Looking for an architect

badgerhowlin

Hi,

I have my brother in law drawing up my house and all that stuff. He s only out of college and is fully quailfied now but this is the 1st house that he has done. He is unsure about some stuff so we are going to an architect tomorrow to have a talk to him about everything.

Has anyone been in the same postition.
What kind of questions should we be asking him.

mickdw

Is brother in laws qualification architectural or Engineering based?
Regardless the problem he will have is that if he is dealing with the planning application, he will have no knowledge of planning in the area etc & this will make the process all the more difficult. Having siad that, everyone has to start somewhere so if he is willing to put the time into this one, it could work out well. Im sure he must have suficient knowledge to get drawings to a level suitable for planning application although the more structural knowledge this guy has will allow him to design it closer to the finished article as Ive seen many architectural designs that prove uneconomical without minor changes prior to construction. Also if these kind of changes cannot be readily picked up on before construction, things can be awkward.
What does he need the help with? basics of the design or building regs or planning process or ?

rayjdav

Agree with Mickdw, everyone has top start somewhere. It is also best to learn the ropes with family, within reason.:D

Just make sure that the house he presents you is what YOU want, works and is also economical.:rolleyes: I have worked with some newbies fresh from College, top class honours degrees but their buildings use a LOT of Skyhooks!! Big difference between the classroom and the real world, imho. (I await the bashing that is sure to follow this;))

Quick scan through this forum should answer a lot of your questions before they are even asked.

Poor Uncle Tom

rayjdav wrote: »

Big difference between the classroom and the real world, imho.

This statement has the most relevance.

Since this is the first job being done by this person it is wise to have it looked over, and bear that statement in mind all the way through to submission of the application.

observer2u

I would be interested in finding out what your brother in law in qualified in also!

1. Planning application requirements?
2. Engineering requirements to be submitted with your application?
3. Size of the house versus your budget? Is it possible to build for the money you have
4. Any areas that look like they may add major costs? (i.e 6m of glass etc)
5. Complying with the 2009 Part L regulations? - Energy Efficieny for new Homes
6. Detail Design and Tendering Processes.
7. Any potenital Site Issues during construction

Houses can be easy and can be the hardest thing in the world to get right. Very site is different and every house is different.

PM if you would like me to take a look at drawings

badgerhowlin

Where do i start

He has just finished doing a 4 year course in WIT. He is an Architectural Technology or so he tell me. I called him an Architect one day and he didnt like that one but

He aggress with me that we need to go to someone that has done planning permission before i think he feels the pressure is off him a little because of that. And he want to ask question about the planning process and reg.

There is not fear in Skyhook from this Lad, i can assure you that. And as for economical, the only non economical part of the house will be my pocket. He is all for passive houses. :D

rayjdav

Sean,
Get him to log on here for 10mins and I think he may be surprised what he would actually pick up. As you can see, there is a wealth of knowledge only a click on the fingers away.

He will make mistakes as he starts out, there is no doubt about that.

Planning process is actually easy, when you are used to it:D. Once you learn (and accept) that what they (planners) say usually is not worth it's weight, thats step 1 over with:D.
Be nice to the validation techs in the council...(Step 2)
Step 3 is to have summarised understanding of the Act. Know the Regs though... Also, helpful if you know how house is actually built:rolleyes:, TGD's etc.
Not to take RFI as personal is Step 4...
Have a pint and get pi**ed celebrating when you get your first planning permission through Step 5.
Relax and hand the job over to the client to build then is step 6.
And finally step 7, arrive for the house warming.

I'm gonna patent that 7 Steps programe:D
Pretty simple really, no need to loose sleep or stress.. As said above, it can be the easiest thing or hardest thing in the world to do...

muffler

seanhowlin wrote: »

Hi,

I have my brother in law drawing up my house and all that stuff. He s only out of college and is fully quailfied now but this is the 1st house that he has done.

Normally Id say go to someone with a lot more experience but as has been pointed out the lad has to start somewhere. If you are no real hurry with the project then let him loose at the planning part or at least put a draft together of something that is acceptable to you.

mickdw wrote: »

Regardless the problem he will have is that if he is dealing with the planning application, he will have no knowledge of planning in the area etc & this will make the process all the more difficult. Having siad that, everyone has to start somewhere so if he is willing to put the time into this one, it could work out well. Im sure he must have suficient knowledge to get drawings to a level suitable for planning application although the more structural knowledge this guy has will allow him to design it closer to the finished article as Ive seen many architectural designs that prove uneconomical without minor changes prior to construction. Also if these kind of changes cannot be readily picked up on before construction, things can be awkward.

Yes, good points Mick. Regarding the structural design and associated construction costs perhaps a nice friendly builder/contractor may help a little with a rough guide to the costs involved.

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

This statement has the most relevance.

Since this is the first job being done by this person it is wise to have it looked over, and bear that statement in mind all the way through to submission of the application.

Ideally Id say it is indeed better to have it looked over. However if the guy takes a bit of time and reads the relevant part of the Development Plan, the requirements for submitting a planning application and all explanatory notes available from the local planning dept. then he should have a fair idea as to what is required.

rayjdav wrote: »

Sean,
Get him to log on here for 10mins and I think he may be surprised what he would actually pick up. As you can see, there is a wealth of knowledge only a click on the fingers away.

He will make mistakes as he starts out, there is no doubt about that.

Planning process is actually easy, when you are used to it:D. Once you learn (and accept) that what they (planners) say usually is not worth it's weight, thats step 1 over with:D.
Be nice to the validation techs in the council...(Step 2)
Step 3 is to have summarised understanding of the Act. Know the Regs though... Also, helpful if you know how house is actually built:rolleyes:, TGD's etc.
Not to take RFI as personal is Step 4...
Have a pint and get pi**ed celebrating when you get your first planning permission through Step 5.
Relax and hand the job over to the client to build then is step 6.
And finally step 7, arrive for the house warming.

I'm gonna patent that 7 Steps programe:D
Pretty simple really, no need to loose sleep or stress.. As said above, it can be the easiest thing or hardest thing in the world to do...

Good suggestions again.

He could indeed learn a lot in here and if its of any help there is a dedicated sub forum for AT's here

sinnerboy

seanhowlin wrote: »

He is an Architectural Technology or so he tell me. I called him an Architect one day and he didnt like that one but

Indeed ! Wash your mouth out

Best of luck with your project sean - stay in touch .

John368

seanhowlin

I am a self-employed structural engineer. One lesson I have learned in my 25 years in the business, is never to do work for relatives and friends. Most architects and engineers will have the same policy. Conversely, I would have the same policy about getting friends and relatives to work for me. Anyway, that said, you are where you are.

The architect you are going to will probably know the situation. He will probably suggest that your brother in law gets the drawings to a certain stage. If Planning Permission has not been applied for yet, then perhaps scheme design stage or sketch design stage will probably be the best. This might be just a single drawing showing ground floor and first floor plan and elevations at 1:100 scale plus an A4 size site map. This will give your brother-in-law a sense that he has completed a valuable stage in the design process.

John

badgerhowlin

I know what you mean john, but he needs to get some experience in the field and if he does this right he could use a good talking point in an interview, Which will help him in the long run.

Don’t get me wrong. He will not be just let loose to do everything. The Architect i went to talk to on Saturday will look over his planning application form for us to make sure everything is done correctly and the house is designed ok. For a FEE!!! He has also given my brother in-law some pointer on what he has done wrong with the plans already. Nothing major just small things, that he would expect from someone new to the designing of houses.

ie, making sure you have the turning space in the bedroom for a wheel chair on the second floor!!!

rayjdav

Sean,

As an exercise, what if he uploaded the drawings, in .pdf format, and opened them to comment.

This I would NOT see as an open ended design preference thread, as I can only assume you are getting the house YOU want designed, not others, but more of a technical aspect in relation to PLANNING SUBMISSION only. It does not require technical info to beat the band to get it though planning.

It could be seen as a "helping hand" to get the project into and through the planning process? He can return the deed in years to come to other "newbies" on here?

You could then invite us all to the house warming when "we" get planning?:D:D (Only joking)