That really depends on you and your project. If you are doing your first project with an architect, I would refer you to Burke’s Blog on this website. The blog titled An Architect’s Answers to Client’s Top 5 Missteps may provide you with some advice. The more unfamiliar with what an architect does and the how the whole construction process works requires that the services we provide have to be more detailed. If you have experience in the building process, you will know what services are needed. Many who are working with an architect for the first time may have an impression that things work quickly. In most cases, you are spending a great deal of money, we have the experience and capabilities of directing you toward the value we can bring to your project.

Our services and the way we perform them are the value we bring. The easy way to explain the value is that we are the communicator (conductor of the orchestra) for you and your project. There are many different players in the design of a building. The architect uses their creativity in many ways. Not only as the lead designer of the project, we are the projects coordinator of the individuals involved in the design and construction of your project. A good architect is a leader, who has a management style that effectively manages the process saving time and money. A good architect can keep several different concepts in mind serving several different constituencies on your behalf. The value we bring translates to saved time and money, especially in helping to eliminate the missteps cited in the blog above.

Our experience and the references of happy clients is our best support for why to hire us. The firm has

performed projects large and small and from inexpensive to very expensive. We are adept at managing budgets, communicating effectively among all of the project’s and provide well designed, aesthetically pleasing buildings. We do our home work. Our experience in teaching other architects how to effectively prepare the drawings for faster permit approval stems from many years experience in getting permits approved in a month or less, because we have done or research. In the end we can save you time and money working at your schedule with your budget. Ask our clients. They are the best references for why you should retain our services.

Yes we do. The plans are a means to an end - your project. We “draw plans” as a means of communication between us, you as our client, our engineering consultants, planning and zoning departments, building departments and contractors. The plans are only a part of the service we offer and in some cases have to provide in order for your project to become a reality.

The fee we charge for our services are based upon what tasks we have to provide to turn your project into reality. Some architects charge on a percentage of the construction costs, some on a fixed fee plus expenses, some on a square footage basis. We analyze the project’s requirements. With more than 35 years of experience, we develop a list of task that are required. Using a spreadsheet we develop the number of hours needed to complete those tasks. Multiply the tasks by the hourly rates of the individuals who will work on the project, add in our engineering consultants fees (if you ask us to retain them - you can retain them separately), add overhead and profit and determine the fee. Without major changes to the scope of your work, that’s your fee. It stays that way unles you ask for changes to the scope.

Again it depends on the project. We usually ask for an initial payment of approximately ten percent of our fee for the average job. The initial payment is subtracted from our final invoice to you or in some cases, prorated over a few of the last invoices. If the project is small, special considerations are taken for payment that we will negotiate with you. An average project will be billed monthly or at the end of each phase of the design and construction process.