The time has come when months (or possibly years) of drawings, meetings, revisions, cost plans, discussions and decisions has resulted in work beginning on site. It’s an exciting time in any project, when the images and ideas start to become reality and the designs produced by your architect get into the hands of your chosen builder.
At this point it might be the case that your original budget has doubled, or had a zero added onto the end, once the full scope of your once-in-a-lifetime project has been priced up. Or if this house isn’t your ‘forever home’, every penny counts to minimise costs and maximise the overall value.
So do you really need to keep paying your architect to provide services beyond this point, when they’ve finished the drawings?
In a word, no. Plenty of projects can be successfully taken on by the builder at this point, and if they’re experienced and work to a very high standard, this can create successful results. If there are additional details to be worked out when on site this can be done through a ‘contractor design’ – this rarely involves drawings but working it out based on similar jobs they’ve done before. And the builder might have in-house Quantity Surveyors supporting the work on site, this is a way to keep a handle on costs.
But often builders are very busy doing the construction work, managing the trades, negotiating with material suppliers, keeping the client updated, and pricing their next job. This can lead to aspects being missed, escalating costs, or a lower quality build. Most of our clients have busy lives alongside a building project, with jobs, families, errands and holidays, and don’t have the time, or capacity to act as a Project Manager, Clerk or Works or QS.
This is where the architect fits in to the build stage of a project. For a relatively low fee (probably about the same as a few kitchen cupboards, or some really nice doorknobs), we can see you through the whole build and ensure that the work on site matches the very high standards of us as designers, and most importantly our clients.
The RIBA Guide to Working with an Architect for your Home, says that:
“Throughout the construction phase the architect can administer your contract with the builder, carry out regular inspections, deal with queries, instruct any additional work required, monitor progress on site, keep track of cost, value the works, and certify payments due to the builder.”
We can help to add value by keeping a handle on costs, ensuring that compromises aren’t being made, and act as the client’s eyes and ears on site.
In many cases on domestic projects we find that formal, written contracts aren’t in place but rather a ‘handshake’ agreement made with a preferred builder. In these situations, we can still offer many of these services such as regular site visits, benchmarking expenditure against the original cost plan, providing additional clarification and design details, liaising with Building Control inspectors, and responding to queries from the builder, subcontractors or client. You might come home from a busy day at work to see the walls going up on your extension, with an insulation product which doesn’t seem to match the type specified on the drawing. Rather than leaving an awkward note for the builders, or working from home the next day to ask them, we can be the person on call to respond!
We have had a large number of projects successfully managed on site by builders, so this is why we offer the later stage services as an option for our clients to take up or not. But we are often told by clients at the end of a build that they wish they had continued with us onto that stage. When costs have spiralled, details haven’t been carried out as expected, or delays have occurred, it seems like a highly valuable service at the most critical part of the project. Whether you’re considering a home renovation project, or are already a client of ours, get in touch if you’d like to discuss the services we can offer at the most critical stage of your build.
