His “architect” is a stamp for hire that already has a relation with the ram earth builder.

Right now Quentin Branch is intended to be the contractor and Toby Branch the architect. Nothings signed but both have given me a good deal of feedback and I'm happy with what I've seen of their work. I seem to have piqued his interest enough that he will tolerate me and when the checks clear I think he wont care much about the extra time it takes.

I thought I had. The lot is 260 Mockingbird Ln, sedona, AZ. The building is oriented to get light from the SW to enjoy the sunsets and the master bed patio faces a small mountain behind it. I intend to buy the lot across the street one day. Personally I like the exposed copper and spiral duct but I definitely want to play more with the layout as I'm not satisfied either. There's a heavy focus on the bathroom and the kitchen is more a small part of a greater room, my family does lots of gatherings and the idea was to have the kitchen be a part of the greater social space rather than an independent room or area, the peninsula sink let's you do dishes while still facing out to the group. The hallway/nook sucks, I'm working on new ideas for that area and right now i like the idea of an S shaped wall to make the nook larger and the hallway a little narrower. Plus with RE it's less additional cost for curved walls than it would be framed so I may take advantage of that.

The layer coloring of the walls were a quick mashup of a rammed earth image and the sedona sandstone, deep red at the base, limestone tan at the top, and a few bands of darker black-ish sediment near the meeting point

The bathrooms and kitchen on either side of the access hallway/laundry is a must for my design. By centralizing the water features and using slope with French drains we can essentially eliminate risk of damage due to plumbing failure. Building on the slope at the back of the property with the berm (gravel and drain) I've addressed any flood risk and that's where bedrock has a nice flat area to build on. By doing this we also get a nice roof patio to enjoy 200 degree views at mid day while under the brim of the great room overhang

^Curved walls make for terrible spaces since you can't organize furniture around them. They only work when you take special care in lighting and turn them more into sculpture than spatial separation pieces. As for the rest of the comment, you can not tell from your drawings that any care was used when placing the rooms/uses and there is no hierarchy with the fenestrations. Look at any well designed ram-earth or desert residential example and you will see a clear and clever use of both open and closed spaces and selective windows or deep overhangs. This hierarchy is further linked to the internal rooms and uses. This in combination with good detailing around the ram-earth bearing walls and roof connection makes any space special. The other details, like the dishwasher or WC location are secondary (third in most cases).

Exactly what I was thinking, especially for people just coming out of the rooms into a space that was more meant as a decoration in and of itself rather than a space for furniture. a small round table and two chairs as the breakfast nook up against a window in a curved room. The wall I'm talking about runs East-West so it should get some dramatic lighting at sunset, especially in summer. I gotta model it to get the visual as it could also end up wasting a room.. I didn't post images with shadows because it glitches out on my computer for some reason, I need my desktop and I've been everywhere but home this year, but the design definitely factors that in.

Ultimately though that's what I have the least interest in designing personally as I'm not educated in that field. As you said these details can be applied to many layouts, thus the layout can be changed up by the architect to address some of these issues. These intricacies that I'm focusing on are so often overlooked and it can lead to a beautiful piece of art but a terrible building. I don't want to sacrifice everything aesthetically in the process, but they are more important to me than they would be the average client and so my focus is there.

Put it in an infinity mirror shadowbox and you can turn it into stacks much quicker

Anyone giving you advice that you end up using can end up being legally liable to your project and subject to a lawsuit. Formal contracts or a simple transaction of $100 and the written offer is a rudimentary contract from a legal point of view. Once you offer advice specific to the project, especially in this thread when there is a possible remuneration being awarded, this is enough to get sucked into a professional liability issue for several years until we reach the statutes of limitation and statutes of repose deadline for actions. Sorry, I am not going to offer any advice here in this thread. My recommendation, hire an architect or other competent building design professional at the price level that is respectful to the professional's time, experience, and yes.... exposure to professional liability. Where I am, this can be a decade long exposure. Given the nature of your project, the design professional is likely going to need to either increase their E&O coverage or have a special project-specific E&O insurance coverage in addition to their regular E&O coverage to deal with professional liability specifically relating to this unusual project. Are you going to fairly compensate the design professional for having to carry project-specific professional liability insurance for the duration of the statutes of repose as defined in A.R.S. Section 12-552 or otherwise basically 10 years as a factor of safety? Are you f---ing kidding that you think $100 is going to cover the insurance premium for a decade for even a minor design suggestion?

I'm well versed in E&O, this wouldn't apply to any ideas which met the criteria of what I asked. IE one guy sent me this https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/indian-architect-turns-bees-and-terracotta-design-innovative-cooling-system for an idea on how to cool the patio, something I'd already considered but decided against as it would require pumping water up to the roof to then pour down. Now if he'd sent me specs for a specific layout or designs for this property then we could be in E&O territory.

Hence, "It does not need to include the details or calculations, only specific enough to be researched and included by myself and the architect."

Three elements of a contract under Arizona law: (source: https://artemislawfirm.com/con... )

- offer 

- acceptance 

- consideration. 

You made an offer of $100 for a service "suggests a specific new feature for improvement which finds its way into the final design". There is a consideration. The consideration is the $100 compensation for providing the service of "suggesting a specific new feature for improvement which may find its way into the final design". All it takes to complete the contract is an acceptance. Under Arizona law, an act of providing "suggestions for new features for improvement which may find its way into the final design" is evidence of acceptance. 

Professional liability occurs when there is a contract (even as simple as this) and when the service is rendered. Suggestions made to a building's design under contract is a professional liability matter. Contract law matters. Contracts are binding as matter of law. Arizona law is the law of jurisdiction over liability matters due to project location. Contract may fall into Federal law which we can look into. 

I have not provided ideas for your project under the above contract terms but merely stating a concern. Therefore, I am not looking for the $100 nor am I interested in offering services for such an amount considering the professional liability exposure.

Also you wouldn't be culpable of any resulting damages or failures after another architect had been hired to review the designs. Their E&O would take on all liability for the designs which they approved, I don't think subrogation could apply here either as no one has been contracted for their work. But, in such a litigious country I don't blame you for being cautious either.

Your point is well taken though, I don't see a place to take down the thread or I would as I was hoping to try and get a discussion going not put people on guard.

I flagged the post so a mod can take it down.

Not necessarily true Ryan Young. I'm not an employee of said architect therefore I am not protected under the protection of working as an employee under the direction of my supervisor. I would be an independent contractor in every sense of the term. I can still be sued if the lawyer suing knows I made that suggestion. It would be different if I made a suggestion to the architect as that architect's employee.

As you know, lawyers are always finding ways to poke holes in liability shields through litigated cases. When they succeed, this sets new case precedence where those once upon a time sure shield is no longer so sure of a shield.

Certainly better safe than sorry.

possibly bored at home due to covid

100 bucks will buy you 1/2 hour of my time (assuming I didn't have a minimum fee, which I do in real life). The time it would take me to review your sketches thoroughly enough to have any valuable input would likely be more than 1/2 hour.

While all projects bring liability exposure and so does all contracts for services do. The potential liability exposure is too great for the reward of $100. There are many reasons, anyone on this forum may refuse to provide suggestions for new features for improvement in the design for this project for the $100. The liability exposure, legal issues, and the many other possible reasons does make the $100 reward a really risky exposure. Multiple parties can be culpable for their part. Even if the architect of record for the project is the primary party held culpable, other parties can be enjoined and be held culpable even if it is less than the architect of record. It still comes at a cost. It still being exposed to liability that can have financial consequences and possibly other consequences.

Working for Z Modular.