If you’re planning on building a new home, there’s a good chance you’ll work with an architect. The architect plays a key role in the home-building process and helps bring your vision of a house to life, but working with an architect can sometimes be a challenge.

If you don’t know much about architecture, you may be intimidated by hiring an architect. While finding an architect can be a difficult, it’s important to make an informed decision, because he plays an important part in the building of your new home.

The Role of an Architect

The primary responsibility of an architect is to turn your vision for your home into reality. However, architects do more than design house plans. A good architect will be able to manage the construction of your home and bring a strong vision to the overall project.

Architects can also provide advice about materials, deal with permits and building codes, communicate with contractors, and anticipate possible problems and develop solutions before they become a major issue. However, hiring an architect to handle these things will add to the project’s overall cost.

Hiring an Architect

Architects are licensed professionals who are trained in building design. In the United States, many (though not all) architects are members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). AIA-member architects have regular continuing education requirements and adhere to a code of ethics. Even if they are not AIA members, any architect you work with should be properly licensed.

If you’ve decided to build a home, it’s helpful to get an architect involved as soon as possible. This will help reduce your overall cost. However, finding an architect can take some time. Regional chapters of the AIA provide directories of members. You’ll want to research the work of these individuals, and then conduct interviews with potential candidates.

As you review prospects, be sure to consider factors such as the architect’s training, education, years of experience and references. Most important, you’ll want an architect who you are comfortable working with, and who you feel can interpret what you want and need from your new home.

You and Your Architect

Once you’ve hired an architect, you’ll have preliminary meetings to discuss your vision for your new home’s architecture. Design is an area in which architects have extensive training, and by meeting with you and discussing your needs, budget and site, the architect can begin to develop a plan for your home.

While the architect is the major creative force behind your home’s design, it is still important to come to these early meetings with some ideas of what you want or need in your new home. Pictures of homes you like can be very helpful at this stage. Your architect will also ask many questions about your budget and how you plan to use the home.

The architect will use the information gathered at these meetings to begin drawing up plans for your home. Once these plans are complete, it’s time to begin building your new home.