Recorded June 2008
This alert is for people interested in making an educated decision when choosing a design professional.
During the next several minutes I will share with you five of the most common misconceptions about the design profession and 7 questions to help you get started in your search for a design professional. Throughout this letter I will refer mainly to residential design, but the principals apply to commercial projects and accessory structures as well.
You see, with the more than 64 years of combined experience we’ve gained as a building designers, I have observed that there has been much confusion and many misconceptions about the design profession. Ending these misconceptions and turning confusion into education is what led to the creation of this free consumer alert. I hope you find the information contained herein beneficial. I also wish you all the best as you begin your search for a qualified design professional.
Now to get started, let’s talk about five common misconceptions regarding the design profession.
Misconception #1
#1 is really a clarification, I get asked all the time, what is the difference between an architect and a designer?
Well, here you go. An Architect is one who carries a license and generally concentrates on large commercial and publicly owned projects, such as schools, hospitals, fire departments, high rises and the like. On the other hand, designers perform virtually the same services, yet in the very specialized field of residential and smaller commercial projects. (personal note) After I completed my full six-year internship in pursuit of becoming a licensed architect, I changed course and decided to become a professional building designer, this change gave me the opportunity to work, one on one, with families and entrepreneurs, helping them to make their dreams become a reality. It was and still, is this, one on one personal involvement, a feeling that you are able to make a difference in people’s lives, you really helped them, not only at that moment, but for years to come. That is what made me fall in love with this avenue of design and why I am so passionate about it to this day. Acting as an architect, you deal more with committees and bureaucracy. Some projects today require that we re-enter that realm but, getting to work with families and entrepreneurs, that’s what makes our job so great!
Misconception #2
All building designers are licensed, Right!
Actually, this is not true. Although many professional fields require an individual to have a license, there are no licenses required for designers in Oregon at this time. Does this mean that you cannot find a professional designer who is completely qualified and has expertise to design your dream home or project? No, it does not. As you will see from some of the questions we‘ve provided, it’s possible. In fact there are some highly qualified, professional designers, but how do you find them? Because, unfortunately, just like in other fields, there are at least as many if not more that do not have the years of experience or expertise to satisfy the needs of their clients and sadly, some are just more interested in their bottom line than the needs of their client. I have seen some that have been in business for many years, but have not continued to grow in knowledge, keeping up with technology, trends and construction law. Some even seem to be getting board with the whole process and are no longer giving it their all.
With so much of your hard earned money on the line, we believe a designer MUST keep building on their knowledge. We have made it our practice to devote over a month’s worth of time each year to continuing education.
We feel this is a crucial part of a designer’s job if they intend to take good care of their client and treat their client’s financial investment as if it were their own.
Misconception # 3
Plans submitted to the building department by architects, designers or plans with an engineers stamp are never rejected!
Big misconception, Believe it or not, the building departments in this area report that initially, they reject 67-75% of all plans submitted to them. These include plans created by architects, engineers and designers. Why? Mostly due to wrong or missing information, in other words, they are incomplete and inaccurate. Inaccurate how, here is one area; did you know that the building codes are changed out every 3 years? Even more than that, every week new interpretations and rulings go into effect by the State Building Codes Division. Early on, I tried to keep up with these changes, but the fact of the matter is, if you are not a building inspector or plans examiner, you will not be informed of these important changes until your plans are rejected or worse, the errors get missed until they are built and paid for, then the building inspector catches it in the field after the fact. Even though these errors slipped past the plans examiner, the law requires that the violation must be torn out or corrected. Generally, this ends up coming out of home owner’s, in other words, your pocket. So, what do you do…? In my case, there was a solution, I had the education and experience required to take the state licensing exams. So I did and received my certifications for both building inspector and plans examiner, State of Oregon, in 1994. Currently our office is well versed in the following building codes: The IRC, IBC, OSSC, ORSC, OPSC, OMSC, OEESC, IFC, UFC and UBC, building codes. Okay, in English, most all of the building codes used in the western United States.
This specialized knowledge has become one of the greatest benefits we’ve been able to offer our clients, and why we are willing and able to offer you an unconditional 100% money back guarantee! We guarantee that the plans we provide will pass the rigorous requirements of the building department. I am unaware of any other designer, architect or engineer who offers this guarantee.
Misconception #4
Purchasing plans out of a magazine or via the internet will save you money!
Far too many people have learned the hard way that their is super doper deal on plans has ended up costing them thousands of dollars in construction and other costs, assuming they are not totally rejected by the building department, as we just talked about. This cost could be due to many factors: one, most stock plans are out of date and two, it is standard practice to market these plans outside the region they were designed for. In other words, not designed for the latest code requirements nor for the area where the house will be built!
And finally: Misconception #5
All a professional designer really needs to provide you with, are plans capable of getting a permit.
Although many designers do just that, it is not what we feel a professional designer should do. Our job is not just to prepare pretty workable drawings: it’s to provide a level of service that carries you and your family step by step through literally hundreds of decisions that must be made during the design process, and then aid you and/or your contractor in wading through the red tape of the plan submittal process down at the building department and beyond.
If you elect our full service package, we will be with you through the entire process, from helping you locate the home on your lot, suggesting which building materials are best suited for your project, helping you to refine the design so if functions the way you and your family will live in the home and even down to helping you choose A quality building contractor. Should questions arise during construction, as they always do, we are there for you. In general, we are with you from the design concept to the dedication party.
Now that we have covered some of the misconceptions, how do you go about interviewing your prospective designer?
In this recording, we have included 7 questions that you should ask. No doubt there are dozens more you could ask, but these 7 will help you get started.
1.) How will the designer approach your project and what steps are involved in the design process?
Here at Western Design International, the first step in approaching your project would be a preliminary meeting for you to tell us about your project, your needs and concerns and of course, for us to explain the design process to you in detail. For example: Part of the design process would naturally be to determine what style house you want.
And if we are going to design specifically for how you live now as well as anticipating your future needs, then we are going to need to get to know you and ask a lot of question. If you are like most, a great number of these questions may have never entered your mind. And that’s okay; we will work with you to break down these items into manageable pieces so it is not so overwhelming. Another very important point we need to take into consideration, your property and any views you have. Some other on-site considerations are easements, utilities, sanitation, slopes, ponds, lakes, trees, rock outcroppings, solar position and how the home will be used for entertaining both inside and out and so forth. We offer this preliminary consultation to you free of charge!
What’s next? After deciding to move forward with a specific designer, that designer should provide a detailed written contract showing not only what’s minimally required for your specific plans, (more about that later), but what additional provisions you may have requested from the designer, and just as important, what will NOT be included.
2.) What does the designer see as important issues, challenges, and or
Considerations in your projects design, and how will they deal with them?
This is an essential question; first it will help you see how perceptive and intuitive the designer is. Second it will provide you with a glimpse of their knowledge and expertise as to how they will handle challenges and important issues that may come up. This will help you decide if they are qualified enough to design one of your most precious possession’s, Your Dream Home!
3.) What documents will you need to provide to the designer?
This question is a simple one, but if not asked, items of importance could be over looked and forgotten. To help reduce this risk, we incorporate an extensive list of questions and suggestions as we walk you through the design process one step at a time. This takes so much pressure and stress off of everyone, especially you.
4.) What additional services, if any, does the designer provide or offer to you?
Is the designer both able and available to answer questions from you, the building department the builder and his sub-contractors? Not just during the design, but for the duration of construction. The relationship between the owner, builder and designer are very important in this process. Your builder AND designer needs to make themselves available. This can be a bigger problem than you may think.
After you have received your plans and are anxious to start construction? Will the designer help you and/or your builder in submitting the construction documents to the building department? Does the designer offer any written guarantees and if so what are they?
What kind of hidden fees and delays may you be on the hook for? Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for the unsuspecting client to end up paying extra for things they thought would be included in the design cost. Thousands of dollars extra. Some of these extras could be: Additional design meetings, meetings with potential contractors and their subs, plotting, blueprinting or copying (both the progress drawings and the final drawings), exterior 3d design or views of the project, surveying and site plan costs, landscaping plans, design calculations or engineering fees, consulting fees, meeting with Architectural Review committees, visiting the site prior to the start of the construction documents, and so on. (By the way, we generally include most all of these items in our base price and are very clear if there items that are not included. Like you, we don’t like surprises.)
By only including the cost of the basic drawings and quietly leaving you, the client, with all of the other expenses, the unscrupulous designer can make their services seem like a bargain, relatively inexpensive as compared to a design professional who is truly looking out for their clients’ needs.
In short, you need to be sure that you are not going to end up with a huge unexpected bill in the end, AND that your designer, your ADVISER, is someone you can truly trust. As an example; would you leave your family’s finances and future (such as education, recreation opportunities and retirement) in the hands of the cheapest financial consultant or adviser you could find? Certainly not. You would be extremely cautious in your decision because you and your family’s future depend upon getting the best advice you can.
Your choice in a building designer is no less important. It’s not just the design fees that are at stake, but literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in construction costs!
It is so true, Only the Rich can afford a poor design!
This leads us into the 5th question……
5.) What are the designer’s qualifications?
This is a very direct question and any professional designer should be able to state their qualifications to you. As one example, are they a member of the American Institute of Building Design? Why is this important? The American Institute of Building Design or AIBD not only has provided building designers with educational resources, but has also developed nationwide design standards and A code of ethics for the building design profession. The AIBD is a nationally recognized association with professional and associate members in 47 states in the US. AIBD also is present in Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia. On staff we have a professional member of AIBD, COCICC, ICC, (International Code Council) OBOA (Oregon Building Official Association) and Both the Canadian & American Log Builders Association to mention a few.
How about their knowledge of alternative building materials and renewable building practices, possibly off grid design such as solar, wind, or hydro?
Along with the standard building methods and materials, we have a solid knowledge of designing for Earth Advantage and Energy Star standards such as we have done extensively in one of Central Oregon’s newest destination resorts, the award winning, “Brasada Ranch Resort”. In addition, we are well versed in off grid and Net-Zero design such as solar, (both Passive and Photo Voltaic), wind, hydro and geothermal energy sources, also SIPs, (Structural Insulated Panels) such as R-control, ICF, (Insulating Concrete Forms), such as ARXX, Rastra, Faswall, Durisol, Amvic, Reward and many others. Thermal mass and other type of products such as E-Crete, tilt up, masonry block, straw-bale, timber frame, full log and log accented structures, Earthship, Rammed earth, Adobe, non-toxic materials and finishes, overall, designing for energy and space efficiency, renewable, sustainable earth friendly green design. Now these are not just for luxury homes, but even garages, pole barns, remodels, offices and other commercial projects. We incorporate numerous cost saving measures such as alternate materials, wise use of materials and carful structural layout to minimize construction waste, we can provide alternate buying sources, and long term maintenance costs savings, all while taking indoor air quality, and your budget into consideration. We have been told by a number of contractors that because of our construction and code knowledge along with the detail in our plans that we save the home owner more money than they spend on design. This makes us prod and is our ongoing goal.
“Always try to put more money in your pocket than you put in ours.”
Here is another good question;
6.) Whom, will you be dealing with directly?
Does the designer work alone, or is there a team of experts that all work together in designing your dream home. Will your project be passed off to some in house or oversees drafter. We at Western Design International are all professional designers and we believe that two heads are better than one. If you hire us you get a full team for the price of one. And no, you will not be handed off to a draftsman. You are our client not a football.
7.) Does the designer have a list of happy clients you can contact?
This is very, very important. A professional designer should be happy and willing to give you a list of references, both home owners and contractors. If a designer even hesitates to give you this important information, it could be due to the alternative, a list of unhappy and unsatisfied clients.
Remember there are no stupid questions, except for the unasked ones.
Now that you are ready to embark on this exciting journey, the choices you make now will greatly, affect the outcome.
From a young, family’s first home to multi-million dollar luxury homes and commercial buildings, we are in the business of bringing Dreams to Reality….
“If You Can Dream it, we can Design it”
We want to thank you for taking the time to read this letter and hope you have found the information to be beneficial.
For more information or to book a free consultation, please call our office at 541-447-3341 or drop us an email at: Info@Building-Design.com
We truly look forward to hearing from you!