How Much Does an Architect Cost?
Is hiring an architect worth the money?
The question "How much does an architect cost?" comes with so many varying answers that we'd be silly to give you a specific number — and you likely won't find the answer on any other architecture website. It would be foolish at best and misleading at worst to provide any numbers without understanding what you need and want for your home renovation or new build.
In short, an architect's fee depends largely on the complexity of your project and how efficiently you make decisions.
The real questions you should ask are:
"How much will it cost NOT to hire an architect?" and
“How will the value I get offset or exceed my architect's fee?”
By answering these questions, you can figure out if hiring an architect is worth the expense. In our experience, it almost always is. So why is that?
Keep reading to get a better understanding of your architect's worth.
(Spoiler alert: Hiring an architect will save you massive amounts of time, effort, money, and stress!)
Let’s look at what an architect provides and the value they can deliver for your home remodel, addition, or new construction.
Is it worth getting an architect?
11 reasons why you may need an architect for your home
Even we'll admit that not all home construction projects require an architect.
To help you figure out if you need an architect or if you can handle your next project without an architect, start by considering your situation and the bigger goal of the project you have in mind.
See if your issue falls into any of the following categories. If it does, then yes, we can pretty much guarantee you need to hire an architect, and we'll tell you why.
1. You need to solve a design problem
Feel like everyone in the house is constantly bumping into each other because of a poor layout? Fed up with banging into that same door or sharp countertop corner?
Do you need to add a bathroom downstairs but can't figure out how you can possibly fit one in? Is your home's awkward floor plan finally getting to you?
These are really common problems in homes, and you might not be able to solve them without the expertise and support of an experienced architecture firm.
Hiring an architect will help you solve all manner of problems through design—the big and the small.
It's our job to provide creative solutions! And we can show you our solutions in detailed visualizations at the schematic design phase so you can see exactly how we propose to solve your problem!
2. You want to maximize the space you have
Remodeling your entire home, or even more than one room, at once can be overwhelming to manage. Perhaps you have young children or you travel for business and do not have time to coordinate the many moving parts of your home remodeling. Breaking it down into smaller bits can give you more flexibility and make it easier to oversee.
3. You're worried about making poor decisions
Whether you're building a small addition, constructing a new home from scratch, or undertaking a whole-home remodeling project, making design and construction decisions can be super overwhelming.
If you don't have any construction knowledge, it's not easy to fully trust your contractor's recommendations and hand over your budget. You worry about what details you’ve missed and feel there’s no way to know for sure how things will turn out.
Hiring an architect helps you understand all the details and decisions that go into a successful design and construction project. We work closely with your contractor to guide the process for the best results possible and advocate for your needs.
Throughout the project, we lead you through what can be a complicated, difficult, and stressful process, saving your sanity and time.
Learn more about what to expect and prepare for when you hire an architect in our previous blog post.
4. You're trying to save money
You might wonder, "if I'm trying to build or remodel a home on a tight budget, why would I spend money on an architect?"
Well, believe it or not, hiring an architect can actually save you money in the long run. Three areas an architect can help you most:
Value engineering
We can "value engineer" to help you find alternatives for specific design features so you can splurge on what matters to you and still cover the essential components of your home design. We may also be able to find ways to achieve your goals without adding space or ripping out all your interior walls.
Fewer construction revisions
By creating detailed construction documents and working with your contractor and interior designer from the start, your architect can help you get a more realistic estimate.
At Studio Z, we know that having a clearly-defined and well-communicated plan for your home project means fewer costly revisions, surprises, construction errors, rework, or delays.
Lower construction costs
The highest costs of your home design project lie not in your architectural fees but in the labor, materials, and other construction costs. This is why in our initial consultation we ask questions like:
Do you really need a sitting area in your bedroom?
How, and how often, will you use those spaces?
Is it important to have a tub and a shower in every bathroom?
How much space do you need for entertaining? Do you like having a formal dining room?
Do you need an eat-in kitchen and bar/island seating?
Do you need a dedicated guest room for visitors or extended family?
Digging deep into your needs and priorities helps us make the best use of your space. We may even be able to trim off a few feet because, generally, the lower the square footage, the more you'll save in building time and materials.
We design with efficiencies in mind, not just with the flow and use of your home, but with the cost of each space.
5. You need to design for accessibility or aging-in-place
Whether someone in your home uses a wheelchair or a walker, or you need to design your home for your unique abilities and needs, the accessible design process can be trickier without an architect's help.
We are experts in designing homes to address our clients’ specific needs. When you need zero-threshold showers or entryways, special heights for countertops, wider corridors for a wheelchair, or other accessibility features, we can help correctly incorporate that into your home design.
6. You want to increase energy efficiency
With the recent surges in energy costs, the rising cost of living, and the ongoing climate crisis, designing a more energy-efficient home is becoming increasingly important.
If you're concerned about reducing energy-related costs and building more sustainably, hiring an architecture firm is 100% the way to go.
We understand how to make the best use of orientation, sunlight, shade, and building materials to help reduce the energy you need to cool, heat, or power your home.
Consider the cost of investing in architectural design services as the first step to long-term savings on your energy bills.
7. You need to hire an architect by law
In this State of Michigan, you're required by law to hire an architect for house plans where the living area exceeds 3,500 square feet.
But whether you legally have to hire an architect varies widely from state to state.
It's a good idea to ask your local building department for information on the laws for your state (or do a quick Google search) to be sure you understand local building regulations.
8. You need to get planning permission and permits
Navigating the whole planning, permitting, zoning, and building codes process can be an awful headache, especially when you haven't done it before.
You want the best chance of getting permission from your local building authorities to get going on that dream home remodel, addition, or new build, right?
Hiring an architecture firm is one of the best ways to help secure planning permission for your project.
With years of experience and a deep understanding of local building codes and zoning regulations, we will design with these in mind.
Then we will work with your contractor and your local planning and permit offices to answer any questions about the design to move your permit approvals and entire construction project along much quicker.
9. You want to increase your home's resale value
Without architectural services and planning, you might end up with awkward layouts in your home, poorly-designed features that don't stand the test of time, or construction costs that go awry.
Those mistakes can be hard to live with, and they really add up when you sell your home and lose money because you didn't hire an architect to design your home in the first place.
Architects’ fees are an upfront investment in getting exactly what you want and getting things right. And professional architecture services and expertise typically result in a well-designed home that will hold a higher value on the market.
10. You don't want to project manage
When you remodel your home, build an addition, or construct a house from the ground up, it's not just the contractor you need to worry about managing.
You also have to source and oversee structural engineers, interior designers, tradespeople, and a whole host of other consultants you might need.
That's a heap of communication, a ton of moving parts to manage, and a mess of paperwork.
If all that organization isn't something you want—or have time—to deal with, there is an answer: Hire an architect! An architect will know who to connect you with for these services, or will include the consultant’s services in their fees. With your contractor, architect, interior designer, and any other consultants working together from the beginning, you'll not only end up with a better-coordinated design and fewer design revisions per square foot, but it takes all that project management off your hands.
Phew!
In a recent blog post, we talk about why your architect and interior designer should work together and the advantages you get with that teamwork approach.
11. Most of all, you want to get the design just right
What you don't want is to walk into your home when it's all finished and say to yourself:
“What was I thinking?! Why did I design it like this?”
“That didn’t go as I planned. I made it worse than before.”
“Why didn't I think of that first?"
Nightmare, right?
What you want is to open the door to your dream home and experience a space that feels like it was designed just for you — because it was!
You want to look at every little design choice and think, "Wow, this is just perfect. I can't imagine how we could have done it any better."
And the best way to get that result is by working with an architect.
In the initial design stages, our architects ask you hundreds of questions. Everything from "what side of the bed do you sleep on?" and "can you comfortably reach that bottom shelf?" to "how do you entertain?"
By asking these and many other questions, we can more fully understand your situation and needs, help you think things through, and truly design for your life!
We help you make excellent decisions about what you need, want, and dream about having so you end up with a home that feels perfectly comfortable, functional, and most of all, beautifully designed for YOU.
Think hiring an architect is worth the money?
We hope now you understand the value an architect can bring to your home remodeling or new construction.
Hiring an architect to meticulously plan your home remodel, addition, or new construction will always result in a better-designed home that truly fits you and your lifestyle.
Think of it as an investment in your home, your future, your happiness.
With an architect, your home project will have a clear plan for progress, detailed drawings to help you make informed decisions and help construction crews avoid mistakes, and your professionally-designed home will hold its value in the future.
Want to chat to our architects about the value we can offer to your project and how we can even help save your sanity along the way? If so, we'd love to hear from you.
At Studio Z Architecture, we can help you transform your home into the one you really want (and totally deserve)—a home that beautifully reflects your personality, lifestyle, and needs while functioning effortlessly to make everyday life that bit better.
Get in touch today to get started.