You should be aware that there are no education, training, experience, or licensing requirements for a person to provide residential design services. Commercial projects on the other hand do required a license. Regarding residential projects though, if you take a person who has no background in or knowledge of construction whatsoever and put a pencil or computer in their hand, they can present themselves as a draftsman or designer. Some draftsmen and designers do of course have more education and experience than others though and most do have the ability to operate computerized drafting programs. Knowing how to draw in the computer is only the very beginning of the knowledge one needs in order to properly design and document a construction project.
A licensed Architect on the other hand is a professional who possesses a great deal of education, training, and experience relating to the design and construction of buildings. To obtain an Architect's license, one must go through a lengthy process which takes a minimum of 9 years to complete. The process commonly takes longer though for a variety of reasons. The process of obtaining an architecture license begins with acquiring a 5 year Professional or 6 year Masters Degree from an accredited college or university. Whether the Architect has a 5 or 6 year degree will often be determined by which college or university they attended. After college, a regulated internship is required under the supervision of a licensed Architect. The internship, in most states takes a minimum of 3 years to complete, approximately 2.5 years in Florida if the candidate has a 6 year Masters Degree in Architecture. During the internship, the candidate must acquire a regulated amount of experience in a variety of areas within the profession. In addition to the education and internship requirements, like most professionals, there is a licensing exam (exams in this case) that must be passed. Architects, at the time Architect Warren E. Barry obtained his license, had to pass 9 licensing exams. Once the education, internship, and exams have been completed, a submittal to the state of documentation verifying completion of these items is made for review in order to finalize the process and obtain a license. Once licensed, Architects must continually participate in continuing education courses that keep their knowledge up to date in order to maintain their license for renewal every two years. Draftsmen and designers are not required to have any of this, they have, to their credit, often times gone through some sort of short term high school or vocational drafting classes though.
In summary, if you want someone who has the proper training, experience, and knowledge to design your residential or commercial project, the first thing you should be looking for is a valid architecture license. Some will argue that Architects cost more than unlicensed individuals. In some cases this is true (as well as justified) but at W.E.B. Designs, we offer a range of services that span from drafting services to architectural services, all priced competitively and appropriately in relation to the service provided with each. Therefore, we can meet your needs no matter what your expectations or budget may be.
The design and detailing of a home or commercial building is important and should not be negated in order to save money on the plans. Although cutting corners on the design and documentation process will save money on the plans, this savings is minimal in relation to the total investment in a project and can cost you much more in the long run than what you save.
Obtaining a quality service is money very well spent for the following reasons. First, obtaining a poor quality design service and construction documents that lack proper detailing can result in a project that has an increased cost of upkeep (utility bills and maintenance). Second, a poor quality service can result in projects with a lower resale value compared with the project having been designed to be aesthetically pleasing, functional, and resistant to damage from its occupants and the elements (rain, wind, water vapor, heat, insects, etc.). Third, a poor quality service is also likely to result in a completed project which you may be unhappy with for any number of reasons. When spending so much money on land and construction, trying to save what is a relatively small amount of money on the design service which has a major impact on the actual and perceived value of the project is not a very wise decision to make.
There are a number of reasons why a quality set of construction documents are important. First, a quality set of plans, produced by a qualified, caring, and thorough individual, can be constructed as designed if the plans are followed. Poor quality plans often result in problems and conflicts during construction which require adjustments to the design for resolution. These “on site” or “field” adjustments often result in conditions which are functionally and/or visually undesirable.
Second, a quality set of construction documents also contains enough detail within them for you to see and verify that the finished product is what you want. What good is it to go through the process of having a home or building built just for you if what you end up with is not what you expected, or worse, something you dislike? Minor adjustments can be made during construction but these can result in prolonged construction time and change orders, both of which have the capability of translating into a significant increase in the cost of construction.
Third, the construction documents are a major part of the contract between the home owner and the contractor. Plans with little detail require the contractor and their workers to interpret the lack of detail as they see fit into the final construction. The contractor’s goal is to earn a profit, if something is not detailed they are likely to build it the most profitable (cheapest) way they can while abiding by what detail does exist in the plans. The solution they choose may or may not meet your expectations; and if it does not, there is not much you can do about it but spend more money to revise it.
Fourth, more information incorporated into the plans, and more up front planning, translates into fewer decisions that need to be made during construction. This reduces the need for you to make quick and/or on the spot decisions and also reduces the amount of time you must spend working with the contractor during construction. The electrical layout is a great example of this. Many draftsmen lay out the electrical plan to simply meet code and the electricians do an on site walk through with you during construction to finalize the design. The on site walk through is good because you will almost certainly change your mind about something between the time the drawings are made and the time the electrical is being installed. This is not the time however to design an elaborate electrical layout for the entire structure. It is likely to be very hot (or cold), humid, noisy, and dusty on site at this stage of construction. You are also likely to be concerned about the amount of someone’s time that you are consuming during this meeting. These are factors that can contribute to you possibly rushing your decisions. Rushed decisions, and those that are not well thought out, are often those which are changed after work has begun. Changes during construction can add considerable cost to the project. Planning the electrical layout as much as possible during the design phase reduces the number of on site decisions to be made and allows you to have the opportunity to go over the layout at your convenience, at your own pace, and in the comfort of your current home or office. You can then have a briefer walk through meeting with the electrician during construction and be much happier with the final layout without making as many changes. This is only one example of the benefits of having detail in the plans, but it holds true for many of the decisions that have to be made.
There are many books and magazines which sell stock house plans (or pre-designed house plans) for low prices. The disadvantage of this is that the plans are commonly designed for northern regions and include basements and other design features not suitable for Florida. The plans are also not typically designed to comply with local building codes or construction standards. This is especially true in Florida due to Florida having its own state building code. Florida requires unique construction when compared to much of the country due to wind forces from hurricanes. Instead of being designed to comply with the Florida Building Code and Florida construction standards, the majority of stock plans from magazines are designed to meet the International Residential Code. If purchased, as a result, these plans often need to be modified at additional costs to comply with local building practices and codes. These changes will commonly be made by either a company outside of Florida which may not be familiar with Florida construction or by a local person of your choice who’s fee will also be on top of the cost of purchasing the original plans. When the plans are complete, the total cost of the plans, along with the required adjustments and any other requested design changes, can cost more than having purchased plans from someone in Florida to begin with.
There are many advantages to new construction. A new home or building can be designed and constructed to meet all of your wants and needs (as long as the budget is adequate). New construction also has new materials, products, equipment, and systems installed which are typically going to be more efficient, durable, meet current codes, and so on. In addition, everything in new construction is, well, new. You do not have to worry as much about unforeseen damages and old equipment breaking down after you move in. Contractors also often have warranties in case any problems do arise within the first year, sometimes longer. Another advantage is that you can not only build what you want, the way you want it, you can also have it where you want it assuming property is available in that area and the project will comply with zoning regulations. Combined, these all make building new a very desirable option when looking for a new home or building.