ᐅ Initial Consultation / Architect Selection

Your questionnaire sounds a lot like a speed dating checklist. A good single-family home architect doesn’t have “& Partner, Essen / London / Tokyo” behind their name; they are a “solo chef” working with a draftsman/draftswoman and a part-time office assistant, usually with no more than five employees. Asking about the proportion of residential projects in their portfolio makes sense—as long as by “single-family home” you mean owner-occupied houses, i.e., specifically excluding multi-family housing for investors. Multi-family buildings with up to four residential units aren’t fundamentally different as an area of work, so you can include those as well. Regarding the approach, it seems you imagine an independent architect too closely to a general contractor (GC) who prepares building permits, but the working methods are fundamentally different. For example,

stfn_86 schrieb:

How is the work carried out during the preliminary design phase? How many different drafts/iterations are included?

suggests you understand preliminary drafts as discussion drawings created before the permit documents and that you want to know how much back-and-forth, like “Princess Shiny86” style indecision, you’re allowed during the design process. However, a preliminary design with a freelance architect is something completely different and represents a process step: the framework conditions of the development plan and the spatial program are already finalized, and the result is recorded in ONE design. This is then discussed and possibly revised. The preliminary design is then developed into the design phase, which later becomes the basis for the permit application drawings and the working documents for the structural engineer, quantity and dimension calculations, and so on. Later, construction drawings are derived from the design plans.

stfn_86 schrieb:

Does the architect’s approach fit our expectations (e.g., services phase 1-4, then handover to general contractor vs service phases 1-9 vs architect as construction manager)?

If the general contractor (and their “site manager”) are supposed to take over after the permit application, it seems to me the role of an independent architect is only half understood—the same goes for interpreting an architect engaged through service phase 9 as a “construction manager.” The true architectural work really begins only once the building authority has given the “like” to the drawings.

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This is just like DSDA 🙂

I'm curious to see who will come up in the recall with you

Thank you for the responses, but I don’t quite understand what is wrong with having a structured selection process for one of the most important parties involved in the construction....

11ant schrieb:

By preliminary designs you mean draft plans for discussion before submission documents, and you wanted to know how much back-and-forth like Princess Shiny86 you are allowed during the planning process. However, a preliminary design with an independent architect is something entirely different and is a process step: the framework conditions from the zoning plan and the spatial program are already finally determined, and the result is recorded in ONE design.

That is also my understanding. My question was more about the back-and-forth. On the way to that one design (in the preliminary design phase) there will certainly be several versions of the design.

11ant schrieb:

If, after the building permit / planning permission, the general contractor (and their "site manager") is supposed to take over, then the purpose of an independent architect seems to be only half understood— the same applies to interpreting an architect engaged through and including phase 9 as a "general contractor." Once the drawings get the "approval" from the building authority, the real architectural work really begins.

That’s exactly my question. We already had a conversation some time ago with an architect whose preferred working model is phases 1-4, then general contractor (GC). One of the architects we will meet next week mainly works as a GC. But that is something different from working through phases 1-9 with separate contracting (where a GC might also be invited to tender). So that’s where my question comes from. Basically, we are still open to all options at the moment.

stfn_86 schrieb:

Thank you for the answers, but I don’t quite understand what is wrong with making a structured selection of one of the most important parties involved in the construction....

Nothing. But you can also overdo it.
In the end, you have to get along with them. Not one, but you and your partner*. That is called chemistry, sympathy... it has little to do with structure.

As I understand it, you’re worried about ending up with the “wrong” builder. However, you probably won’t be able to completely eliminate that concern—just like any other homeowner struggles with choosing the general contractor or the prefab home company. Of course, you can read Google reviews, customer testimonials, and so on, but none of that necessarily applies to your specific case… assuming what you’ve read or heard was even genuine. You’re trying to rule out some options based on the number of employees and other factors, but in the end, none of that really means much. If you end up with the “wrong” builder, it won’t matter what you read or heard beforehand. What I would truly want is to see reference buildings of a similar scale to mine, so I can recognize the builder’s style, and I want to gain a strong impression that the chemistry is right and that they respond to my ideas—even if they sometimes seem unusual—or at least take them seriously at first.

stfn_86 schrieb:

That is also my understanding. My question was more about the back-and-forth. On the way to the one design (in the preliminary design phase), there will certainly be several versions of the design.

No. There is no "phase" like an exciting bullfight with thirty-five drawn discussion protocols about rotating the staircase and the layout of the partition wall between the master and children’s bathrooms at the architect’s office. THE preliminary design (singular!) emerges through a structured distillation process from the ingredients "framework conditions" and "wishes." Between the preliminary design and the design, doors and windows may still be adjusted, and between the design (which corresponds to the submission plan) and the construction drawings, pipes, switches, and outlets may be repositioned. Architects do not indulge in princess whims; architects plan houses. Not as therapists, but as structural engineers with a background in aesthetics. A back-and-forth as a substitute for structured requirements analysis is unnecessary here, because the method handles that better than endless bickering and childish games. Therefore, the preliminary design is not a "phase" like the game "bossy boss," but a structured procedural step between adults and the architect.

stfn_86 schrieb:

We had a conversation some time ago with an architect whose preferred working model is "services phases 1-4, then general contractor."

Then forget about that artist; he is useless as a support for a layperson. This is not a chef; this is a cold caretaker. Essentially, the general contractor’s draftsman will only outdo him in creativity. At least it is good that he is aware of his failure under real conditions and voluntarily gives up after service phase 4. A freelance architect only truly shows their advantages when they accompany the evolution from plan to house as an executive conductor. Moreover, a reasonable architect would never rule out that a bidder also submits an offer as a general contractor for all trades. However, project management is not handed over to the general contractor’s representative because they have a different role.

pagoni2020 schrieb:

I would actually like to see reference buildings in my "class" to recognize their style, and I want to get the strong impression that the chemistry is right and that my ideas, even if sometimes unusual, are at least taken seriously initially.

Exactly. And all respect when it comes to choosing a "partner," here we are presumably talking about a typical family (?) without highly specialized conditions. Finding an architect should not be a more complex doctoral thesis than the actual construction project.

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