don't want a court case. I just want my crappy plans corrected and build asap. 

I'm going through all the posts about whether an unlicensed architect can legally call herself an "architectural designer" (on her business card). 

So I called the California Architects Board. I was told in no uncertain terms that this is not lawful. "You can't use the 'a word' anywhere ever," I was told by a helpful person, probably the most unharried and patient state employee I've ever spoken to. The law: https://www.cab.ca.gov/act/bpc...

Designing small residential projects, like ours, is permitted by an unlicensed person. But it is illegal for this person to solicit design of apartments and hotels, like our architect is advertising on her website. 

I was encouraged to immediately file a complaint https://www.cab.ca.gov/docs/fo...

To the OP: the cost of starting over with a real architect will be less than the cost of building out this half-baked piece of crap. You're trying to make chicken salad out of chicken shit. Aside from that, every time you look at the building you're going to be reminded of this lousy experience. Better to flush twice and begin anew.

Get some architect referrals from contractors (and vice versa). Check references, look at the work. Talk to the clients. Walk through construction sites in progress - are they clean and organized, are the workers happy and engaged? Quiet observation can tell you a lot. When you feel comfortable, move forward. You will have a much better result. 

In the meantime file your complaint, document it, and use it in small claims. Lucky for you the limit us $10k - here in NY it's a worthless $3k.

There's a lot discussion and better to start new comment to address them:

About contract, yes, I signed a contract as I wrote earlier, it is a simple affair, 4 pages, saying the firm "will provide building design, drafting and permit expediting services for:" and then she wrote by hand: "(new) accessory dwelling unit up to 1200 so ft." 

Now I know I should have demanded much more detail. One of the demands, I now realize, should have been a mention of my budget. Isn't that reasonable. I gave a budget verbally before signing, saying this is what I'm shooting for. She didn't say it was too low. Her design is pricing out at nearly double my budget. Now she says 1. costs have risen tremendously in the year since 2. the budget is not her concern, that "I'm a designer, not contractor." 3. I didn't speak to credible contractors. She then picked up the phone and called a contractor she knows and asked him how much per sf to build a 1200 sf ADU. She put him on speakerphone. He gave a low price but he had no idea about the mitered window, the steel canopies, 9-foot ceilings, non-standard windows and doors, the roof with long windows in the back, etc. Then she hangs up and says, "see I told you. Your contractor doesn't know anything." 

But people we've spoken with say architect should design to budget. What is the value of a design that is not economically possible? One consultant told us he always prices out his designs BEFORE starting the permitting process. 

Am I wrong to expect design congruous with my budget?

Also another consultant said her design is a mismatch to the existing two buildings on the property (4-bdrm front house and a rear 600 sf guesthouse), both of which he called "traditional" designs. It's the architect's job to guide the client to something that is harmonious with the existing infrastructure and neighborhood. "You have two very ordinary buildings and then suddenly you spend all this money to put something that belongs in Santa Monica in the back of your property, that no one even sees. It doesn't make sense," he said.  
 

Something else about the contract: there is no place for her signature. Just a place for my signature. Is that kosher? 

We never got a copy of our signed contract. She gave us a copy without my signature. Another puzzle. 

Also the last page of the contract says: 

COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT:

This project is completely done by "[firm's name]", and the client is completely satisfied with the services received for this project.

Client name: _________________ Signature - Date ____________

Since I never got a copy of the signed contract, I have no idea if I could've signed this also or not. 

I know, I am an idiot. 

To the original poster:  if you're uncomfortable that the designer was identified, you can email the site's administrators and ask them to remove the thread.   From what you've told us, she's already threatened to sue you, and she's very temperamental. 

The website is hilarious and all, but it might not be great if the designer does find this thread and your comments about her.

The whole thing has eerie similarities to the legendary "California Intern" who plagued the AIA's old "e-architect" forum.  It's definitely not the same person - that one became a high school teacher after she sabotaged her architecture career - but they have similar design leanings, and from the sound of it the same volatility.  There's a cautionary tale in there though: "California Intern" escalated scarily, to having to be removed from an AIA meeting for threatening, and to posting fantasies (we think) of gun violence against her AIA chapter's then-president, clients, and former professors.  As entertaining as this thread has been, it might not be worth having to look over your shoulder all the time for vengeful designers.  

wow...just wow

OP, i'm sorry you had to go through this

I'm not feeling a lot of sympathy for the client here, because it's a classic you get what you pay for scenario. He paid 7k - any way you figure it that's a fee south of 5% of construction cost. Sure there are some architects who go that low for something like a Dunkin' Donuts, where one is the same as the next and all they have to do is make sure it meets their state code's minor idiosyncracies - but for residential design with an inexperienced client that's way, way into ultra bottom feeder depths.  These clients cheaped out big time and now they're whining because they're going to end up having to pay to have someone competent what they're worth, to clean up the mess.  That's not sad, it's just predictable.

So when does this cross the line into doxing, folks?

Well I’m guess she is actually licensed... what do you do now?

Hello, I'm updating the forum with the latest on our case with Atrshane Alimohammdi (a.k.a. Audrey Atrshan Alimo) of Atrium Design. We tried again to get her to correct her plans but she refused without getting paid another $2550 and that's just for the corrections. She refused to get us the necessary supplemental permit. We would have been on our own going to the city for the permit.

Her father, who goes to the same school as my wife, offered to mediate. My wife went to her office on the promise that the issue would be resolved the same day. Alimohammadi showed up an hour late and immediately announced that everyone, including her father, had to leave because "you need an appointment to speak to me" and refused to return the copy of the plans she had borrowed from us earlier to make the corrections.

Our very last conversation was unforgettable. She argued on the phone for an hour claiming all along she knew the 5x5-foot bathrooms or the misconfigured bedroom (I posted with my original post) didn't make sense and now if we really want to see her expertise, we should pony up for a new floorplan. She told us she's recording the call. Apparently, she doesn't know about California's two party consent law against secretly recording calls. 

We spoke to construction attorney, whose comments reflected some of the advice I got in this forum:

1. it would be insane to pay her more money after all we've been through, 14 months after we hired her.

2. The person who does the corrections needs to take responsibility for getting the supplemental permit, otherwise impossible to correctly answer city officials’ questions.

3. An experienced architect needs to take over the project and we should stop losing time trying to work with Alimohammadi, considering that our permit expires in a couple of months.

We are pretty drained. Here's a HomeAdvisor.com review on how the stress has affected us. https://www.homeadvisor.com/ra...

But we're also relieved that despite the loss of money and time, at least we don't have to deal with Alimohammadi anymore.

We filed a CAB complaint and they confirmed that an unlicensed person cannot use the title of "architectural designer".

Next challenge is to find a new architect to do the corrections. That might be a challenge because apparently some don't want to deal with flawed work of someone else. And it has to be someone skilled in dealing with the city's bureaucracy - or we've been told.

The plan is here: https://drive.google.com/file/...

I could really use the forum's advice: 

We don't have the CAD files, of course. Just PDFs. Can anyone tell me how many hours of work it would take to rebuild the plans? I'm wondering which pages have to be redone. 

As written before, we want to  

1. change ceiling heights to 8-foot from the current 9-foot. 

2. Get rid of the double walls.

3. Replace all the non-standard windows (which are almost all the windows) with standard store-bought windows. Replace 7-foot doors with standard 6'8". Replace all those fancy exterior sliding doors with standard ones. 

4. change the floor plan to have fewer and larger bathrooms. 

5. Get rid of the avalanche of superfluous detail. No our project does not have firewalls or a garage! And figure out which detail actually belongs to our project.  That might be a challenge. 

6. Add references so the contractors can tell which wall or floor detail are to be used.

Or at least these are the issues we see so far. 

(Another issue we might face is the engineering drawings, yes, drawn by hand! She hired him with blank checks we gave her. Contractors say they can't find sufficient foundation detail and it is unnecessarily over built.) 

I fully remember forum posts advising me to abandon the entire thing and start from scratch. We've spent at least $11,000 on city fees. Attorney says the only thing we could get back is the school fee of $5,300. 

But money aside, our time is limited because of family responsibilities that await us overseas. We need to build quickly to get on with our lives. Alimohammadi promised 5 but took 11 months to get our permit. But I'm guessing even a competent person would require at least 6 months.  

You gave her blank checks?! 

You can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit. Don't try to get someone to 'fix' the disaster, abandon it and move on. This is a simple project that has been made needlessly complex and expensive - without considering the difficulties you've been put through. 

Hire a pro. Iit's going to cost time and money but in the end you will save a bundle and eliminate the headache. Never hire without references. Talk to builders and interview architects they like - this is not about fancy design but rather about getting a competent professional who will efficiently guide you through the process. 

You should indeed file a complaint about your "architect" with the state board, if for no other reason than to try to protect others from such abuses. The money isn't enough to lawyer up over as the fees will likely be more than the disputed amount, although small claims remains an option. Also consider the stress of prolonging your engagement in this mess, and consider yourself lucky that you didn't get in any deeper. 

Apparently you are not from around here (U$A).

There seem to be a lot of these seemingly confident but unscrupulous, unqualified hacks out there.  I always figured it's because they work cheap.  I guess sometimes it's because they know how to find trusting novice-clients who don't know when they're getting bamboozled for real money.

The person the OP hired, whether licensed or not, is obviously unqualified to make changes and appears to be mentally unstable. If the contractor is a good one ask him for a reference of an architect he has worked with before and one that could determine if what he has now is salvageable or not. If the OP keeps going back to this woman any major flaws that do slip by, whether money or safety-related, are on his head now. 

You've gotten plenty of solid answers all through this thread already about which of the items on your list really matter for permitting and construction purposes and which don't.  For anything further you need to stop asking here for free advice - you need to take your project to a new architect (check references and their history of built work this time!!!!!) and ask all these questions of them, 

Yes, a reputable, competent architect is almost certainly going to want to start from scratch.  Their license depends on it.  In CA an architect can't stamp drawings for which they weren't in responsible control of production - and even if they could, nobody's going to want to start with this hack designer's drawings anyway.  A very ballpark reasonable figure for design fees for a reputable, licensed architect on a new residential project is anywhere from 7 to 12 percent of construction cost.  If someone is significantly lower, as was the case here, you must ask yourself why in this market would they take on your project for peanuts?  Usually it's because they're inexperienced and hungry for first built projects for their portfolios.  Don't go down that road twice.

What are trying to get out of your update, that someone here feels sorry enough to fix the mess someone else put you in? Architecture is costly for a good reason, it takes time and dedication from both client and architect. You've found out the hard way that if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. And lots of peanuts add up in the end too. 

Early on it seemed you were in a bad situation, looking for advice.  We gave plenty of that.  Now you've got a lawyer involved, and you understand you need a new architect.  The rest of the issues are for the new architect - they're beyond the free advice realm, because they involve becoming familiar with the actual project, and making professional recommendations about it.  That's the practice of architecture - for which you need to pay the new architect.

I get the feeling that your continued posts at this point are partly intended to shame the designer (because you're using her full names), and warn others.  You've already done that sufficiently, by posting reviews of her elsewhere, where potential clients would be more likely to look.  You've also reported her to the board, and you've involved a lawyer.  That's all fair and due diligence - but some of what you've described seems to go beyond that.  For example: involving her father, to mediate??? Completely inappropriate.  She had every right to refuse to participate in that meeting.  Be careful not to tread into harassment territory.  At this point your best course of action is not to continue dragging things out with her - it's clear that's not going to be useful to you.  Cut ties with her.  Let your attorney handle any attempts at recovering anything from her, if that's even worth attempting.  Move on with someone with the requisite experience for this type of project.

I notice she has taken the references to designing hotels and other commercial projects off her website, and removed some projects and all of her strange collection of "consultants" except her husband.  That would seem to indicate that she's aware of your complaints to the board - and perhaps so are those consultants, who may no longer wish to be associated with her firm.    In that sense you've helped others from going through the same experience on some even larger projects - hopefully that's some consolation.  Best of luck with a more professional designer moving forward.