Talk to a local architect and and frankly discuss your budget. They will be able to point out the benefits of using an architect that can actually save you money.

I agree. Our architect saved us more money than he cost!

You can also look into design-build firms, which combine architect services with construction services in one company. This can often result in savings over what you would pay if you hired two companies to do these separate tasks.

Consider hiring an experienced semi-retired sole-practitioner architect with low overhead. Architectural firms usually charge much more for the same services.

What is often lost with design-build is the opportunity for competitive bidding and owner control of the design process in addition to the loss of independent oversight during construction (if that is included in the architect's services and I highly recommend it).

How do you find an "experienced semi-retired sole-practitioner architect with low overhead"??

How do you find an "experienced semi-retired sole-practitioner architect with low overhead"?? -

Start with local lumber yards. The guys who do the take-offs at lumber yards typically have relationships with architects and will sometimes give you referrals. Lumber yards are probably your lowest common denominator in home building, there are relatively few lumber yards per capita and they deal with plans from every architect and builder in the area. Just like most people, they love to talk, you just have to listen.

thank you bry911.

Check to see if you have a local chapter of The American Institute of Architects. They maintain referrals.

Skip the AIA; you want someone who canceled their AIA membership long ago because it was an unnecessary expense and who now has an online brochure.

It is not likely that anyone in a lumberyard would notice who drew a set of plans or to have a reason to talk to an architect.

If you advertise on Craigslist you will get a hundred responses from several states so I don't recommend it.

In the digital age, the best way to find anything is to google it. Using the right search terms is the key. Try "sole practitioner architect" with your zip code.

In what part of the world is the project located?

Come on--the OP wants sources of information. The AIA is a good source, even if you don't care for them.

You keep your costs down by revaluating your needs and wants. That will be the big expense driver when building anything, but especially building custom. Reevaluate your ''need'' to build at all. Your money will go further buying existing. Reevaluate your savings plan and budget. You will always go over, and will need more funds in reserve than you think.

Hiring an architect will save you money. But only if you don't cost you money by having an unrealistic idea of what your budget can actually buy.

The AIA is a great source for information regarding the design of a house but they do not have a list of all of the architects in the area, only their members so they would not be of much use for the OP.

In today's market older sole practitioners have little reason to continue their membership in professional organizations or even hold on to an NCARB certificate. But you can be certain they are all online. Even Houzz or Angie's list is a better source.

I just checked the website of the Boston Society of Architects (2nd oldest AIA chapter in the US), searched their architect database for my town and "Residential" architectural firms and got 3 names. Adding "Basic Architectural Services" added 3 more names. I know these firms and only one is a sole practitioner.

I then googled "architect" and my zip code. I found my name followed by many pages of architects. I didn't find anyone with AIA after their name until the third page.

JDS- Yes, you can have a less than ideal experience with design- build...just like you can have problems when you pick the wrong contractor or the wrong architect, or independently hire a competent architect and a competent contractor and they don't work well together. At least with design-build you have a team that should efficiently work well together. And the key to any of this -- no matter which approach the OP takes -- is multiple bids and reference checks. Having completely independent oversight of construction can be helpful if you have the money to pay for it, but I thought this thread was about how to save money, and that usually means making compromises.

Lat year I was asked to submit a fee proposal for full architectural design services from zoning analysis to occupancy for the extensive renovation and expansion of a very large and expensive 100 year old Italianate house in my neighborhood. Even though I had already done an earlier smaller renovation and already had full existing condition CAD drawings, the owner chose a design-builder even though the design part of their fee was $10,000 more than my fee. The owner said he believed he would benefit from "one stop shopping" although I warned him as I did the OP above that he would lose control of the project. When it was all done he told me he regretted his choice because toward the end of the project the design team was no longer involved and details and quality were sacrificed in a rush to finish.

IMO there is no reason to compromise on the cost of a good architect if you choose one carefully. But you need to avoid paying the excessive overhead multiples of an architectural firm. I know what firms charge; I managed projects for several of them in my youth. What you want is a sole practitioner working out of his/her house on social security and medicare with no kids in college. The first wave of the baby boomers are at that point in life now so there are a lot of them out there and they are looking for work.

Haven't had a chance to be here as often as I'd like but I agree with JDS when he says "Consider hiring an experienced semi-retired sole-practitioner architect with low overhead." I commented on the overhead issue and costs here a few days ago http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3598813/we-fit-an-architect-into-our-budget-and-it-was-so-worth-it?n=17 Of course finding that person might not be easy as the locally well known firms are the ones to likely have higher overhead.

Agree with Virgil in that the AIA is also a good source for names but don't confuse that with higher quality design. They're like a country club, if your check clears the bank and you haven't actually ROBBED a bank, you're in the club. There's no vetting for design talent. For the record, I've never been a member but have many good architect friends who are. And those three letters have nothing to do with state registration although they are registered architects, but no different than the architects without those three letters.

Design/build vs. separate designer and builder is also a good question but the answer there is more complicated as, in addition to the cost question, there's the questions of competitive pricing vs. the "team" approach. Many pluses and minuses there as JD noted. If a thread pops up on that question I'll chime in there.

In 2015, 78% of architects in the US were AIA members.

26% of AIA members were sole practitioners and accounted for only 2% of the total billing.

We selected a sole proprietor as our architect just recently. We found him through a referral from a friend. He's done 50 projects in the last 3 years and over half were similar to our project. It won't be the level of detail where he notates which faucet or tile goes where (we're choosing our own finishes & fixtures) and there will be no construction management but we are working with a professional on our layout to get the most out of our space.

With respect to costs, the architects we interviewed came in at $6,000 - $13,400 (including construction management) with expeditor fees varying from $1,000 - $5,000 plus required building department fees.

In my personal opinion, the "sole practitioner working out of his/her house" and "with no kids in college" are higher priorities than "on social security and Medicare"; for now.

And a bonus to the age thing is experience. I thought I was hot stuff at 30 but with the perspective of time that level of experience can't compare to now!........let's see, now where's that walker........

And that goes for just about everything. My sister's been my dentist until she retired last year. She advised me to get someone who had been out of dental school for at least 20 years!!.......And oh yeah, coincidentially, she also advised me to get a sole practitioner with a one or two person staff (she had a receptionist and dental assistant in one person). Told me dentists in partnerships with other dentists tend to "look for unneeded stuff" and bill higher so their numbers "look good" to their partners. HA!

Also, remember no professional donates his/her time for free. So be sure to go into any meetings with a clear idea of what you want from that meeting. I would suggest a list of things you need to discuss, and be sure that you don't stray into areas that can be best discussed with your builder. In our case, the architect is not specifying in detail everything going into the house---we have gone over the finishing details with our builder separately.

You can spend a lot of time with your architect mulling over ideas, but remember all those musings will add to the cost. So be efficient when meeting with him/her.

It is wise to be efficient with design time and to discuss details with the builder but it is also wise to put detailed construction information in a set of contract drawings and a contract and the best person to do that is the architect so the cost of that is usually money very well spent.

.let's see, now where's that walker........

OMG Doug. Now I have a vision of you running your faces walker in front of you.

Yeah, after a race if I get an age group award I always get a laugh from the crowd when I go up to get it mime like with my arms moving an imaginary walker while making the sound "Kaplump....kaplump....kaplump....kaplump....ka......."!!

Definitely you should just marry a good architect. Are one of you guys interested in an Upper Midwestern college professor who has been holding steady at 39 for a while? I have a great vinyl collection I can throw in!

I am actually nice and somewhat funny (according to open mic night) in person, and when I drink, man do I think I can dance.

Too late, I am recently getting great rates on graphic art.

I may be too old to keep up with this conversation.

Yeah, last week my 18YO senior in high school niece told me she got a senior discount at a local eatery. I told her the first senior discount I got was just two weeks ago when they gave me a buck off a haircut!

I vote that the OP changes the thread title - maybe something like "How do you maximize the value of your architect relationship".

I may be too old to keep up with this conversation.

For anybody that's clearly explaining the intricacies of proper tread/riser ratios, I don't think so!

Thanks but I don't remember doing that.

we did exactly what JDS suggests in his first reply. but before selecting the architect, i spoke with every single one that i knew of in town. i was clear about our budget and design aesthetic. at the end of each conversation i thanked them and i asked them "which general contractors should i be talking to?". then i called the GCs, similar conversation and at the end i asked "which architects should i be talking to?". it ended up that a GC referred me to the local sole practitioner who also happened to previously work for the large firm that built our inspiration house. a perfect match. we have been very happy and plan to hire him for construction oversight once we finish the construction drawings and bidding process.

we have friends that went with a design build firm based on the architect's work and ended up being very unhappy. we would never go that route based on their experience.