Feedback on architects, and questions you wish you'd asked

**Hi all****
We have just gone into contract on a 4 story, 3 family brownstone and our next step is to reach out to architects to find someone to work with us on on the renovations to 3 floors / 2 apartments.
Sifting through ** **the forum over the past months, we’ve identified a couple of names for our “long list” already:  de Boer, Agencie Group, BParc.******So three questions:** ****- Has anyone worked with any of the above three, and if so are you willing to share details of the project and how it went (whether here or off the forum)? – Are there any members out there who have had a good experience with an architect on a similar sort of project that they would recommend us including in our search? (bonus points if it was in a landmarked district) – What questions do people wish they had asked their architect (or are really glad they asked their architect) at the outset?
Thanks so much
AB**

You didn’t specify what your project is other than that you are renovating apartments – what is the nature of the renovations?  Since you’re asking about architects, I’m assuming you’re talking about some kind of structural and/or design work like adding or renovating kitchens, bathrooms, etc. or moving things around, but it would help to get clarity. As for questions, I wish I’d had a better understanding of the pricing structures different architects set up and why.  I found people who charge hourly w/a cap (often capped at a percentage of construction, sometimes just a fee cap), who charge hourly no cap, who give a fixed price with a fixed scope, or who just charge a percentage of the construction fee.  I wish I’d known to find someone who would be flexible on fee structure and in our case who didn’t do percentage of construction since that can be too restrictive if you just want a consultant but want to run your own project.  An architect who charges based on percentages usually wants to run the project, I found.  In the end we went with someone who has an hourly fee and while that seems fair, it can be budget-busting, for example we are at about 20% of the work completed now and our budget is pretty much blown on our architect – and we still need him to do more, so either we’ll just be in the red to pay him for the rest of his time or we’ll have to fly somewhat on our own – neither is a great option.  An hourly architect without a fee cap has a bit of a license to spend more time than we might like on things. We love our architect, but it’s still been a learning experience … Aside from pricing structure (which to an extent informs the relationship), I’d want to ask the architect how many options they planned to draw initially – how many different ideas would be on paper to give thought to.  We have worked with 2 architects, one of whom gave us 5 initial drawings to consider and one of whom did 2 or maybe 3.  I have loved having 5 and still use them as a guide during our kitchen renovation (that’s because our layout isn’t settled, believe it or not); some of it depends on how fast you lock in on a layout that works.  Our deck layout is perfect, our kitchen layout is a complete pain, every design solution creates design problems, so it’s going to be a choice among lesser evils.  That’s not the architect’s fault, it’s what we’re working with.  I hope this helps!

Extremely helpful (and prompt) – thanks. On the scope of work, in the rental it’s likely to be minimal – mostly updating bathroom but no major changes.  The bulk of the work is In the lower duplex – moving a kitchen, at least one new bathroom plus renovating existing one, opening up space on the parlor floor and hopefully dividing up space on the garden floor (moving bedrooms downstairs, kitchen and living upstairs). (and apologies for the formatting gremlins in the original post) Thanks, AB

One other thing – whether or not you are permitting the various jobs will probably inform how involved your architect will be and also what architects you will be able to hire – some leave it to the tenant to permit or not, others will insist on permitting (assuming you need to permit anything that is).  In our case we’re moving our rental from a top floor 2 bedroom to a ground floor 1 bedroom and adding a kitchen and deck to the middle/parlor floor, then ultimately removing the top floor kitchen entirely, so I know what you’re dealing with.  We’re living in the house through this since we’ve lived there for over 5 years, so if you can avoid living there during the renovations you’re probably ahead in terms of sanity. We just finished the top floor and plan to move our bedrooms/office space there within the next few days/week, are adding a door/divider to the staircase on the ground floor so we can rent out the ground floor and have division between units, and need to start the real work on the parlor floor soon. I mention all this because you may want your architect to run your job and for you to just be available.  in our case I’m on the front lines, and we have found that the architect is much more heavily involved in the parlor floor work (opening walls, layout on the kitchen, etc.) than the top floor which is really just ceiling, wall, painting, floor etc. work – he answers questions as they come up but many contractors can just handle a lot of these things.  One other IMPORTANT thing I’ve been learning is that 3 contractors may have 3 wildly different ideas as to how the same thing should be done, and some of the differences may come down to thinking one thing is possible when it really isn’t, so a lot of times the end result will be the same but contractor 1 will say this is how it has to be and will be right, contractor 2 will assure you that what you want is possible but then find out they were wrong and it has to be done the way contractor 1 said all along, and contractor 3 will tell you what you want to hear to get the job.  And the overlay with architects is that they are very knowledgeable but they are sometimes dead wrong on more practical things and the contractor is the one to defer / listen to based on their experience.  Our bid package included things I had no idea would double the price of our job based on the materials, and all the contractors warned me that this wasn’t what we wanted, so it took awhile to fine tune what we really could afford and wanted, and to learn that the bid package was putting off our possible contractors.

The renovations to the rental unit seem modest, perhaps not requiring DOB permits. Replacing fixtures in the same place rarely requires a permit. For instance, new tub using old waste line and vent – no permit necessary. You must strive to limit the percentage of the property that you are changing, to avoid crossing thresholds that trigger compliance with more stringent codes. For instance changing the boundary of units triggers a C of O change.This may add 50-75K to your budget.Armed with that knowledge, maybe you can live with this or that. You want to get approval for fixing one unit, simpler, cheaper, and less…imperial entanglements.

Last year I chose BParc on a renovation of a 4-family – my first attempt at this kind of thing.  They worked for a fixed fee based on total budget and steered me through design, filings, contractor bids and the whole deal. In summary, I found it an enjoyable and also a reassuring experience; their design ideas, budget/sacrifice tricks and ability to handle the ugly surprises were all well-suited to my thinking and approach.  Jeanmarine’s points are all good ones, but rather than me adding to them here, feel free to contact me if you feel I can be of help.

Our family finished a 5 story reno on a townhouse in Carroll Gardens, and I cannot imagine having had to go through that process with any one but the architects we used: Architect A-2\.  We had seen their work on a friend’s house, and then saw their own home-which is breathtaking-in the South Slope. The are masters of working with light, listening to their clients, and just as importantly, working with a budget. They will guide you with the benefits of their experience and their vision, but always respecting the way you live as well as your aesthetic. What was particularly difficult and complicated about this job was working with a very narrow space, as well as upgrading structure and mechanicals while preserving some pretty special period detail. We chose to have them supervise the project throughout, and for our project it was a real life saver, although it doesn’t have to work like that. They were particularly helpful during the pricing and bidding process with contractors, and their attention to detail in this regard was vital to the project coming in “on budget.” They are great at explaining the process, and guiding you through the byzantine workings of the Dept of Buildings. I only wish I had another house so I could work with them again! Their number is: 917-587-1390 and their website is www.architect-a2.com Our project is not yet on their website, but can be seen if they are being considered for a job.

Great. There are not many people you come accross in life that you can recommend _hands down_, but they are definitely in the category.

Just want to give you a little input on the architect’s side.  I meet a lot of homeowners contemplating projects and it is amazing how different these initial meetings can be.  Some people really grill you while others hardly ask anything at all.  Many of my clients have been referred to me and have already seen one of my previous projects and they know the owner so they already have a level of comfort.  Most people have looked at my website and are familiar with what I do.  Here are some of the more common questions homeowners ask me when I meet them:  ·         Could you explain how your design process works?  ·         How long will it take? ·         How do you charge for your services? ·         What services are included? ·         What can you do to make sure the project stays on budget? ·         Have you worked in this area before? ·         Have you done this type of project before? ·         I really like the x project on your website.  Can you tell me more about that?  ·         Could you give me some references? I recommend that you prepare for your meetings by having information available that will help the architect understand your goals for the project.  Type up a list of everything you want to accomplish.  Cut out magazine images from magazines or print photos of things that inspire you or illustrate your design aesthetic.  Know what your budget is and your time frame for the completing the work.  Since the questions above are somewhat generic, make sure you ask questions about any special challenges or needs you may have relating to you and your building. Like any relationship, working with an architect takes a lot of communication.  The more you can communicate your needs and expectations the better the experience will be.  Good luck with your project!