Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
working with an architect
We have grand ideas for our house. We want to make our 3rd bedroom bigger (barely fits a twin bed and dresser right now), which means bumping out the back of our house. This would expand or add to the living room below, and possibly give us better options for our kitchen flow.
However, we don't know where to start. We need someone to come help us with ideas on what is possible, and give us a ballpark of the costs. Depending on the cost, we might be able to finance this sooner than later, so we need to get an idea NOW on costs, and put our ideas to paper.
Where do we start? I know we need an architect at some point, but do we start there? Do they help with the "idea" stage, or is that someone else and the architect once we have a more finalized plan?
Re: working with an architect
This is not going to be terribly helpful, but I know when we were talking about adding a small porch to the front of our house, our contractor had an architect he worked with, and the first step would have been to draw up plans. So, I think you'd need the architect from the get go.
If you have a contractor you like and trust, you can see if they have an architect they work with regularly.
Yes, start with an architect. They are trained in problem-solving, to help you realize your dreams. They can help you with budget, with finding a good contractor, etc. If you need a referral in DC, contact the AIA DC chapter of The American Institute of Architects -- they are housed now in a new Center for Architecture on 7th Street in the Penn Quarter. There are famous residential architects in this area -- Mark McInturff wins almost every award -- and there are "regular" folks who do this every day, at a variety of price points. In a down economy such as this, architects are eager to work. Do beware, though, that this is a relationship you're building - the person you hire needs to come to your house, to ask you questions about how you use the space, etc. -- if they are not willing to do that, the project will not be successful. Use that meeting time wisely -- be prepared with pictures of your house now, even a crudely drawn sketch of what you want -- and don't be afraid to "interview" more than one to find what you want.
"What is a week-end?"
Pam - do any of them do like a free (or cheap) "consult?" We have similar house dreams as can_can, but we don't even have a BALLPARK clue of what an addition would cost, or what it would entail. So, it's not something I'd want to sink thousands of dollars into. You know?
For example, my two dreams are to build a master BR over our addition, and to remove a wall. Now, I could save like the dickens for a MB, but I don't even know if it's *possible* to do what I'm imagining. So, it's not like I'd want someone to come over, spend hours and hours, go back to draw up plans, and fork over $10K to him - if my stuff is really just a pipe dream, because there's no foundation under the addition, and taking out the wall would collapse the house. YKWIM?
can_can, I'm not trying to hijack your thread, so hopefully my question is applicable to your situation, as well!
architects are awesome
ygm. P&J is right on the money (she knows her stuff).
yes, ChCh -- like an attorney, many will do a consult for a set fee. There is a chapter of the AIA based in College Park (they are housed in UMd's Solar Decathalon winning house of a few years ago -- very cool!); I'd call them to ask for references (might also be able to get some information from their web site). I suggest going to their offices bc many chapters will have binders with their members' work so you can get some ideas of your comfort with them before you set up the first appointments.
You can do almost anything -- it depends on what you want to spend. Just bc a wall is load-bearing does not mean it can't be torn down -- just that it will need to be replaced with something else to bear the load.
"What is a week-end?"
THANK YOU! And chia, no worries, your problem is exactly our problem. We know what we'd love to do, but no idea on if it's feasible or how MUCH it would really be. $50k? $250k? Who knows? I know an architect would be able to draw up finalized plans for a fee, but didn't want to waste their time (and our money) if it turned out we can only afford 50k and what we want is 250k worth of fixes
We need the "brainstorming" session before we get down to the nitty gritty. It's times like these I wish I had a family member who was in the area that could come over and spin off ideas for us 
Like "hey, you could add on a room, open up this wall, and create awesome seating"... just things we'd never even thought of 
P&J thank you, and Strug, THANK YOU for the offline help!!
* blog * first baby blog * baby 2.0 blog * twitter *
an architect SHOULD know the going rate of construction. it all varies with the market (ie price of wood and steal are going up) so that can drive the cost. what type of fixtures/furnishings you want. they should be able to give you a ball park based on what you have in mind. when the project actually takes place will also help determine the cost. as i said the price of wood and steal can go up or down if you do it in a year or six months from now.
and they can value engineering as well. say you want all berber they can show you stuff thats SIMILAR but not as expensive. (but that is much later down the line)
and most architects have general contractors you work with. when you get to THAT point. im your girl. i can give you a few pointers of things to look for and ask in a gc
i am DYING to do what i want to do to my house.