Building a house is a project on its own. It is not only expensive but is also time consuming and requires a lot of effort on the client’s part to ensure it is built to his or her specifications and requirements. Any construction project involves a large number of people from architects to engineers to contractors and quantity surveyors and so on and so forth. Here are a few tips when picking out an architect when designing a house.
Do your research, check on their past projects before deciding on an architect. A popular name or a recommendation from a friend may not be enough once the project commences. Find an architect with a similar taste to yours. If you prefer a more traditional concrete, timber building to a modern minimalistic one of glass and steel, find someone who has done past buildings similar to what you are looking for. This will make working with them far easier when decisions have to be made.
Usually architect fees in itself is quite expensive. However, especially if you are working on a tight budget, make sure to pick an architect whose material usage, scale of the building fits the budget of your Dubai home design. Complicated forms, long spans, cantilevers are expensive to construct and depending on your locale, material prices also vary. Therefore find one who has done buildings that fit your budget.
Recommendations and Reviews
Once you short list a few architects, try to find good reviews from a close friend or family member who has worked with them before. Different architects operate in different ways. Most usually work on tight deadlines and thus release drawings based on requirement rather than as a bulk. Also, some architects design the complete building at once and make very few changes once construction starts, but there are others who constantly keep changing the design and make the final decisions based on issues arising on site. Both approaches have their pros and cons and based on how you prefer to work, your deadlines and budgets, find someone who is easy to work with.
The most important factor when deciding on an architect is to find a good designer who is easy to communicate and make decisions with. Especially once construction commences, multiple problems arise due to climate problems, labor force issues, budget constrictions, material delivery delays and a hundred others. It is important to have an efficient communication network between the architect, client, engineers and contractors to ensure timely quality execution of work. The decision making process must be fast and efficient to minimize miscommunications and possible mix ups later on.