Building a Team: Clarifying Design Professional Roles in Home Projects

So, you're all geared up for that home project, but the sea of titles in the design world is making your head spin? Fear not! Let's break it down and make sure you know who to call for what.

Who Should You Hire?

First things first, let's get the squad sorted. Architects, interior architects, interior designers, designers, decorators – they all play a part, but what exactly do they do? And why does everyone seem to offer everything?

Scopes by Professions

Architecture

Architects are the full package. They design the landscape, exterior, and interior, ensuring everything clicks. But, word of advice: let them stick to the bones; furnishing and decor aren’t typically their sweet spot. Think of architects as the masterminds behind everything permanent in your home – from the sturdy walls and floors to those dreamy built-in features. They're not just about the layout; they're also the maestros of design, detailing, and finishes. But hey, don't bother them with curtains and vases; that's not their jam.

Interior Architecture

Now, this term can get tricky. Sometimes, it means the whole shebang inside your home; other times, it's just the layout. Confusing, right? Best to clarify when you're in a tag team with an architect and an interior designer. Interior architects may work like architects, but they live for the inside. Same license, same capacity – they're just more about the interiors. Don't rope them into site planning or exterior design; that's not their turf.

Interior Design

Interior designers are your go-to for the functional, non-permanent stuff. Furniture, decorative lighting, and drapes are the wizards of creating a space that's not just pretty but functional. Don't ask them to mess with load-bearing walls; that's a big no-no. Interior designers are the cool cats for jazzing up your space. They're the maestros of non-structural interiors. But remember, they're not the ones to call for big structural changes. Keep it light, keep it fun.

Decor

Enter the decorators – the artists of non-functional, pretty things. Vases, art, flowers – if it's not glued down, it's their canvas. Designers and decorators? They're your aesthetics team. But here's the catch – no legal checks on these titles. They're perfect for picking out pretty things but don't hand them the blueprints. Remember, they're not the architects of your home's structure.

Other Consultants

Structural Engineers

These are the superheroes behind your home's structural integrity. They team up with architects but handle the nitty-gritty of the bones – the stuff you don't want to go wonky. Good structure make sure you have a solid home that can weather a storm. Great structure will be part of your decor — up to a certain point.

Landscape Architect / Designer

Another Architect and Designer? Why so many you say? As with the interior architect and your Architect, these folks are concerned with organising your exterior spaces. A good landscape design — plant selection, placement, planning and fixtures (built-in or not) — anchors a home to its location so it feels that it was supposed to be there. Now, Landscape Architects and Designers also do some structure — a Mediterranean pergola anyone? — but don’t overdo it. Best talk to your Architect and Structural Engineer for this.

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Key Takeaways

So, what's the 411? Pros often stretch their skills, but there are sweet spots. Architects ace site and spatial planning, and facades and anything that is permanent in your home. Interior architects or designers work within the house, no need to bother them of the plants outside but keep them informed. Decorators are concerned with the impermanent details for your home — think vases, couches and knick-knacks to accentuate your spaces. Keep it clear, folks.

Conclusion

There you have it – the design professional lowdown. Home projects are a puzzle, and now you've got the cheat sheet. So, go ahead, build that dream space, and remember, the right pro for the right job makes all the difference. Cheers to your stylish, structurally sound haven! 🏡✨

The Value of Design

This article was originally published on Medium.com on 23, January 2021.

What is worth to you?

To start, by no definition do I attest and claim that I can accurately know the actual value of things as it relates to its monetary meaning. I am not an economist, and one man’s treasure can be another man’s trash. Or is it the other way around?

Nonetheless, I will be discussing the intangible; Individually, we see the value by its merit of how we perceive, receive and experience the benefit of what we purchase. Either in terms of service, a product, or both.

For this piece, I will discuss the two critical variables that affect the intangible value of good design service in producing Architecture. This view is profoundly influenced by my Architectural training which you can read all about that in a series of previous articles starting here. So if you have a different experience or perspective in mind, I would love to hear about it!

Regardless of the size, construction projects are composed of two cost categories: hard and soft cost. The hard cost is typically the list of items that relates the project's physical result, that is the building. That is to say the material cost (steel, timber, concrete, glass, etc.) and labour.

The soft cost relates to any service(s) that will facilitate the Client get to the project's physical result (i.e. the building). This includes professional consultant fees (which encompasses services from your Architect, Engineer, etc.) and any other fees related to getting the project permitted. This may include, but not limited to, town-planning and building permit application fees. If you are a developer, there may be contribution fees that you need to pay towards adding the additional infrastructure necessary for your development.

Both types of cost vary from one location to another. So it pays to consult with your local professionals, council and trades for your project. My areas of expertise and experience lie on the side of the soft-cost of a building project. That is, the architectural design service, specifically for residential projects.

So what does it cost to design a house?

My answer to this sort of question always depends on two main things:

1. What is the project brief?

2. Who are you hiring?

The first item is fundamental and essential. The project brief helps the design professional to define the goal of the project. The clearer the project brief, the more predictable the cost would be for both parties. With this in mind, there are still a few more variables that need to be considered.

The ideal scenario is that a Client will engage a consultant for their full service across all project stages. From initial feasibility, which is seeing what can be built for how much. Up to the project's actual construction in the form of the design professional visiting the site and doing some quality checks if their drawings are actually being constructed to the agreed level of quality and specification.

The clearer the project brief, the more predictable the cost would be for both parties

In some circumstance, some design professionals are only contracted for certain aspects or stages of the project. Some designers and architects are known for their conceptual vision, while some are more known for their technical prowess and know-how. Each skillset, experience and interest have their place. It really depends on the Client’s budget and timeline.

As of late, I’m seeing a shift from a full-service offer to being contracted only for specific stages and task for a project. For myself, it has been more on the technical and consenting stages of the project. This benefits the consumer more than the professional in my view. But at the same time, I think it gives clarity on the professional's involvement in the project and gives them focus.

The second part of who are you hiring, which is akin, in my view, buying the same dish from two different restaurants. One is high-end fine dining we need to wear a dinner jacket type of establishment. The other is the take-away shop around the corner you usually reserve after finishing an all-night rager at the bars. One will change how you view about that specific dish. The other, well, we’ll see in the morning, because right now you need sustenance.

Engaging a design professional is akin to buying the same dish from two different restaurants.

The cost of hiring a design professional with a more comprehensive portfolio, accolades, and notoriety bump up that price. On the other hand, a design professional starting and building their portfolio may charge a significantly lower fee for the same brief.

Sometimes Clients want a basic house with walls and a roof, that does not leak and will not fall. Because doing otherwise would mean legal implications for both parties, not to mention any health and safety implications. Anything beyond that has some “flair” will and should cost something extra.

That flair is about the emotional connection of the proposed design.

That flair is about the emotional connection of the proposed design. Does it speak of the narrative of the lifestyle of the user? The history of the land? A sustainable approach to the building? Is it a complex structure that has bespoke elements that cannot be found off the shelf? These things all add up in the end as part of the brief and the professional's capability to deliver.

Speaking on the design consultants' side, sometimes we bump up our pricing based on the Client. Are they going to be working with us closely or hands-off in terms of getting the work done? How often they want updates, the type of deliverables they wish to have, i.e. drawings, renders or physical models.

So really it is about clarity. Clarity of the brief, the quality of design service and what type of work or result you expect at the end.