The Wall Street Journal-20080125-WEEKEND JOURNAL- The Home Front- The Architect Will See You Now- No longer booked up- designers tackle small renovations- the Samborns ponder their dream house
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WEEKEND JOURNAL; The Home Front: The Architect Will See You Now; No longer booked up, designers tackle small renovations; the Samborns ponder their dream house
It's a good time to be in the market for an architect.
The housing slump has freed up residential architects who wouldn't even return phone calls during the boom. Many say they are hungry for business, seeking projects ranging from designing houses from scratch to taking on small renovations they would have turned down a year or two ago.
The newfound availability of architects -- combined with lower construction costs -- means some consumers can finally build the house they've long dreamed of.
Kevin and Rachelle Samborn have wanted to tear down their 1,800- square-foot ranch house in Swampscott, Mass., since they bought the property outside Boston in 1997. Mr. Samborn, a 39-year-old software executive, says the couple wants to replace the 1955 structure with a 2,600-square-foot, timber-frame house. They made a few calls four years ago for price estimates but held off because it was too expensive.
Since then, the costs of labor, materials and mortgages have tumbled as the housing market cratered. When contractors' estimates fell to $225 a square foot last spring from $300 four years ago, the Samborns decided to move forward. This time around the architects they contacted had a much more aggressive attitude toward winning their business, Mr. Samborn says. The couple hired Boston architect Jeremiah Eck to design their house, and the couple is considering a $750,000 construction bid from a contractor. Mr. Samborn estimates the house will cost 25% less overall than a few years ago, including savings on architectural fees since Mr. Eck, like many architects, charged a percentage of the construction cost. Four years ago, Mr. Samborn says, "I wouldn't have gotten as much house as I wanted."
Residential architects across the country report shrinking job backlogs, according to the American Institute of Architects. Of 500 residential architecture firms surveyed by the trade group during the 2007 third quarter, 42% reported a backlog of under three months -- compared with 31% during the same period two years earlier. That mirrors the overall home market; the Commerce Department said last week that December housing starts fell 14.2% to a 16-year low.
While spending on remodeling has declined only modestly over the past year, many home improvements these days are likely to be the kind that don't require an architect, such as roof replacements or new windows, says Kermit Baker, the AIA's chief economist. "A lot of projects are happening, but they're not the upper-end renovations we saw three to four years ago," he says. There are fewer $150,000 renovations and more $40,000 jobs, and "at that price point, there's less architect involvement," Mr. Baker adds. A quarter of U.S. homes built each year involve significant work by an architect -- in many cases to modify a stock home plan -- but only about 5% of U.S. homes are designed from scratch by an architect, he says.
Yet some people find they can hire an architect even for tiny jobs. After retiling a bathroom, Gloria Lee of Sunnyvale, Calif., needed help to figure out how to decorate the walls with a few leftover marble tiles. The 49-year-old engineer thought about hiring an interior designer, but by chance she was able to snag the services of architect Louis B. Smith Jr., an acquaintance who had just been let go from his job designing condos in Detroit. Ms. Lee emailed him a sketch of the bathroom and a description of the tile. His solution: set the tiles back from the shower and neighboring walls, install mirrors and paint the gaps to match the marble's veins, making the spacing appear intentional. "We talked a few times over the phone, she sent me a check and I gladly cashed it," says Mr. Smith.
Architect Douglas Ruther in Brookline, Mass., feels fortunate that he's not had to go a day without work. But that doesn't mean the 43- year-old sole practitioner isn't worried. Mr. Ruther has a lead on a new-home project that could keep him busy, "but if they don't call, I'm not sure what I'll be doing in a month," he says.
In Denver, Gary Godden of Godden/Sudik Architects has watched the backlog at his 16-person firm shrink from one year to six months over the past year. His firm's revenue in 2007 fell 15% compared with a year earlier, he says. Calls about new projects usually pour in after the New Year, but so far this month he's had only a handful of calls. As for 2008, says Mr. Godden, "We'll just be happy to survive it." His firm doesn't plan to lower its fees to drum up business but he's considering cheaper jobs, including room additions. "There was a time when we were so busy that we wouldn't deal with those," Mr. Godden says. But "we're not as picky about projects anymore."
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Designing Your Home
It takes flexibility, communication and realistic expectations to work successfully with an architect. Here are some tips from architects and homeowners.
-- Pay attention to personality. Most people hire an architect only once in their lives. Searching for one is akin to finding a financial planner, architects say. Look for an architect who has designed projects that are similar in style and scope to yours. "There's no substitute for experience," says Todd Strickland, a partner with Historical Concepts, an Atlanta architectural firm. Because designing a home is such a personal project, it's important that you feel able to communicate with your architect.
Liza Nugent, 41 years old, and her husband needed an architect to combine their apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side with a neighboring unit; they got referrals from friends. The first person they called made a snippy remark about how "unsophisticated" co-op boards in buildings on side streets such as theirs make renovations difficult. "I thought, with that kind of attitude, we definitely wouldn't get along," Mrs. Nugent says. After calling two more architects and interviewing three others, the Nugents picked a longtime acquaintance who had creative design solutions for their project.
-- Enlist an architect early. Most architects will do their best to design a structure to work with whatever plot of land you have to build on. But they also can help scout prospective land purchases. With a general vision of your house and a budget in mind, the architect can evaluate the pros and cons of a location that a client might overlook, such as whether a site is big enough to accommodate the dwelling or whether a neighbor's right-to-a-view will preclude building the 12-foot ceilings you want.
Is the site free of utility constraints? What about topographical features that could increase the cost of building? Paying for four or five hours of evaluation is likely to save money in the long run.
-- Bring visuals. Pictures help an architect understand your vision, whether it's a rough sketch you've made, magazine photos of homes you like, or a coffee-table book featuring interiors by your favorite designer. Snapshots of specific lighting fixtures or cabinet styles are helpful, but so are pictures that convey intangibles: the sense of place created by sunlight streaming through a skylight, or a library room with a "warm" feeling.
Dallas architect Marc McCollom, who designs modern houses, says clients also should bring pictures of things they don't like. Architects will regard the client's visual portfolio as a cue for whether they'll make a good team. "If they show me pictures with crown molding and decorative wallpaper, I shouldn't take that job," Mr. McCollom says matter-of-factly. "I'm not going to be happy, and we shouldn't work together."
-- Find a listener. A relationship with a designer is like a marriage: Go with someone who listens, cut your losses with someone who doesn't -- or risk getting a house you don't want to live in. When Jim Jenkins began a $1.5 million renovation of his Alamo, Calif., home, he hired a local who'd designed other houses in the neighborhood. But 18 months into the process, the architect still hadn't produced a design that the Jenkinses liked or that could get past the local homeowners' association.
"He wouldn't design what we were looking for," Mr. Jenkins says. "My wife's looking for something Caribbean and he kept thinking California Ranch."
Mr. Jenkins pulled the plug on that designer and hired a Berkeley- based architect, Robert Nebolon. "He read the codes, had some creative ideas and within six months I got what I was looking for," Mr. Jenkins says.
Clients need to listen, too. Telephones, faxes and email aren't the best ways to communicate about home design. Avoiding in-person meetings will delay construction. A good architect won't act on any part of a project without clear approval.
-- Talk money upfront. A flat fee may be appropriate for projects whose scope is very defined. But construction projects often include unforeseen challenges, and for that reason most architects prefer to charge by the hour or by a percentage of building costs. Some architects charge by the hour in the concept stage and then charge fees ranging from 8% to 18% of construction costs after hiring. For projects costing $1.5 million plus, expect fees to range from 12% to 18%, says James P. Cramer, chairman of Greenway Group, a design- industry consulting firm.
Some architects ask clients for a wish list of features, fixtures and qualities along with an estimated budget. "Sometimes people's expectations aren't realistic given what their budgets are," says Manhattan architect Darby Curtis.
-- Consider full service. Architects will be as involved as you want them to be. They can simply do design conception and deliver drawings. Or they can visit sites, coordinate contractors and observe construction. Many architects advise clients to retain a designer through construction. "In the long run you'll save yourself from headaches and extra construction," Ms. Curtis says.
-- Have a strong marriage. Architects offer this last bit of advice in all seriousness. Money tends to cause stress in a relationship, and building a home involves a lot of money. Building a house together, Mr. McCollom says, "is not going to save your marriage."
