How much to pay a designer

My wife and I are planning an addition to our 60 year old Cape Cod in Ohio. I have a friend I teach with who does additions during our summers off, and he agreed to work with me through the tough parts of the project, mostly the shell. I'm handy enough to do most of the finish work.

In drawing up ideas, my wife and I have been through so many options that we finally decided to hire a consultant, a designer who can look at our ideas and give us suggestions on how to make the best use of the space for the best price. We don't need plans drawns, as my friend has a guy he uses to draw up all his drawings for him. I know of no one in who has used a designer in our area, so I had to flip through the yellow pages to some reputable design/build firms, to see if they would consult on a design. One would not, and another said yes to a consult, but he could not draw anything that his company wasn't going to build--fair enough.

He said his consult fee is $150 an hour, which at first I thought sounded okay, but now seems high given that some designers will consult and do complete set of drawings for between $500 and $600. Is this a reasonable fee for this service in SW Ohio? And how will I know I'm really getting the best ideas from the guy, since it's really only a consult? I don't want to blow good project money unless I will benefit?

Any ideas how to deal with this? Thanks.

 

Jeff,

First off, the question seems to be what are you looking for in a Architect/Designer? The issue of the money is in relationship to what they do for you. It is not just drawing lines.

Few people realize how complicated it is to build... that is until they find themselves lost in the maze of design options, building codes, zoning laws, contractors, and so on. No two building projects are exactly alike, so there is no single, clear-cut path to follow. In additions or remodeling, issues like needing to upgrade heating, electrical, plumbing, where plumbing is located or where existing items need to be relocated, existing structure and it's components, from the foundation on up and roof tie ins, all these issues and more need to be addressed.

The architect/designer is the one professional who has the education, training, experience, and vision to guide you through the entire design and construction process, from helping you define what you want to build to helping you get the most for your construction dollar.

Whether you are remodeling, adding on, or building from scratch, the architect/designer can guide the way. Working with contractors and other construction professionals, architect/designers can help you end up with a well-designed project that meets your needs and works with your budget and time frame

One important note...the fees charged for these services varies by who you hire. Their services are invaluable. The experience and knowledge they possess to assist you in attaining your goals is what you are paying for. This is usually a fraction of the projected total cost of your project. Trying to do this yourself, unless you have skills to do so, will turn into a nightmare that could have been avoided.

6 BASIC STEPS TOWARDS BUILDING A HOME/ADDING ON

1. DECIDING WHAT TO BUILD
2. ROUGH SKETCHES (2D DRAWINGS - FLOOR LAYOUTS/ELEVATIONS)
3. REDEFINING THE DESIGN
4. PREPARING CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS (BLUEPRINTS AND SPECIFICATIONS)
5. HIRING THE CONTRACTOR
6. CONSTRUCTION

Now when it comes to fees and/or services and as you found out that there are Design/Build firms. I would stress that you read this posting, it will save you allot of headaches,

http://forum.doityourself.com/showth...hreadid=150160

I would expect an Architect to charge $100 on up per hour for their time. A Designer on the other hand should be half the price. Both can do virtually everything and in fact most residential projects do not require an Architect unless we are talking 3 floors, allot of square footage. A Structural Engineer would have to be called in regardless who you use if such a service was needed. I have seen drawings done for $500 that are just worthless and others that are fair. They might be good enough to get a building permit but when given to a Contractors to bid on, the lack of critical information will cost you in the end. The difference is what that $500 really provides. Those doing it for that amount of money would do only Step 1, 2 and then jump to Step 4!

The question is how many hours does it take based on your gross hourly wage to total $500.00? Do you think that those hours you calculated is all it takes to design, consult and prepare construction drawings?

I would not waste my time on an addition if I had to go through the steps 1 through 4 for $500. I would if it was $1500 - $2000 depending on what is being built and what is it attached to. If someone whats full service, be willing to pay for it or accept the consequences in doing it the cheap way. Just to give you an idea, this is what typically should be included in a set of completed drawings, regardless if it is new home or an addition, ready for building permit application,

Site Plan (Existing site plan provided by Owner(s))
Cover Sheet w/project information,square footage, symbols, index
Exterior Elevations
Floor Plan of Existing Structure
Foundation Plan
Floor Plan(s) w/Electrical Layout
Roof and/or Deck Structural Plans
Truss Layout and Profiles
Roofing Plan
Cross Section Details
Standard Structural Details
Stair and Rail Details
Fireplace and Chimney Details
Door and Window Schedules
Electrical Symbols

If someone provides all this for $500, complying with all the codes, taking you through all the steps, putting in 50 to 100 hours, then you would be very lucky indeed.

Hope this helps!

 

Jeff,

Doug speaks so much truth it gets scary sometimes. So few people realize the energy and effort it takes to design and draw a project. It is the most crucial part of the job and yet everyone wants it done "cheaply". Remember the old addage you get what you pay for.


Good Luck,


Brian Garrison
General Contractor/Professional Building Designer

 

Brian,

Are we being serious or joking?

 

Doug,

I was dead serious.

You over the past year have nailed the truth and gotten to the point always.

Brian Garrison

 

Brian,

Thanks for the compliment. It's always nice to have someone else that has similar experiences and concerns for members and/or clients here on the Forum. Many respond with band-aid approaches that fail to provide proper information. I have been accused of suggesting a structural engineer "too often" when in fact many just assume that you can do this or that after just reading a post. It is much more complicated than that and when it is one's biggest investment, why take chances?

Since I have been a real estate agent, general contractor and now full time designer the experience I possess hopefully has helped many. Your comments will do the same. Just within the past week, I have now taken up contracting again in conjunction with my designing. Not a planned venture but one that I know how to do very well. The experience of knowing what is right or wrong has given me advanatages over others. It's not how long one has done something but rather have you learned anything from those experiences. Many do not but in what I do now I must learn something new everyday or I become like those that do poorly at their profession. Here at Do-It-Yourself.com, we as volunteer moderators and the many professional and non-professional members are willing to pass on those "learned experiences". This is what makes this Forum better than any out there.

So enough chattering but thanks for the compliment. Glad you're here.

 

This posting has been edited.

No Ads, Surveys, Advertisements, Solicitations or Pyramid Schemes Allowed In The Forum Topics.

Advertisements within the forum topics or within replies posted or within personal signatures or including email addresses within replies or signatures is not allowed on this web site. Surveys, Ads, Advertisements, Solicitations to market products, services or to hire person(s) to perform work is not allowed in any forum topics.

Posting email addresses for others to contact to obtain information or to market products or directing anyone to personal web sites which can market products or solicit services, etc are not allowed. There Are No Exceptions.

Members posting any of the above or similar, anywhere on the web site are doing so in violations to the policy and are subjected to suspension or banning.

No topics are to be used for personal gain using any method. Allowing any of the above degrades the entire web site for all concerned parties. Read the forum sticky note for additional detailed information.

Doug Aleshire
Super Moderator