Learning how to find and how to choose an architect or designer to carry out the work that you want to be done is not an easy thing to do. There are a lot of different factors at play in what will mean you make the right decision. The trick to it ultimately is to find someone that works best for you and your particular project, as well as looking past what’s just on the surface.
Finding an Architect
The first step in this process is of course to actually find the architect or designer candidates that are suitable for your particular project. You might need a residential architect, for example, or maybe this project is of commercial grade and therefore you need to find a commercial architect. It all depends on what you need them to do.
Each of these can easily be used to find you architects that fit the bill. Whether it’s through their marketing or through the recommendations of other people who have worked with them, there is a wealth of resources you can use to get an understanding of the market.
Search Engines
Search engines like Google are designed to help you find what you’re looking for. By factoring in things like their location in relation to yours, their reviews, how big a business they are, and more are all factors in who they will show you. Using that to your advantage, you can search through as many listings as you need to to help you find a handful of different potential architects.
Directories
Just like search engines, directories are also a great example of how to find architects easily too. Services like Yell provide professionals for just about anything you could ever need. Likewise, specialist services like Houzz have a bank or professionals exclusively in the construction, building and design industries, vetting in different ways and opening up even more doors. There are countless services for you to choose from.
Social Media
Yet another type of search engine that you can explore to find an architect is social media. Services like Facebook as an example are designed to help give businesses a platform to capture an audience and to reach potential customers too. Again, using different things like your location and their own profile strength as well as showing how many people in your own network interact with the page, you’re given a tailored list of pages that may have the services you need for your architectural project.
Word of Mouth
Like social media but without all of the algorithms, there’s also absolutely nothing wrong with going back to the basics of business. One of the biggest tools that anyone has in their arsenal is their friends, colleagues, family and the general public. By asking for recommendations from the people that you trust the most, you’re skipping a huge part of the search process and lining yourself with a list of architects that will all be likely to do a good job.
Comparison Sites
Online shopping for anything is getting easier and easier as time goes on, and finding an architect or designer is now actually no different to this. Although they are pay to play so many architects won’t be able to use them, there are a number of different services out there like Local Architects Direct who are set up with the sole purpose of giving your information to architects that are interested in your specific type and location of work and will contact you to give you quotes and try to win your custom. While it may be a little pushy, it can help you get a good deal non the less.
RIBA
Finally, one last sound tool to explore when learning how to find an architect is to look at the RIBA client services platform. This is essentially a register of architects that are members of the Royal Institute of British Architects. While these may likely be more expensive quotes that you could find yourself, they will be fully qualified and sent straight to you to price.
How to Choose an Architect
The next part of the battle when learning how to find an architect is to also learn how to choose an architect. Understanding the differences in different architects, businesses, services and even characters is always a solid thing to have when you’re putting your project in the hands of another. While most architects and designers will be capable of doing the job, that doesn’t mean you’ll be getting the best service of value for money every time, nor even the best quality work for what you need in your project.
Reviews
Reviews are an amazing example of how to choose an architect with confidence. No matter what you are buying online, reviews can help you get a good idea of what is in store for you and how likely other people are to recommend the architect or designer you’re looking into. Whether you check out their Google reviews, Trustpilot, Feefo, Houzz or anywhere else that you might find them, it’s worth reading about the architect themselves, the branch they work at, and any wider company too.
Pricing & Services
An incredibly important way to start your journey with choosing the right architect or designer for the job is to look at what it is they are charging you, and what it is that you’re paying for. Their pricing and the services provided will likely be very different from professional to professional. Many will charge different fees for their core services, many will charge differently for applications, submissions and even admin times, and some will include 3rd party fees too whereas
others won’t. Always compare quotes closely before choosing your winner.
Previous work
Looking more into the specifics of the work you want to be done, another very useful idea is to explore the previous work that the other architect or designer has done in the past in comparison to what you want or are considering. A largely commercial architect for example might not have the same skillset as a specialist residential architectural designer. Although it isn’t the be-all and end-all, it does often mean that you have an extra layer of reassurance as you know the designer’s style and expertise.
Credibility
The credibility of your architect or designer is always important if you want work done to the best quality possible. Hiring a freelancer or one-man band is all well and good financially, but then when it comes down to trying to reach out or discuss design ideas, they might not be available through the day, or whenever you might just need them. Look for an architect or designer that works for a reputable business or has suitable accreditation, as this again is just that added layer of protection for you and your project.
Your opinions
Finally, you also have your opinions and intuition to rely on when really choosing an architect or designer. Although any renovation or construction work may seem daunting, that doesn’t mean that you are going to face problems in your journey. While a little bit of uncertainty is expected, at the same time, listing to your instincts when you are weighing up someone to do the job. If something doesn’t feel right, perhaps it isn’t. There are all kinds of resources out there that you can check to put your mind at ease, but if you are simply not comfortable, then perhaps it is time to try a different professional.
Summary
All in all, how best to find and choose an architect or designer will not be the same for all of us. Different things matter more to different people when working on a project. If you want the cheapest service possible, perhaps specialisms and extravagance in a portfolio aren’t so important. If you’re looking for a commercial architect, then perhaps price shouldn’t be as much as an issue, or perhaps there are certain factors that are mandatory for your sector.
