Thursday, March 8, 2018

Why You Need The Architect Along With The Remodeling Contractor Portland Residents Trust

By Erik Heidrick


Some home improvement projects are simple. A new coat of paint here, a new light fixture there and you're done. Simple. However, if the home improvement you're thinking of involves structural elements such as building on additional rooms, moving or removing walls or other big jobs that change the foundation or structural integrity of your property, you should set your hammer down and bring in a professional architect.

An architect will meet with you to discuss your renovation plans. She may make engineering and design suggestions. Good architects are expensive however. Before you hire one, you might get suggestions from local contractors.

You hire architects for their expertise, so you should expect yours to take over the project. As long as you are comfortable with that arrangement, you can sit back, observe, and sign the checks. It will probably be a relief to let a good architect handle the contractors and budget decisions.

You may decide to bring in the architect at the very beginning of the project. This way she can create the design, including exterior restructuring and interior floor plans. She will itemize all the details so that, when you solicit bids from contractors, they will have all the information they need to submit realistic and competitive bids.

If you hire an architect, you have someone who will see the project through from start to finish. Instead of different people being in charge of individual parts of the job, contractors and crews are going to work together under the leadership on one person. This will make for a much smoother process. It will be significantly more expensive however, than if you were dealing with contractors on your own.

You have to decide how much more you're willing to pay for an architect's expertise. It will probably increase your budget by at least ten percent. You will however, get the benefit of someone else dealing with contractors and crews.




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