This post follows on the heals of my last post. The choice to hire an architect is one of perceived value.

In California, you are not required to hire an architect to design and build a house. You can hire a builder that will have a set of plans put together and build a house for you. I would argue that this is not a custom home.

I do believe a good architect will save you both time and money. And the result will be a truly custom home for you.

Do you see value in hiring an architect? Before answering this question, do you know what an architect does?

I read somewhere…

Good Design is Not Cheap

Cheap Design is Not Good

Although I am biased, I would have to agree with this. I have seen a lot of good design and even more bad design. The latter usually is the result of trying to save time and/or money.

The first step in deciding whether or not to hire an architect is to understand what they do. The second step would be to speak with several architects and get proposals from them regarding the specific scope of your project.

Houzz just published an interesting article on how much it costs to hire an architect. The article explains what an architect does and the various ways an architect may charge for his/her services. If you ever wondered what an architect does and how much they charge, I would encourage you to give this a read.