New House Build in CO - Questions

13 years ago

Brand new to the site. Have been reading a bunch of posts recently and you guys are definitely a wealth of information. The wife and I just bought a lot in Louisville, CO and are at the beginning of building our first house. I have a few questions to start with that I am hoping I can get some answers for
1) I have a CO specific question -- does anyone know a good modern architect (or design build firm,) that is flexible enough to mix styles (our HOA is pretty strict so we aren't going to be able to build as modern as we want, but will need to mix with ranch or something). Also looking for the architect to be cost conscious. Maybe someone younger, but awesome vs super established.

2) Is it crazy to have the architect not be based in the state where you are building the house? We live in CA now and won't be moving for a bit.

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Comments (4)

beatboy77
12 years ago
I too am in a similar position as you. My wife and I are in the beginning stages of designing a vacation/weekend home to be built in Divide, CO.

To answer your second question, I strongly feel it is best to use an architect who is local to area you are building as they will have a better grasp of the local building codes and also understand the local soils better.

Josh
Kathy Harrington
12 years ago
Same here, we are beginning to build in Durango, Co and currently live in Texas. We found an architect and builder locally who are working together as part of our team to get this built. It's working great for us and most of the communication is done long distance, but we have made a few trips there as well, mostly out of choice.

We did things a little different from most people. We found a builder we loved and then interviewed architects, letting him know we would be using this builder and that everyone would be involved from day one. This helped us get a design we loved and could afford to build.

My best advice, find people whose work you like that you respect and trust. Good luck with your build and move!
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scottboyd
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks so much for the feedback and advice. I'm still torn between finding an architect in CO vs one near where we live in CA. The first one we spoke to from CO we didn't love and are about to meet with someone from CA that did a house that we think is amazing. The house we really liked that he designed is in another state, so at least he has done it before. I think if we really vibe the the architect here in CA we will probably go with him. I'll keep you all updated. And thanks again for the info. Good luck on your houses.
allison0704
12 years ago
We had a second home (just west of Vail) and hired a local architect. Great experience, even though construction was not checked on very often. Choosing the right builder is key in long distance construction.

Here in AL, we built our main residence using a Tulsa, OK architect, so I don't think it's crazy to use non-local architect. He was only contacted once during construction, when the framers had a question. We had a good experience working long distance with our architect.

Good luck on your builds!