In-house folks means that their obligation and responsibility is to the owner of that business.

If you hire your own architect, interior designer, etc., then their only responsibility is to you.

Your choice.

I might have selected the "design/ build" firm had I had the choice. There are pros and cons.

Unless your budget is truly custom (virtually unlimited) then you need to figure out a way to get pricing feedback throughout the process. We hired an estimator to work with the architect. The design build firm probably does this in house.

Good luck on your project.

Kristin, it sounds like you are a perfect arrangement!

When we remodeled our kitchen, the cabinet maker recommended an electrician that he worked with a lot. When the electrician had a question about something, he had the cell phone number of the cabinet installer, and could contact him immediately.

Another source I have at my disposal is a friend in the city engineering office. When I have had work done on the house (new roof, new windows), I was able to ask her opinion on my chosen contractors. Since she is in charge of inspections, she knows who does excellent work - and who doesn't.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

We definitely won't have a virtually unlimited budget, and our thought was that if the architect and builder were under the same roof, the higher level of communication would help assure that the architect wouldn't design something that would be way out of budget. That said, I like what you did, jn3344, with hiring an estimator to help in this regard when going with independent professionals.

I think an experienced architect should have a pretty good idea of budget for their area - building to a budget is a pretty typical part of the job. This is definitely something I would ask about when checking references of any architect you're considering.

My experience with the architect knowing cost to build was...yes and no. Do you want to come within 20%? Thats $140,000 on the more modest end of "custom" around here.

My experience was that a lot of architects didnt see that many of their creations actually through to fruition. So their experience with lumber or labor costs was limited. If 20% is good enough, sure. If you need a closer estimate, then hiring an independent estimator might be in order.

Ours was a cash build, but I did not want to have to raise more money. We ended up within 5%.

We hired the builder first and he recommended a designer. We used her for exterior and interior design. I would say Kristin’s experience was what we were hoping for and in some ways we got it and in others not so much. Designer was not in the know on pricing and structural work that then had a domino effect on some costs and design issues. But we do love the house so it’s a bit of a balance. We didn’t love the experience of working with the designer but do the result. A lot of stuff has been blamed on one person or another since the team isn’t all together which is annoying. But in the end I do feel like we were driving it so am pleased overall. If I were to do it again I would vet the designer more and ask more about communication, budget, timeline and references from customers building in our budget.

The advantage of a design build team as been a higher likelihood of designing to the known budget. I've successfully worked both with in house designers and as a consultant when independent architects or designers work directly with the owner in order to achieve a viable design.

I also have a collection of plans sent to me ranging from beautiful concepts to full sets never built. Mostly they result in "for sale" signs. That's not being "responsible to the owner" IMHO.

Missing the mark on budget is often due to incomplete information. A client hears a "price per foot" somewhere out there in the innerwebs or from a friend, but doesn't take into account all the things that aren't included depending on that source: Grading, retaining, permits, outdoor rooms, oversized garages, etc.

Get the best people you can. If the architect that works for the builder is someone you like enough to hire independently, then fine. Otherwise hire an architect whose skills and temperament align with your vision. Hire a builder you like and trust. Building is a long and difficult process. Hiring people you enjoy working with makes all the difference.

Thanks again everyone - great feedback.

I think you answered your own question. You have a choice between an "in-house architect" or a "great architect". Think of it as if your life depends on it . . . which it does.

Do it like Kristen S ^, please.

As an owner designer it was a blessing and a curse. Blessing because we built everything precjsely as we envisioned. A curse because building to such high and exacting standards resulted In considerably higher costs and longer construction times since elite subs are hard to find and are extremely busy.

My experience with many architects, home designers as well as less experienced builders is their cost expectations are limited to their last build. For any home, it depends on the style, complexity, size, size & complexity of site, etc.

Some professionals are only familiar with the style of homes they design or build. Use that to your advantage by choosing an architect and/or builder that works comfortably with the type or all parties might (I can almost guarantee they will) be unpleasantly surprised.

I get regular calls from prospects who have unviable projects ready to go that need "cost engineering" to get back to budgets.