I'm planning a home addition but would like peruse building material sources beyond what's available in consumer hardware stores. What sources do architects and contractors use for non-standard windows and other items? Is there a McMaster-Carr-equivalent for building materials? [more inside]
posted by odinsdream on Jan 30, 2009 - 4 answers

Inspired by this thread; has anyone every hired an architect? How do you do it? What sorts of things should I be looking for? How do I go about finding one that specializes in "weird". (By weird I mean, not your standard mcmansion floor plan.) What do architects charge to design a building. And do they oversee the building process as a rule, or no? [more inside]
posted by dejah420 on Apr 26, 2008 - 16 answers

My girlfriend is in the brainstorming stage of her architecture thesis and leaning toward sustainable community planning — any ideas? [more inside]
posted by rafter on Jul 13, 2006 - 25 answers

What is the proper order and nomenclature for numbering architectural drawings? Typically, you break up drawings into different types of views: floorplans, sections, details, and elevations--both outside and [more inside]
posted by fandango_matt on Mar 22, 2006 - 5 answers

Where could a young, devilishly handsome architect find free 3d models of office and residential buildings to download, preferably in 3ds or DXF format? [more inside]
posted by signal on Aug 9, 2004 - 5 answers