Signs of an Architect worth hiring, Melbourne residential building design, Victoria architecture studio
Signs of an Architect Worth Hiring
15 Jan 2021
Choosing an architect to design your new home is a big decision to make. If you get the wrong type of professional, you can end up with disastrous (and expensive) results. Of course, sometimes it’s easy to see if they’re talented, like when you’re looking at a company that are award-winning multi-residential architects in Melbourne, for instance. But not everyone can use accolades as the way to measure quality.
Here are some sure-fire signs that you’re talking to an architect that’s worth hiring.
Signs of an Architect Worth Hiring List
Sign 1: A Strong Portfolio
First and foremost, the company has to have past work that has been turned into real brick and mortar homes that you can see and adore in real life. It’s relatively easy to make beautiful renderings and designs on paper because everything works on paper and in a computer system. When you see those designs translated into real results, however, it makes the ambition, the taste and the flare transform into a real and concrete thing.
So, don’t just look at the portfolio full of renderings and even photos of finished buildings, try to get to see some completed projects up close if you can. This gives you a sense of their style and the quality that they integrate into each project.
Sign 2: A Stellar Reputation
Next, you only have to do a quick online search and you can pull up almost everything anyone has ever said about these architects in public, the good, the bad and the ugly. Remember to take some reviews with a pinch of salt, however. Try to read as many reviews as you can, and if they’re negative, look for patterns and similarities. Patterns tend to indicate accuracy when it comes to negative reviews.
An architect’s reputation isn’t just built on the quality of their designs, of course, but also on the level of customer service they offer. For example, did they listen and incorporate your own ideas and wants into the design, or were they rather dismissive of your ideas as rather gauche and unnecessary, instead instilling their own vision on your dream home. Look out for the latter, because they do exist, everywhere.
Sign 3: Originality and Open-Mindedness
Following on from the previous point, it’s important to have architects not who just follow trends, but are instrumental in creating them. Those with original and forward-thinking ideas about home design are invariably the best ones to work with. This is partly because it means they bring the best of what’s modern and fresh into your home design, but are also open-minded to listen to your own desires and work them in.
Sign 4: Accolades
OK, yes, while accolades aren’t everything, they are still a strong indicator of competence and achievement in their field. When an individual or firm is recognized and rewarded for their skill by their peers, it is never something that is done lightly or without cause. It adds a tremendous amount of credibility to the practice, and thus indicates that they’re a good choice.
Sign 5: Versatility
This relates somewhat to signs 1 and 3, but it’s very important that an architectural firm can clearly show their versatility and ability to do all kinds of designs and styles, rather than just sticking to the same sort of thing over and over again. Even if that one thing they do very well is objectively attractive and of high quality, working with a limited design scope ultimately means you have less control to put elements that you really want into your dream home design.
Remember when you’re using architects, you’re either building or doing a major remodel of a house. It’s a serious and life-changing investment and so you need an architect with the versatility to carry out all the tasks you want to do.
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