Hiring an architect can add thousands to the cost of a home-improvement project, which is a lot of money when your project is relatively small — converting a garage to a game room, say, or expanding your kitchen.
Architects will argue that they offer expertise that will make any addition, however small, flow better with your house. But many experts say it’s often overkill. “If the project is entirely interior to the house, as long as you’re not moving windows or adding to the footprint of the house, you may not need an architect at all,” says Chris Sullivan, founder of C. C. Sullivan Strategic Communications, a communications-consulting firm for the architecture and construction fields.
The ultimate authority, however, is your local municipality’s housing department; some may require architect-stamped drawings in order to get a building permit, while others might let you give your drawings directly to a contractor. For small projects, you may be able to use an interior designer or, if you’re doing just one specific room, a kitchen-, bath-, or even basement-design specialist. To find a qualified designer near you, check out the web sites of the International Interior Design Association , the American Society of Interior Designers or the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.
hence why its good to get your builders license.....i have a friend that has 6 home renovation projects going right now and does design/build....and all he has is his builders license/insurance....
Florida for staters. Actually... in most states general contractors can do about 85% of the construction going on.
This is why you often see a lot of 3-4 story apartment buildings and office buildings is because there's structural and accessibility issues (ADA, fire) that have to be taken care of by an actual architect and or structural engineer.
But yeah, if you don't mind building suburbia and lining the world with parking lots... being a contractor is pretty kick ass.
I know in Florida you need to have:
an "accredited" 4-year degree in Construction Management(I.T.T. Tech is A-OK)
OR one year of foreman experience and three years of college
OR one year as a laborer, one year as a foreman and an A.A. in construction
OR four years of working with at least one year as a foreman....
And that's pretty much it.
Once you have your general contractor's license... you can start doing guttings, redesigns and renovations. Then for there, there's about 16 specializations that require a little bit of studying an another exam.
So year... by the time most students graduated with their M.Arch, you could have been a fully certified General Contractor whose thrown up 5 or 6 offices buildings and an apartment complex.
i have worked on a few 400g plus homes doing renovations in a more modern 50/60's style.... my friend is also doing some nice work with clean lines/etc...... the folks i tend to deal with don't like the victorian/b.s. style homes anyways.
in michigan you can design/build a home up to 3500sq/ft and do other interior commercial build work....so case in point, you mine as well get your builders license if you are doing the ARE's to help offset the work you won't get as an architect.....
Under what circumstances can an unlicensed person prepare plans, drawings, or specifications for the erection, enlargement, or alteration of a building?
Wis. Stat. § 443.15 provides that an unlicensed person or unlicensed corporation may make plans and specifications for the erection, enlargement, or alteration of buildings containing less than 50,000 cubic feet total volume, single family dwellings and outbuildings, apartment buildings used exclusively as the residence of not more than 2 families, buildings used exclusively for agricultural purposes, and temporary buildings or sheds for construction, not exceeding two stories in height and not living quarters.
As long as it's up to code, I think anyone can design and build one of the structures listed above.
Oddly enough, in Wisconsin you can become a licensed architect without ever going to college. Of course, you're only considered an architect in the state, since you don't have to go through NCARB.
Architects make 7% on a building once; real estate agents split 7% commissions again and again. Tell me again which field is more superfluous to the workings of the built environment?
One wonders why Chris Sullivan, of C.C.Sullivan Strategic Communications, who apparently has been hired by Architectural Record to "serve(d) as consultant to Architectural Record on its 'Excellence in Advertising Awards' since 2006", is telling MSN real Estate that people should NOT hire architects - the people who apparently are important to his livelhood.
One might want to contact the Editor of Architectural Record to express one's disappointment that the magazine that supposedly represents our profession chooses to employ someone who deems us unnecessary.
I contacted Record with my concerns and very quickly received a very personal and nice reply stating that Chris Sullivan is not allowed to be hired by the editorial side of Record, but has been hired by advertisers, and the views of freelancers do not necessarily reflect the views of Record. This is certainly true.
I've heard that Chris Sullivan give a speech about home remodeling and the "huge potential for work." This was geared towards GC's and he made no mention of Architect's and the services they provide. It was more a pep rally than speech and walking away my colleagues and I were joking that we'd be idiots not to go out and start home remodeling contracting businesses - per what this guy said. Nevermind that those kinds of companies go under at about the same rate as new restaurants. Chris Sullivan is an idiot and no friend to Architects IMO.
We don't need no steen-king architects!
Taken from
17 secrets real-estate insiders won’t tell you
Architect: “You may not need me at all.”
Hiring an architect can add thousands to the cost of a home-improvement project, which is a lot of money when your project is relatively small — converting a garage to a game room, say, or expanding your kitchen.
Architects will argue that they offer expertise that will make any addition, however small, flow better with your house. But many experts say it’s often overkill. “If the project is entirely interior to the house, as long as you’re not moving windows or adding to the footprint of the house, you may not need an architect at all,” says Chris Sullivan, founder of C. C. Sullivan Strategic Communications, a communications-consulting firm for the architecture and construction fields.
The ultimate authority, however, is your local municipality’s housing department; some may require architect-stamped drawings in order to get a building permit, while others might let you give your drawings directly to a contractor. For small projects, you may be able to use an interior designer or, if you’re doing just one specific room, a kitchen-, bath-, or even basement-design specialist. To find a qualified designer near you, check out the web sites of the International Interior Design Association , the American Society of Interior Designers or the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.
Probably the greatest comment from the article:
low lib
Thursday, June 24, 2010 3:07:18 PM
they are usually fraud
Really?
hence why its good to get your builders license.....i have a friend that has 6 home renovation projects going right now and does design/build....and all he has is his builders license/insurance....
Wait! One can do design build with just a builders license?? In which states?
Florida for staters. Actually... in most states general contractors can do about 85% of the construction going on.
This is why you often see a lot of 3-4 story apartment buildings and office buildings is because there's structural and accessibility issues (ADA, fire) that have to be taken care of by an actual architect and or structural engineer.
But yeah, if you don't mind building suburbia and lining the world with parking lots... being a contractor is pretty kick ass.
I know in Florida you need to have:
an "accredited" 4-year degree in Construction Management(I.T.T. Tech is A-OK)
OR one year of foreman experience and three years of college
OR one year as a laborer, one year as a foreman and an A.A. in construction
OR four years of working with at least one year as a foreman....
And that's pretty much it.
Once you have your general contractor's license... you can start doing guttings, redesigns and renovations. Then for there, there's about 16 specializations that require a little bit of studying an another exam.
So year... by the time most students graduated with their M.Arch, you could have been a fully certified General Contractor whose thrown up 5 or 6 offices buildings and an apartment complex.
i have worked on a few 400g plus homes doing renovations in a more modern 50/60's style.... my friend is also doing some nice work with clean lines/etc...... the folks i tend to deal with don't like the victorian/b.s. style homes anyways.
in michigan you can design/build a home up to 3500sq/ft and do other interior commercial build work....so case in point, you mine as well get your builders license if you are doing the ARE's to help offset the work you won't get as an architect.....
Wis. Stat. § 443.15 provides that an unlicensed person or unlicensed corporation may make plans and specifications for the erection, enlargement, or alteration of buildings containing less than 50,000 cubic feet total volume, single family dwellings and outbuildings, apartment buildings used exclusively as the residence of not more than 2 families, buildings used exclusively for agricultural purposes, and temporary buildings or sheds for construction, not exceeding two stories in height and not living quarters.
As long as it's up to code, I think anyone can design and build one of the structures listed above.
Oddly enough, in Wisconsin you can become a licensed architect without ever going to college. Of course, you're only considered an architect in the state, since you don't have to go through NCARB.
Architects make 7% on a building once; real estate agents split 7% commissions again and again. Tell me again which field is more superfluous to the workings of the built environment?
One wonders why Chris Sullivan, of C.C.Sullivan Strategic Communications, who apparently has been hired by Architectural Record to "serve(d) as consultant to Architectural Record on its 'Excellence in Advertising Awards' since 2006", is telling MSN real Estate that people should NOT hire architects - the people who apparently are important to his livelhood.
One might want to contact the Editor of Architectural Record to express one's disappointment that the magazine that supposedly represents our profession chooses to employ someone who deems us unnecessary.
Record does not rep the profesion, it is an advertising supplement
IIRC, until this May Record was the official magazine of the AIA, our profession's national lobbying group and professional organization.
exactly Donna, the official advertising supplement to the AIA
I guess I don't understand your point, 2step.
I contacted Record with my concerns and very quickly received a very personal and nice reply stating that Chris Sullivan is not allowed to be hired by the editorial side of Record, but has been hired by advertisers, and the views of freelancers do not necessarily reflect the views of Record. This is certainly true.
you know what's really superfluous? A communications-consulting firm.
I've heard that Chris Sullivan give a speech about home remodeling and the "huge potential for work." This was geared towards GC's and he made no mention of Architect's and the services they provide. It was more a pep rally than speech and walking away my colleagues and I were joking that we'd be idiots not to go out and start home remodeling contracting businesses - per what this guy said. Nevermind that those kinds of companies go under at about the same rate as new restaurants. Chris Sullivan is an idiot and no friend to Architects IMO.
FLM, I agree 100%.
And yeah, aqua, that sounds about right.
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