I can't find my post on this from a year or so ago. Quick version: once you start interviewing architects you will get a better feel for cost in your area.

In my admittedly limited experience, I was very naive about the process. so talk to architects, builders, design/build firms. Don't assume any one process is the perfect process. they all have plusses and minuses.

On the US coasts and in the growth oriented cities like Austin, Minneapolis, etc, having an architect design a home and then having it built is a daunting and expensive undertaking. you may be shocked at the price tag, and the compromises necessary to stay within budget. Cast a wide net and be prepared .

Good luck.

I agree with architectrunnerguy that getting a builder on board early in the design process is the best way to ensure the home depicted in the architect's plans can be built within your budget. While there is some chicken-and-egg problem as you noted, a builder doesn't need fully detailed, fully-engineered, fully-specified plans to produce a reasonably accurate construction cost estimate.

Estimating can begin once concept plans are produced.

You can also get a handle on costs prior to design by cost benchmarking your project with similar homes the builder has built within the past few years.

Best wishes for a successful project.

I would also go around looking at new build homes and what they are selling for. That will give you a very general idea of what is included in each price point in terms of how the house is finished and what you might expect in your price range.

So using my neck of the woods for example (SW FL), at price point A, ($150,000-$300,000, 1500-2000 square feet) houses have minimal or no interior trim. Floors are basic carpet in the bedrooms or vinyl flooring. Whirlpool appliances, builder basic cabinets with no pullouts, formica counters, builder basic white windows, basic light fixtures, etc. The paint on the walls is all the same color, and the finish on the walls is a knock down finish. Bathrooms are finished with prefab tubs and showers and minimal tile work, if any.

At price point B ($400,000-$650,000, 2000-3200 square feet), floors are tile in public rooms and either carpet (a higher grade) or tile in the bedroom, there is some crown molding trim and maybe trim around the windows, the appliance package is upgraded to something like GE, cabinet's are semi-custom with maybe pull outs in the lower cabinets, level 1 or 2 granite with a 4" granite backsplash, windows are better than builder basic with maybe a beige, white or bronze exterior color, light fixtures are definitely more decorative, etc. There might be two or more wall colors and the finish on the walls will be an orange peel finish with a knock down ceiling finish. Bathrooms are finished with drop in tubs and tile work only on the shower and tub walls.

At price point C, ($700,000- $1 million +, 2500-? square feet) floors are wood, with marble in the bathrooms. Trim is quite detailed, including specialty trims going up the stairs, in the dining room, etc. There are specialty ceiling treatments. Appliance package is Wolf or better. Cabinets are custom with drawers for the lower cabinets and in specialty finishes. Counters are quartz or quartzite with tile backsplashes. Windows are custom windows. Light fixtures look like they came from a decorator. Rooms may be painted in more than one color and the finish might be anything from an orange peel finish on up to a level 5 finish. Bathrooms are tiled in marble with decorative floor and wall designs. There are soaking tubs and glass shower enclosures.

And of course within each price range there are different levels too. And when building custom, even within each level except maybe a truly million dollar plus custom home, there will need to be compromises.

For example, do you want a smaller home with higher end finishes or are you willing to give up some of the higher end finishes for more space?

search online for "architect" and your zip code. Look for sole practitioners especially old semi-retired ones.

Adding a second floor is often a cost effective solution but you need space for a stair and would have to move out during construction.

"Look for sole practitioners especially old semi-retired ones."

Agree here. Most of the architects here are one man shops and work out of their house with no staff. John (JDS), Mark and myself come to mind. Just because an architect has a nice office space, a staff and high visability doesn't necessarily translate to quality design. Nobody ever drove by a house and said "Wow! Great house! That architect must have has a really nice office space!!!".

And regarding staffs and offices, I know because I've been there. Built a one man shop (me) starting in 1980 up to 16, including 6 architects by 1999 when I left to go back to my house. And all that overhead is expensive with all expenses passed on to the client.

I have found Nextdoor to be an amazing source for getting REAL recommendations from people in my area.

But it really depends on how active a Nexxtdoor community you have in your area.

History is important. Look at the architect's past projects, to see if you like what he does. Talk to builders that have worked with the architect in the past, to find out the buildability (I think that's a word) of the architects designs. Talk to the architects past clients, to see how the architect is to work with.

This is an area where we've found Facebook to be pretty effective. In our case, there is a group/forum in our town called (TownName Moms), where you can post a request for names of local tradespeople/professionals. We've successfully used this method for finding a plumber for the pre-reno house, and then our movers, tree-cutters and architect for the new one. And we've passed along our contractor and electrician info for others, which is a nice way to reward quality professionals.

If I quit truck driving years ago, would that qualify as "semi-retired"?

The best tip I can offer is do the leg work. Set aside 3 months for fact finding/self educating. Go visit all the new homes in your area. You may find (as we did) that your sights are set too low. We didn't realize we could have more than we ever dreamed at the price we had budgeted. If we went with our first choice we would be already in our house, but nowhere near as happy as we will be when we finally get in next summer.

If you find a home you like, floor plan & elevation, and price, I would go builder first. If you don't find something you love that only needs small tweaks, then I would look for an architect. There are also design and build forms that either have architects on retainer or quality design oriented draftsman that could build you something you'd love.

To to make a long story longer... Go tour new homes.

Have a small want list and a big budget instead of the usual reverse situation.