Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with architect

Architect Messed Up

otto42 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:18:06 -0800

My architect's omission will cost me an extra $25 grand. Do I have any recourse? What would you do?

This past summer I hired an architect to determine what kind of addition I could put on my house given lot size, set backs, town codes, and what ever other restrictions might apply. He came back with an answer and drew up the specs. Based on the drawings I obtained a loan and hired a general contractor.

The GC applied for permits last week and the town said I have to raise my house at least two feet to be in compliance with FEMA regulations in effect since 2005. The house raising will cost $25 to $30 grand on top of the $275 grand I was already budgeted for. In short, the Architect never looked to see what the FEMA regulations were and because of the mistake I will have to incur these extra costs. I have been assured from another architect, from an attorney and from my GC that my architect’s omission was his fault and not something that should have been missed.

Had I known from the beginning that a house raising was required, I might not have moved to obtain the loan and contractor. Between the loan closing costs and other expense I am already about $50,000 into the project.

Question: Does anyone think I could recover the extra costs to raise the house from the architect?

Architect without the satisfaction

notcomputersavvy06 — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:16:46 -0800

Several house structural changes planned but due to finances, work will done as money becomes available (probably spanning 10+ years). Would an architect be interested in this kind of project? How would s/he determine fee? This summer, we bought a house in the school district we wanted but due to local prices, it's old and quite dated (ginormous, ear-splitting, wooden doorbell that rings in 25+ tunes (including Green Sleeves) anyone?) We've already made all the basic inexpensive cosmetic changes we can (taking down wallpaper and painting) but I hate to spend real money on items in rooms I know we want to completely re-do in a few years. Example, why tile a kitchen when I know I want to take out one of the walls? Would a residential architect be willing to draft plans for a house that won't be completed for many, many years? Also, how would an architect calculate her/his fee for this project since, I assume, s/he will want to be paid for the plans rather than base it on a percentage of the cost of the completed project?
Thanks for any help you can give.

going from salary to hourly without benefits... should i ask employer for a higher wage?

dityfleur — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:38:28 -0800

going from salary to hourly without benefits... do I have a choice? should i ask for a higher wage?my firm is really slow, so my employers are changing me from salary to hourly... basically, as work comes in, i will get paid for the hours i bill. they are also eliminating my benefits package (heath/dental/vision/401k). i am not sure what my workload will be like, but i was typically working 40 hours/week and might be working less than 20. (i plan to compensate with unemployment if i have to.) i have spoken with people outside my field (architecture) and they say it is typical in this situation to get an increase in your hourly wage around 10-15% to compensate for the decrease in hours as well as the loss of benefits. i am looking into other job opportunities, but most firms are in the same boat and hoping to keep the employees they have…

has anyone had a similar experience? if a company is eliminating a lot of their overhead in this manner, is it ok to ask for an increase in this case? i know i don't really have any leverage, except for a good review record and +3.5 years experience with the company. any thoughts?

thanks!

Please help me determine if an architect is necessary, and if so find one

Herkimer — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:16:44 -0800

Would it be a good idea to hire an architect for this job? Can you recommend one in my northern New England area, or can you recommend ways to find a good one? Any thoughts on how much the job should cost? We live in a house that was built in 1980 and that has been added on to twice. As a result of the additions it has a kind of funky/atraditional interior structure and there are some spaces that are just strange shapes. Also, it was originally built to be passive solar, so a large part of a major internal wall is concrete (to act as heat-retaining thermal mass), and most of the house sits on a very thick concrete slab, which complicates interior renovations.

My husband and I would like to put in a third bath, upstairs laundry room (there is a laundry, but it's currently downstairs), and renovate the main bath. We would do most to all of the work ourselves, spaced out over time; we can't afford it otherwise. But, due to the funky interior, as well as the complications associated with running water lines or ducts (because of all that concrete), I think it could be helpful to hire an architect as a consultant. I envision him/her helping us plan the work: where to place fixtures and storage, where to run water/ducts, and so on. I don't think we would even need drawings; I would just like a professional's input on how we can make the best use of our space and address the challenges it presents.

We tried hiring a contractor for a similar job back when we owned another house, and I was not at all happy with the results; he didn't tell us anything we didn't know already. However, I believe an architect is much more trained in this kind of question.

I don't know anyone in the area who has hired an architect, and there are no recommendations on Angie's List.

Several questions:

1) Is this something an architect would indeed do?
1a) If not, who would?
2) Can you recommend one in my area?*
3) Or can you recommend any ways to find a good one?
4) I know the specifics of the job will affect the cost to a great degree, but I am interested in any thoughts on how long the job should take, how much it should cost (per hour), and/or how much it should cost total?
5) Have you done anything similar yourself? Is this a strange request or a common one? Anything else we should consider that I haven't thought about? Is there a different way we should approach the problem?

* My approximate location should be visible to MeFi members. Please let me know if it's not.

Thank you!

No hearts dotting the I's.

clearly — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:03:20 -0800

FontFilter: I'm looking for a font similar to this one, except with non-loopy and straight horizontal strokes. I'd like it to look handwritten, and to be free to download. I am really only interested in the uppercase letters. In the font linked above, I like the overlap on the horizontal strokes on the letters A and H and the wide stance of the letters.

The good life can be wherever you decide to make it

Sassyfras — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:48:47 -0800

I would like to build a house . . . just for fun . . . on paper or online. I can't make my dreams a reality, so I thought I'd at least have some fun with the ideas bouncing around in my head. Is there a website or program (free!) that I could use to create my dream house?

Non-traditional building supply sources?

odinsdream — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:20:49 -0800

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? I'm in the early design stages of a home addition and am trying to figure out windows, in particular. Pictures 4 and 5 on this page show what I'm looking for.

Would a large array of windows like that be a completely custom thing? I.e., I'd need to contact a glass and metal shop and get it totally made from scratch?

In general, who are the vendors for not-exactly-standard building components like this, and where are they listed? Perhaps sources traditionally for commercial applications that I could rework into a residential environment?

How many MeFites does it take to find a clamp for this vintage architect's lamp?

barnone — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:46:49 -0800

Vintage lamp clamps? I have this red vintage desk lamp, similar in style to an architect's lamp (like this newer version). It has a thin cylinder at the bottom, presumably to fit into one of those C clamps. Where do I find the right clamp to attach this lamp to a desk or table? Here are a few photos of my lamp: 1, 2, 3, 4.

It has a thin cylinder on the bottom, presumably to fit into a clamp like this or this or this.

Are those the right kinds of clamps? The bottom cylinder is about 0.5" in diameter. I've emailed the companies and they're not entirely sure how big the diameter of the holes are. Do I just have to order a whole bunch and deal with returns? Or is there a place that deals with vintage lighting and might be able to help me?

Also, what's a safe wattage for a vintage lamp like this?

Many thanks in advance.

architect looking for a career change...

dityfleur — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:27:18 -0800

i have an architecture degree and a few years of work experience, but i am not sure its for me... can i make a family-friendly career change without going back to school? i have been working for about 5 years as an architect, but am not really satisfied with this career. maybe it is my current place of employment, but i am looking for a possible change to something outside of the field.

i enjoy some aspects of my job (working with clients, being creative, problem solving, project management), but i would like a more family-friendly option that would allow me to either work from home on occasion or have a more flexible work schedule (four ten-hour days, etc.). i've found that leaving at 5pm (even after a 8-9 hour work day) is looked down upon. i am tired of feeling guilty for not being an architectural ego-maniac and i would like to have a life outside of my job!

i was hoping to something design-related, but not sure what (not interior design). any ex-architects out there that have made a switch? any thoughts or recommendations? or if you have stuck with it, any advice on how to balance career & family? should i just find a new firm?

Wanted: Vintage 1960 Modern Architect

LastOfHisKind — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:06:48 -0800

I'm interested in hiring an architect in Houston to design and build a modest, mid-century modern style house. Looking for an existing house I like hasn't been going well and I'm seriously thinking that what I'd really like to do is find an empty plot of land and hire an architect to design a house and help me find a contractor to build it.

I've got a general concept in mind, something along the lines of a modest mid-century modern house built with being ecologically green in mind. Stylistically, imagine a house a stylish young executive or young family might have built circa 1960 or so and you're pretty much there. Neutra, Eichler, and so on.

My pet theory is that simplicity and interesting use of basic materials will help offset the cost of custom home. I can live without giant bathrooms, stone countertops, fake window shutters, and overwrought exterior trim.

I can look the AIA site and find hundreds of architects, but how do I go about finding somebody willing to slip into a Mad Men grey flannel suit, smoke his pipe thoughtfully, and pretend that it's 1960?

Can we build it? Eh...maybe?

dejah420 — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:52:20 -0800

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? I have an idea of what I want; I mean I could sketch it in a rough, childlike sort of way, but I want someone to design things in like hidden passageways and doors that open via strange triggers, and other fun stuff. (My library must open by candle, ala Young Frankenstein, for example.)

I'm still looking for the perfect piece of land, but once found I expect the building process to take a while; core rooms, then additional rooms as funds accumulate.

I don't want it to be another one of the "slap down the foundation, frame the house, poof it's done in 3 weeks" pieces of crap that are going up everywhere now. I'm willing to take a fairly long time and pay a premium to have craftspeople do the work.

But whereas I know how to buy land, I have no idea how to hire an architect, or how to qualify their quality, or what price point to expect for a design.

Can you recommend a Seattle architect?

The corpse in the library — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:04:41 -0800

Can you recommend an architect in the Seattle area? I'm hoping to have a second story put on my ranch house, and need professional advice. (I'll also happily take recommendations for contractors.)

Should I be an Information Architect? How?

kenzi23 — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:22:19 -0800

I think I want to be an Information Architect. How can I tell if I am qualified? What additional education should I pursue? If not this, then what given my skill set? I was describing my current job woes with a friend who is a software engineer and started talking about what I do well, and what I want to do more of...his conclusion was that I would be a good information architect. I looked this up on Monster to see what the qualifications are and they seem to be sooo wide ranging that I can't really get a good picture of the requirements.

I currently do software support for a law firm and really need to change jobs if not careers. I have an M.A. in Political Science. Most of my jobs have been doing support stuff to a increasing degree of expertise and diversity in technology. Here is what I am good at: graphic design, synergy/integration of technologies, efficiency, organization, work flow efficiency, troubleshooting, marketing, branding, teaching/training/advising, communication, writing, creativity, ideas, big picture, flow, cultural “sensitivity”.

I know tons of software and am good at teaching myself new stuff, but I am not a coder (taught myself HTML, but that's the limit of my "coding), I have a wide breadth of knowledge of software, understand the concept of how it all works (kind of a jack of all trades, master of none), how they can be integrated and from that how that all should be made user-friendly and intuitive. I can definitely dream up things that don't exist and work with others to create what I imagine.

Am I at all qualified to be an Information Architect? Can I get qualified? Is there some lower level job that will take me there? Is there freelance work like this that I can do? Is there some other career that I should be looking at?

BTW, I'm 41 and not keen on taking a pay cut to do entry level and working my way up; suggestions for doing this, however, ARE welcome if only to give me an idea. I can handle myself in an interview and sell this skill set, but I do want to be pointed in the right direction.

John Sayles quote

Jackson — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:32:44 -0800

I'm looking for the source for this John Sayles quote: ". . . That’s why so many of Hitchcock’s guys are architects. In the ecology of certain movies, you need a person to be able to be gone for a long time and having an adventure–and nobody knows what the fuck and architect does. They have little plans that are rolled up, and they go visit a building site every once in a while, but they kick off for a week and a half and have an adventure—nobody misses them. And it’s kind of a classy thing; they obviously went to college, and da-da-da. Otherwise you’ve got to go and work." --filmmaker John Sayles on the suggestion that his own movies insist on the economic necessity of work

What's it like being a Naval Architect?

rongorongo — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 06:11:45 -0800

What's it like being a Naval Architect? I am considering a career change to become a Naval Architect and wondered if anybody out there who is/was/is training to be one could shed a little like on the pros and cons of the job. For example
1. Where are the best places to study?
2. Where do you work now?
3. What is a typical career progression?
4. What is day to day work like for you?
5. What skills to you most need to draw upon? (how might that mixture differ from building architecture in terms of mixing technical, managerial, political and artistic influences for example).
I am in the UK and married to an American so impressions related to work/study in either of these countries would be particularly welcome.

Suggestions for an architecture thesis?

rafter — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 12:10:26 -0800

My girlfriend is in the brainstorming stage of her architecture thesis and leaning toward sustainable community planning — any ideas? The thesis takes the form of an in-depth final project to be completed over the next academic year. She wants to do something on a larger planning/community level rather than a smaller scale and is hoping to involve green spaces and sustainable systems extensively. Her ultimate goal is to work on a project that would suggest (in whatever small way) an alternate way for a community to approach life. Ideally, the project would be applicable to the real world — either in the sense that she can literally take the proposal somewhere when she's done or in the sense that the project addresses a problem typical to many communities.

I realize this leaves things pretty broad, but right now it's completely up in the air. I'm hoping that some of you may have pointers to projects you know if in this vein that we might not have seen or general suggestions and ideas in the wouldn't-it-be-cool-if variety. Thanks —

Architecture or engineering?

aquavit — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 14:40:05 -0800

Architecture or engineering? Which is better, pays more, has more personal freedom?

I'm an undergrad architecture student questioning my career choice. I like design work, but I understand that the life of an architect is characterized by stress, sleep deprivation and no personal time.

I'd like to hear from people in the field:
*Is architecture really as torturous as it sounds (I get about 5 hrs sleep average as a student, does it get better?)?
*Do you have any artistic influence as an engineer?
*Are the hours as demanding? Job security?
*Any special training or certification required (like the licensing exam for architects)?
*Environmental/civil/structural???
*Bachelor's or Master's?
etc....
thanks for the help

That's Good Sheet, Man

fandango_matt — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 20:46:16 -0800

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 Here's the list I put together--is this the proper order?

1.01 = Site/Lot/Vicinity/Landscape
2.01 = Floorplans
3.01 = Exterior elevations
4.01 = Sections
5.01 = Interior elevations
6.01 = Details
7.01 = ?

Suppose sheet 5.02 references a detail on sheet 6.04/drawing 2. Should 6.04/2 reference back to 5.02? Or is that unnecessary?

Also, what's the proper form for details of details? 6.01.1? Or should I keep those drawings on the same sheet?

What is the pay rate for an Information Architect in Seattle?

DCTapeworm — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 07:43:45 -0800

What is the current pay rate for an information architect in the Seattle area? Hi there,

I'm currently in the Seattle job market, looking for positions involving Information Architecture. I've had a few interviews so far, and when I'm asked what my pay rate is, I usually quote 45 an hour.

A fellow IA I talked to this weekend told me I was nuts to quote that low, and should start the rate around 55-60. The rate I was quoting was more inline with what a Junior Information Architect might be expecting. Apparently 55 is the norm, while 70 and up are reserved for Senior IA's who have at least 5-7 years in the field.

I've been to a couple of salary sites that are supposed to track this sort of thing, but I've found nothing conclusive.

Can anyone help me figure out what I should be telling contracting companies (or even human resource departments) what my hourly/yearly salary requirements are?

Seeking free 3d models of office and residential buildings to download

signal — Mon, 09 Aug 2004 15:53:59 -0800

Where could a young, devilishly handsome architect find free 3d models of office and residential buildings to download, preferably in 3ds or DXF format? Trees and vehicles would come in handy as well.

Planning a Deck

sharksandwich — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 14:21:52 -0800

I would like to build a deck in the space between my home and garage. A buddy of mine is a rough carpenter who could do all of the physical labor, but he's really poor at design and organization. How should I go about getting a set of plans/drawings/materials list for him to follow? Are their architects that do this sort of thing? Any idea on cost?

Modeling Airflow

signal — Mon, 05 Apr 2004 11:14:21 -0800

I am preparing a course on Computer Aided Environmental Design for architects and other professionals, and am planning to make extensive use of Ecotect, a package which allows one model and study the solar, light, thermal and acoustic behavior of a building. To round it out, I would like to be able to study ventilation and airflow as well. Is there any easy-to-use (for an architect, not an engineer) software in the vein of Ecotect which will allow basic modeling of ventilation or airflow on a standard PC?