Before we proceed on the next set-up, it is important that you first understand the difference between designs from an Architectural firm and designs by in-house designer of a Construction firm.
Many contractors nowadays already have in-house designers. So you can actually have the contractor make the design for you. But, you should be aware of the following;
1. When it comes to design expertise, design firms usually produces better designs than a contractor's in-house designer. Simply because the firm has a wider range of design resources, the firm allots more time in research and design improvement to keep them in trend and competent in all aspects of design. They already have a library of their design information, style evolution and compilation of reliable design solutions. They even have wider design exposure including in international design trends.
2. In-house designers are usually contractor-inclined. A design firm has the experience in dealing with their clients. They can easily understand the clients preferences according to their lifestyle and social status. In-house designers are usually young architects who knows architecture in theory but still lacks the experience in understanding their client since they rely mostly on their experience as a contractor and not as a designer. They focus more on constructing the house rather than understanding how the design works best to satisfy the needs of the client. Sure they can produce good designs, but designs produced by firms are probably better.
3. Even if the contractor tells you that they will be giving you the design for free, it may not be actually free at all. The charge may be indirectly included in the contract bid.
4. Drawing quality, accuracy and completeness is strict in every architectural firm. They make sure that the details are complete and precise. In house designers on the other hand focuses only on the drawing requirements and thinks that other drawings can be made later as the construction progresses.
5. And of course, if your house is designed by a known architect, you can brag about it! And of course, you will spend more since you will be paying design services separately.
I've stated the above points because you might be asking why you will need the services of a design firm if contractors can already prepare designs.
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Architect, I've read somewhere in one article that there is a big advantage of hiring a design-build company compared to a stand-alone architect because the article said that the in-house architect/designer is already in good working relationship with the contractors and his workers because they belong and work for the same company, while a stand-alone architect could not be in good terms with the contractor and his workers. Would you agree?
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Laila
OFW - Hongkong
Hi Laila, in-house architects or designers are directly employed by design-build companies. So automatically, he should have good working relationship with the company and its workers right?. In-house designers are usually career starters. Sure they can do designs because they are probably licensed architects also. But their design capabilities are limited. They might be good enough for small residential or commercial projects but not in multi-million projects like high rise buildings and monumental structures. These projects are designed by experienced team of specialized designers. In terms of cost of design service, engaging with architectural firms is obviously much costly.
DeleteThank you for sharing this post. Since I am planning to build my home as a gift to myself, it really helps me a lot especially when choosing the right construction services for my dream home.
ReplyDeleteHello, with regards to answer above, how much exactly is "costly" in terms of percentage of project cost? Say the budget to build the house is 4M?
ReplyDeleteAlso, can the architect from the architectural firm do the invite for bidding on the project (perhaps 2 or 3 design build companies) on behalf of the house owner as part of his fee to supervise the project, or is this a separate service that would require another fee?
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As far as I know, it ranges from 3% - 11%. depends on the firm and type of project.
DeleteDesign firms nowadays are flexible in the services they offer. Every service has a corresponding fee. You can ask for design only services or design with supervision, etc. The firm can conduct bidding for you but it will be just contractors and not design build setup since the design will be prepared by him. but ideally, the Project Management firm should be the one conducting biddings. This is to make sure that the Design firm will not be biased in awarding the project.
This is an interesting post. Its really nice to know the difference between those two.If you want to see modern house designs you can check out here
ReplyDeleteGreat post thanks for sharing, Keep updating.
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