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Finding an architect

If you are thinking of building a new house, or altering your existing one, choosing an architect is a very personal decision, one that will impact you and your family for many years. There are always many design solutions, some of which will appeal to you and suit your lifestyle, and others that are not such a good fit.

If a friend or relative has recently completed a building project, do you find it suits your taste? Try to imagine the spaces with your furniture and artwork - does this create a harmonious feel, is it too formal, maybe too minimalist, maybe too "cutsie-cozy"? A good architect will be very versatile, but even so, they will have a repertoire of preferred design solutions that they will tend to use when interpreting your needs.

A small house in a Victorian style

If you don't know of an architect, have a look on the South African Council for Architects website, where you will find a list of registered architects. You can search by name (you may have seen a building under construction with a project board containing the name of the architect) or geographically. 

When you first contact the architect, find out what type of work they specialise in - if their field is hospitals, they may not be the best fit for your alterations project. Also find out about their scale of fees: they may charge an hourly rate in the early stages of the design process, while you are defining your needs and they are tracking down information, such as the planning regulations for your property and your title deeds. Or they may charge a percentage fee from the beginning, based on an estimate of the cost of the building work. 

It is a good idea to have a look at the project agreement document on the SACAP website to have an insight into the different stages of work in the design and construction process. There is generally quite a long lead time from when you appoint your architect and the builder starts work on site, and better if you do not try to speed this up, as this is when costs can escalate.

At your first meeting with the architect, ask to see a portfolio of their work, to have a good sense of whether their design style matches your expectations. Even if you know one or two examples of their work, it is a good starting point to see a range of their other projects. 

A floor plan of a small house showing a possible furniture layout
During this first meeting, you will need to articulate your needs - try to focus on the functional requirements and keep an open mind on how these can be achieved. The architect will be able to see many more possibilities, some of which will more than meet your expectations and may be vastly different from what you have imagined.

A good architect will always offer you alternatives - whether for the overall design, or in the details. In the early stages of the project, she will be getting to know you so there may be a bit of trial and error. In the picture below, I was convinced that the client would go for the muted organic colours and the more formal design for her entrance, but to my surprise, she opted for the more colourful design with the strongly asymmetrical layout.
Four variations on a design for an entrance

When your ideas and the designs of the architect start to converge, it is time for the architect to develop the set of drawings that will need to be submitted to your local authority for plans approval. Before these municipal plans can be finalised, the architect may need to consult with a structural engineer and possibly other professionals such as a land surveyor or an urban and regional planner, if it looks like you will need rezoning. The plans submission process may take several weeks, so in the meantime the architect (along with any other professionals) will be developing the drawings so that the builder will know exactly what needs to be done. These are called working drawings, and are full of technical information. If the project is fairly complex, the architect may advise you to appoint a quantity surveyor, who will be able to give you an accurate estimate of the construction costs and will look after the purse strings through to completion.

Once the plans have been passed by the local authority and the working drawings are complete, your architect will guide you through the process of appointing a building contractor. Here there are various options, but the architect will be best placed to advise you, as this will depend on the complexity of the project and the current state of the construction industry. 

During the construction stage, the architect will make regular inspections, to ensure that the building work is going exactly to plan. At this stage, it is important to be aware that any changes from your side will be costly and may add delays. For this reason, it is better to spend more time and thought in the early part of the process to be sure that you are getting exactly what you need. 




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