152 Santa Barbara Architects & Designers

Is the scope of your Santa Barbara Metro Area home design project more involved than replacing your kitchen countertops or bathroom flooring? It is the responsibility of an architect to transform human needs and desires into visual concepts and habitable structures. When you hire an architect, you are not only hiring someone to design and build your home, but you are also hiring the person who will manage all of your budgetary limitations and site constraints, as well as coordinate the relationships of all parties involved in the project.

It is best to hire an architect who will be involved in all phases of the design process, from the initial concept to the completed construction. The architect is often the first person you will hire for your project. If necessary, your architect may help you select and hire subcontractors, which can include the builders, engineers and landscape architects. Architects are also involved in negotiating contracts for all involved participants. It is for these reasons that it is extremely important for you to have a good relationship with the architect you hire. He or she can be the tiebreaking vote between you and the general contractor, and can be your biggest advocate along the way during construction. Depending on the company that you hire, the scope of the work can span from predesign environmental impact studies to selecting furniture and interior finishes. Here are some related professionals and vendors to complement the work of architects & designers: Interior Designers & Decorators, General Contractors, Home Builders, Design-build Firms, Landscape Architects & Designers.

As far as the process goes, the architecture company that you hire will start with concept drawings and finish with construction drawings and documents. Some firms even design with 3-D renderings and videos, but that should not be assumed. One of the most important duties of an architect is to serve as managers and supervise most aspects of construction as well as facilitate communication between all other contractors.

It is very important to hire the right architect for the job. Remember that the most well-known or established designer might not be the best architect for you. It all comes down to the individual project. Research and ask people whose work you like for recommendations. It's important to have somewhat of an idea of what you would like to do to your Santa Barbara Metro Area home and how much you would like to spend. Architects are natural problem solvers. They will assess the entire situation and help you to solve your problems too. Don't settle for a single architect too early. Call and interview a few. Make sure that you feel like your personalities will mesh well and that you like the architect’s professional perspective.

Questions to ask a prospective architect:

• What is your fee structure?
• What does the cost include?
• Do you have professional liability insurance?
• Can you handle my special requests (ADA, LEED etc.)?
• What types of renderings (3-D, video, illustrative) will you produce?
• What is your experience with similar projects?
• When do you expect to start and be finished with the project?
• What do your services include? (It's best that the services are until construction is completed.)
• What happens when the cost exceeds the budget?
• Can you provide me with references?
• Would you say your work has a defining style? (This is important in case the architect's personal style will interfere with your vision.)
• Will you help with hiring a general contractor and subcontractors?
• What do you estimate the cost will be?
• What will I need to provide?
• Are there any complications you foresee with this project?

Find an architect on Houzz. Narrow your search in the Professionals section of the website to Santa Barbara Metro Area architect. You may also look through photos of projects to find an architect or designer who has worked on a project similar to yours. You can find more architects & designers in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Lompoc and Goleta.