I'm in the Triad, too (southern part). I haven't found anyone in my direct area - definitely no one on the architect association website.

Thanks PG, that's what I had in mind.

Beth - slim pickings. I'll let you know what I end up doing!

Thanks! It was suggested for me to

try NC State. Sounds good in theory, but idk that a college kid would be able to travel 2 hours away to do a site review, etc. Guess I'll do some research into that.

Beinh in a rural, farming and manufacturing county the pickings are zilch. Most houses are spec houses - less than 10% are custom builds. Even the custom builders we talked to suggested online plan books!

Unless you have an especially challenging lot, you should be fine with working with an architect or house designer remotely. Better to work with a good, reputable long distance architect than a close, but not-so-good one.

There are a lot of architects in the Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill area. I am most familiar with the modernists (ncmodernist.org is a great reference) what style home are you looking for?

NC State is the university which has a College of Architecture. Many faculty members also have a limited architectural practice. Contacting the Dean and asking for a referral is one approach for finding an architect. Contacting the nearest office of The American Institute of Architects for a referral is another approach. Googling "North Carolina architects" is yet another approach. There are many ways to search for and find architects who do custom residences.

I think what jkliveng and I were hoping to find is an architect local to the Piedmont-Triad area. I know there are architects in the RDU-Triangle area... that's a couple hours away from me. So, yeah, I can go outside my local area, but will those architects be willing to drive to my site, etc (plus how much will that add to the cost). Not to mention me driving there for ever how many meetings. I'm not saying I won't do it, it would be nice to find someone convenient.

When I go to the AIA website, there are exactly 2 architects within 30 miles of my location (specifically 29.1 and 29.5 miles from my zip code). Of those 2, one does not do residential architecture. The other has 95% commercial with 3 residential listings in his portfolio... all 3 are remodels not new design.

So, do I try to get a commercial architect to design my house? Do I try to get an architect who looks like they work on remodels IF they do residential to design my house?

The Triad area isn't the same as the Triangle/Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area.

BYHYU - thanks, lot is not challenging

Jannicone - I will check that out. Looking for a kind of saltbox/farmhouse combo.

Virgil, yes, I have done the AIA and googled. Will try the Dean. Mostly looking for recommendations or to see if my area overlapped with anyone on here.

thanks everyone!

Oh, not college kids, but faculty/professors!!! :-D

(Unless a professor has a reference for a particularly awesomely talented student, but not everyone is comfortable being someone's first rodeo.)

Of course, not an architectural student! :-)

jkliveng, have you called the nearest office to you of the AIA and discussed your situation and location for recommendations? May get more useful information than is on the Internet...

I would also recommend just telling everyone you know and meet about what you're looking for. We've interviewed 4 architects (we have an Arch school here at the Univ too) and the one we've had the most success with came on a recommendation from our financial adviser.

I couldn't find anyone either. We hired the one architect we had in our area and he had his draftsmen doing ALL of the work which was just plain awful. Very disappointed.

we then hired one of the architects from this board and have been more than pleased. She is 2 hrs away. We do everything by email and text mostly although she comes to the site as well. She is going to help through the build.

Amy, we have talked to 2 highly recommended builders... both suggested a local draftsman. They said they don't work with architects in my area. (seriously) I have talked to the draftsman... he doesn't design, he will work from an existing plan and customize from that.

None of my friends and family have used an architect for their builds. I asked a couple where they got their plans - did they use an architect - and you'd have thought I had two heads.

Either architects aren't used around here (I think that's the case based on there being zero in my county) or I don't operate in a social circle that would use an architect. LOL

Perfect opportunity to start a trend!

(I seem to seek out being weird, though, so of course I will encourage you to take the path less traveled, lol.)

Right there with you, Beth. Most of the builders up my way have their own plans and will make changes. I've had them tell me they will build whatever I want if I have the plan.

We have close friends in the triangle that build for a living. He too had an architect make plans for him originally, now for the most part he just resuses them and drafts up small changes.

2 hours may as well be 10 so I will see what happens!

I'm definitely not in a custom-designed, custom build area. Even the exclusive lake homes a couple counties over are primarily stock plans with some customization (what I was told by a builder over there).

Architects are more prevalent if you are doing something "weird", or nonstandard. (Think Passivhaus, Modern, Eco / Net Zero, etc). Architects are also more common on single plots of land vs buying in a neighborhood with a builder or group of "custom" builders - often with draftsmen. The most common way to buy a house these days is through a planned unit development, stock or easily modified plans or draftsmen - and doing it in a way that it's one stop shopping for the lot, builder, and home, and sometimes even handling financing, etc. The entire home buying process is much more streamlined / integrated today than it had been in the past.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed Fallingwater remotely, and it turned out pretty good. He did have a few of his apprentices visit the site and take meticulous measurements.

In over twenty years of practice (much more but I don't want to count them) I have only designed one house without seeing the site. I used a map, site plan, video, a lot of photographs, telephone, and overnight mail. It was in a farming area where a topographical survey was unnecessary. The process went very well. It can be done, but care needs to be taken.

I am a big believer in a home meeting the needs of the people that live in them, and when someone builds a new home I cringe when they spend hours upon hour looking through plan books or websites on the internet to find something that was designed for someone else somewhere else. I am also a believer that architecture is a reflection of the society from which it emerges from and the people that have it built.

Building a new home is a great opportunity to do something great, not just for you, but for everyone who ever lives in the house, enters the house, or sees the house.

So - is your house going to be some distance from where you currently live? I'm not clear on that (and truly only skimmed most of the responses). I know a good one in Asheville.

No, I'm in the triad and it will be just north of the triad. Renting my city home to move into the more rural areas to raise the fam.

Actually Mark, FLW did visit Bear Run on 12/18/34 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater But more importantly what I find interesting for a couple reasons is this "Wright had told Kaufmann in earlier communication that he had been working on the plans, but had not actually drawn anything. [Kaufman then called on his way over, to see the drawings....so...] After breakfast that morning, amid a group of very nervous apprentices, Wright calmly drew the plans in the two hours in which it took Kaufmann to drive to the Taliesin"

First, not much has changed in 80 years, it's SOP for all architects to tell the client they're "working on the plans" when in reality NOTHING is happening. My standard eleventh hour fall back line is "It's at the printers"!.....[NOTE: For all of my real clients of mine out there, yes it really IS at the printers...I swear....damn delivery people.....Oh, their scanner broke again and the technician can't get there until Thursday....Damn!!!}.

And second and more seriously, I'm a big believer in that the best designers are fast on their feet. If one can't sketch out a concept or an idea very quickly, then they're probably not that good. And I'm not talking computers either, just freehand it out in a short time. Communicate what's in your head. Sure, for a "Big Idea" or "Parti" in architects speak it's VERY rough with a lot of holes, but the idea is there. I've drawn smaller ideas on plywood scraps at a job site and I drive away to the sound of circular saws and nail guns executing it.

Remotes can work. It takes a special combination of personalities however, not the least of which is the clients, but they can work and work well. Here's one executed just last week http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4449548/the-journey-for-the-plan-has-finally-been-realized-long?n=39

It must have seen reasonably acceptance because I saw the next day Trump and Trudeau scheduled a meeting....obviously to discuss a success in international collaboration....LOL!!

I'm in the Triad... very far south. About 3.5 hours from Asheville.

I stand corrected.

(darn ARG is right again)

Ha! Small oversight! But the larger point Mark was making was remotes can work.

And speaking of what "can work" Mark, at the risk of revealing trade secrets, for a reason the design "isn't ready" I wrote "It's at the printers"...pretty lame I know so any tips from an insider ....and I could use ALL that I get!!

My information on Wright's site visitation was based on the book "Years with Frank Lloyd Wright: Apprentice to Genius" by Edgar Teffel. Either the author failed to mention the detail (unlikely) or my memory failed me (most likely).

(My copy of the book was signed by the author.)

The problem for Mr. Wright and Fallingwater was his sinking cantilevers...I feel that way myself by the end of each week...

We're working remote with ARG. The internet really makes a difference in being able to work remote. ARG was able to "walk the street" using Google maps street view, so he knows what the street is like. I was able to easily email him the topographical survey. He has Google satellite to see what the lot looks like.

I think it'd be harder if the lot were more, um, interesting (it's really flat) but the topographical survey might even help with that.

Of course, when we talk on the phone, Doug can't see where we're pointing on the monitor :-)

Daaang, so that's why we haven't seen hide nor hair of ARG! So many on the forum keepin' him busy!!! That's awesome. :-)

https://www.houzz.com/pro/grayhoughland/houghland-architecture-inc

This guy is in Charlotte and his portfolio is amazing.

I don't have the courage to be responsible for a house that was too far away to visit during construction. I've simply found too many construction errors in buildings, even when I knew and trusted the builders. I just reviewed a window order and found the supplier had omitted 9 of the 29 windows although he had an error free window schedule that gave him all he needed to know including the window count. I have never found a building inspector to be of much assistance although some try harder than others but they're understandably concerned with code issues and that represents less than half of the potential problems I am concerned about.

I am in Boston and designed a large condominium building in Minneapolis. I flew to the site every 2 weeks during design and construction. The owner was sued by a neighbor for not providing adequate foundation drainage and flooding his property. When his lawyer asked me if I had proof that the foundation drainage system was installed as designed, I said "just the photos".

JDS I don't have the courage to be responsible for a house that was too far away to visit during construction. I've simply found too many construction errors in buildings, even when I knew and trusted the builder"

Totally agree, this is a real concern. We were at our job site daily, and this house was a tract home. The builder, though had incredible integrity and ensured that the homes he was building were to his high standards. Bottom line, is very few people, will have as much interest and investment as the owners themselves. The biggest piece of advice given to us by those who GC themselves is "Be there...."

jkliveng - I am also in the NC Piedmont triad area (north of GSO), and also struggled to find an architect. (We are nearly done with our timber frame home, so not conventional construction). We had a bad experience with an architect in Raleigh. (if you start looking there and want to know, just pm, I'll gladly share my experience).

Our general contractor lives in Durham, and its working out fine. If he can do it, so can an architect. The architect we originally hired and then fired from Raleigh had no problem making the drive. I would not hesitate to look over there, as there seem to be many based in the RDU triangle, not so much near GSO. If I were doing it again, I would not have a problem working with a remote architect, as long as I could work with my current GC. So, if you are confident in your GC as a custom home builder, I don't think a remote architect is a problem. Good luck.

JDS,

What about doing something similar of what ARG is doing? Work on a preliminary concept/sketch and a local architect or draftsman with the knowledge of local codes could complete the project.

I am in the Charlotte area, and we used a local architect. If you enable messaging from your profile, I can send you his contact information. I know the architect will travel to visit the site - it will probably be extra fee since you are in the Triad area.

I am in the Triad area, and after many hours on Sketchup, I came up with a sketch for our future home. I took that, along with my research and detailed notes, to a local draftsman and had him draw up the plans for our home. We had many conversations about the home, our priorities, budget, etc. After a number of revisions, the plans are complete!

I'm in NC (Lake Norman) and my architect is up in Reston, VA. No real problems. In fact, he's designed houses in Arkansas or some place like that when I referred him.

"Arkansas or some place like that..."

OMG, surely not...not there...! :-)

You know what I wanna know?

When did poor Arkansas become the red headed stepchild of the States? lol

And who the heck decided to spell it that way and say it the way it's pronounced??? ;-)

Exactly, ODD...! :-)