I don't know about your particular state, but I was living in CA and building in FL. We found a local architect in CA, because it is much better to be able to meet and sit with your architect in person, Many decision were done at our dining room table with the current version of the plan and tracing paper to work on changes. It also helped that our CA architect had in-laws that lived in FL, so he was familiar with some of the differences in house styles and construction methods.

We then took those plans to our builder who found a local draftsman and engineer to draw up plans that met FL building codes and could be sent for permits. Our CA architect was also involved and answered any question that the FL draftsman and engineer had. The draftsman made a few errors in the plans, but since I knew my plans inside and out, I spotted the errors right away and had them fixed quickly.

I really recommend you work with someone local and in person.

Thank you! That's a different way looking at it. I guess I'm looking for an architect who'll be able to know what I wanted and am not sure if I should limit my choices. So new to all of this. 😊

You don't have to limit your choices. Find someone who's style meshes with yours and who mostly does residential.

I'm in IL and work with some really talented architects. I'm not sure why you would need to look elsewhere. I suggest you try staying local first. In a home build process, I believe it's smart to partner early with a builder so they can collaborate with the architect during the design process. A builder's input early can make sure the architect is designing a home that meets your design requirements AND fits your budget.

I think that's what I'm struggling about. Do I look for an architect who specializes on a particular style or work with local architects and see if they can visualize what I'm looking for? And where do I start? What's they're usual rates? I wish they have open houses where I can actually see their work. Sorry, I have so many questions!😆

Try searching for “Beginning bubble”. There is a discussion started by Virgil Carter. Interesting way to think about what you want to function in your dream house, and maybe how to convey that to an architect. Good luck with your project.

I recommend starting with houses you like locally in terms of aesthetics, and find out who designed them. You might start by checking out some builders and looking at their online portfolios to see if they have houses that match your style. The builders can then direct you to who designed those specific houses. The reason that I say start with the exterior is that it's much harder to find interior floor plans of newly built custom homes. It's much easier to find pictures of exteriors of homes and some of the interior, without necessarily understanding the full layout.

FIgure out budgets by discussing this topic with real builders. Allow for cost escalation from the time examples were started to the time you might start. Costs have almost plateaued but are expected to increase over the next year.

It doesn't make much sense to hire an architect for a residence that's less than a million dollars or so.

There aren’t hardly any custom builds below 1M anymore. That is just a 1990 420K house. It isn’t a mansion.