Question: When should I approach an architect about my project?
Answer: The answer to this question can be difficult to answer as it all depends on your timeline. The best way to solve this is to backward plan your project. The first question I would ask is when do you plan to begin living in your new home, then begin the backward planning.
Take the month you plan to move in: We will use May 2019 as an example
Step 1: Subtract approximately 1 year (for a typical timeline of constructing your home) = May 2018
Step 2: Subtract approximately 1 1/2 months (permit process, varies from municipality to municipality, 1 1/2 months may be a little long in some areas, a little short in others). = March 15, 2018
Step 3: Subtract a minimum of 1 1/2 months for the construction documents phase (again varies by architect, and could be long or shorter depending on the complexity of the design, a typical custom home may plan for 2 to 3 months). = February 1, 2018 (We offer 3 Pricing Packages, and the time required to complete the construction documents varies with each package).
Step 4: Subtract a minimum 1 month for design (again varies by architect, could be long or shorter depending on the complexity of the design, typically with a custom home, this part can take up to 3 months) = January 1, 2018
Now I need you to think about yourself and how many times you may alter what you think of as a perfect home for you. As an architect, I have completed designs clients love on the first time through and they make a design change a month later after they think about it or see something else they love. While designing a custom home, this is normal, it can cause huge delays in the timeframe for which you may have begun as well as altering costs to overall budgets (a blog for another time).
My best advice is to approach an architect about designing your new custom home in October / November range and plan for approximately 1 1/2 years for your custom home to be built, from start to finish to include time spent designing your home.
