Purchase some land and now we are looking for an architect! I've done some Google searches but curious of recs or experiences?
Thank you!
Thank you!
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Architect?
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Last: 3 yr ago by tgivaughn
Howdy! I'd be happy to help you out with your custom home design. I am a residential designer specializing in custom home plans. You can find more information at my Houzz page...
https://www.houzz.com/professionals/building-designers-and-drafters/byrne-haus-custom-home-design-pfvwus-pf~344409965
Good luck and I hope to hear from you!
- Steven
https://www.houzz.com/professionals/building-designers-and-drafters/byrne-haus-custom-home-design-pfvwus-pf~344409965
Good luck and I hope to hear from you!
- Steven
Recommendations will be far different depending on the type of house you want to build. Friend of mine has designed several of the hgtv dream home projects and while a great guy probably not your guy if you are wanting something with a 200k budget.
More info will get you better recommendations.
More info will get you better recommendations.
Winchester in Bryan is worth considering.
We used Arkitex in downtown Bryan. Took our picture off the internet and modified/customized for us. It's not the cheap way but we are glad we went that direction.
Also, since I assume you are building in Brazos County, get a foundation engineer. We used Drew Dudley.
Also, since I assume you are building in Brazos County, get a foundation engineer. We used Drew Dudley.
Somebody has to lose. Might as well be t.u.
Have used Nathan Winchester for residential and commercial. Outstanding.Orlando Ayala Cant Read said:
Winchester in Bryan is worth considering.
Arkitex.
Take your time and interview several. It's as much a personal as professional relationship.
Where are you building?
Where are you building?
We are going to be building in King Oaks
Ok. We used an architect for site / master planning, a designer and draftsman working hand in hand with our builder for floorplans, and a structural engineer for soil sampling and analysis and foundation and framing design.
Our design/build team doesn't really do work east of HWY 6 as they are based out of Fayette county.
There are a lot of "custom" builders who are happy to build you what they've built for dozens of other folks. Be wary.
It is a long and in-depth analysis of your mission profile /design goals/ lifestyle.
Take a long hard look at how you live, or want to live, and design around that
How the space is organized and flows is critical.
You can, in many cases, put whatever architectural style you want on a home, but if the organizations and flow isn't right, you won't be happy.
Also think about siting, orientation, drainage, views, solar path, prevailing winds, etc., etc.
Also think about passive and active heating and cooling and landscape as it relates to the overall site and how it incorporates into your site selection and flow.
We used the acronym SAAPE when siting the house.
See.. where does someone coming to your home first see it? Road, drive, across a pasture?
Approach... After you see it what is the approach and impact of the drive and landscaping
Arrive... What is the sense of arrival. Courtyard with fountain, parking area, circle drive? Big front porch, sweeping views?
Park... Where and how do you transition to foot?
Enter -. Doors, porches, entryways, vestibules, courtyards.. how do you transition from inside to outside?
It's a lot. If your perspective archetict isn't willing to go through all of this and more, keep looking.
I interviewed one of the two already listed in this thread for my own home and came away relatively unimpressed.
The other I sat on a proposal for a larger project I was advising on and didn't feel like they captured the essence of the project well. In that case we recommended, and the client selected, a different architect.
So, I've never used either, but I have experience with both and they didn't fit MY criteria. That absolutely does not mean they won't fit yours.
Our design/build team doesn't really do work east of HWY 6 as they are based out of Fayette county.
There are a lot of "custom" builders who are happy to build you what they've built for dozens of other folks. Be wary.
It is a long and in-depth analysis of your mission profile /design goals/ lifestyle.
Take a long hard look at how you live, or want to live, and design around that
How the space is organized and flows is critical.
You can, in many cases, put whatever architectural style you want on a home, but if the organizations and flow isn't right, you won't be happy.
Also think about siting, orientation, drainage, views, solar path, prevailing winds, etc., etc.
Also think about passive and active heating and cooling and landscape as it relates to the overall site and how it incorporates into your site selection and flow.
We used the acronym SAAPE when siting the house.
See.. where does someone coming to your home first see it? Road, drive, across a pasture?
Approach... After you see it what is the approach and impact of the drive and landscaping
Arrive... What is the sense of arrival. Courtyard with fountain, parking area, circle drive? Big front porch, sweeping views?
Park... Where and how do you transition to foot?
Enter -. Doors, porches, entryways, vestibules, courtyards.. how do you transition from inside to outside?
It's a lot. If your perspective archetict isn't willing to go through all of this and more, keep looking.
I interviewed one of the two already listed in this thread for my own home and came away relatively unimpressed.
The other I sat on a proposal for a larger project I was advising on and didn't feel like they captured the essence of the project well. In that case we recommended, and the client selected, a different architect.
So, I've never used either, but I have experience with both and they didn't fit MY criteria. That absolutely does not mean they won't fit yours.
Think carefully if they want a % of construction based fee. Maybe no one does that now. But the did in the 2000s. Refused to do business that way. A SF based fee with allowances for lots of extras that might drive the architects time invested up is the best bet imho. One rate for conditioned space, another for unconditioned.
I can only speak for the architect we used to design our house, Alan Thetford @ Thetford Architecture. He did an outstanding job, was very easy to work with, and was reasonably priced.
This doesn't necessarily pertain to your original question, but wanted to throw out some ideas in case you were looking for a home builder, or at least will be.
If you are, I would definitely look into builders that have extensive experience in the area you're building. Meaning, we live in the country about 30 minutes outside of BCS. We made the mistake of looking for BCS builders to come out to where we live to build. We had several builders tell us that they would, and then we had a few of them back out. My conclusion is that some of these builders think they can do it, but once they start getting "into the weeds" of what it takes, they decide against it. They can be pickier right now because business is booming, so driving outside their normal area gets less desirable. Additionally, having a builder familiar with working with the electrical provider that works in your area, or septic systems, etc, is a bonus. They will all say it's not a big deal and that they've done it before...but as with anything, having done it before versus doing it on a regular basis are two different things. The more practice you have, the better you are at it. That's a given.
Most builder's websites will say "Here at XYZ Builders, we build custom homes..." However, my thoughts on what a custom home is versus some of these builders' thoughts on a custom home is are different.
Let me give you an example. Say I own a franchise and we'll call this franchise...McDonald's. We specialize in hamburgers. In fact, we will custom make your hamburger. No pickles? No problem! We will custom make your burger with no pickles. Want ketchup instead of mustard? We will customize that for you as well. In fact, we do custom so much, we consider ourselves a custom burger maker.
To everyone else in the world, we call this "build to order." The moral of the story is, some of these builders let you pick out your countertops, style of cabinets, paint color, and fixtures and call it a "custom home." So when you're picking a builder, I would stick with the ones that more than half of their work is custom floor plan homes. That doesn't include moving a wall in one of their plans, but true custom floor plan homes. That would be the first weed-out question I have before we went any further.
We did not ask that question, but we did look for builders that specifically said "custom homes." That caused us several delays. Most of the builders will say they can do it. They probably can. But I would still advise going with someone where that's the majority of their work. If you see a builder that says "Design-build," that's probably where you want to start.
Hope this helps!
If you are, I would definitely look into builders that have extensive experience in the area you're building. Meaning, we live in the country about 30 minutes outside of BCS. We made the mistake of looking for BCS builders to come out to where we live to build. We had several builders tell us that they would, and then we had a few of them back out. My conclusion is that some of these builders think they can do it, but once they start getting "into the weeds" of what it takes, they decide against it. They can be pickier right now because business is booming, so driving outside their normal area gets less desirable. Additionally, having a builder familiar with working with the electrical provider that works in your area, or septic systems, etc, is a bonus. They will all say it's not a big deal and that they've done it before...but as with anything, having done it before versus doing it on a regular basis are two different things. The more practice you have, the better you are at it. That's a given.
Most builder's websites will say "Here at XYZ Builders, we build custom homes..." However, my thoughts on what a custom home is versus some of these builders' thoughts on a custom home is are different.
Let me give you an example. Say I own a franchise and we'll call this franchise...McDonald's. We specialize in hamburgers. In fact, we will custom make your hamburger. No pickles? No problem! We will custom make your burger with no pickles. Want ketchup instead of mustard? We will customize that for you as well. In fact, we do custom so much, we consider ourselves a custom burger maker.
To everyone else in the world, we call this "build to order." The moral of the story is, some of these builders let you pick out your countertops, style of cabinets, paint color, and fixtures and call it a "custom home." So when you're picking a builder, I would stick with the ones that more than half of their work is custom floor plan homes. That doesn't include moving a wall in one of their plans, but true custom floor plan homes. That would be the first weed-out question I have before we went any further.
We did not ask that question, but we did look for builders that specifically said "custom homes." That caused us several delays. Most of the builders will say they can do it. They probably can. But I would still advise going with someone where that's the majority of their work. If you see a builder that says "Design-build," that's probably where you want to start.
Hope this helps!
^^^ this is good advice.
Many, not all, but many of the builders in the CS aren't really into truly custom builds.
I interviewed several and ended up going with someone from an area closer to our build site.
Many, not all, but many of the builders in the CS aren't really into truly custom builds.
I interviewed several and ended up going with someone from an area closer to our build site.
I bought this book over 10 years ago, but it is a really good resource for starting the planning and design process.
Designing Your Perfect House
it is written by an architect and basically gives you a great place to start your discussions with your designer / architect / builder
It's pretty conceptual so, not a lot of DIY design details, but a whole lot of primers for things to think about an consider during the design stage.
Designing Your Perfect House
it is written by an architect and basically gives you a great place to start your discussions with your designer / architect / builder
It's pretty conceptual so, not a lot of DIY design details, but a whole lot of primers for things to think about an consider during the design stage.
Kirby Fleming
979 279 3577
979 279 3577
JP76 said:
Kirby Fleming
979 279 3577
This guy gives good advice. Kirby designed our house in 2010. Crowley Custom Homes built it. Those two are great combination. I'd suggest meeting with both of them. Couldn't be happier with our home.
I personally first would take a weekend or two to walk and visit with as many persons who live in KIng Oaks and see how they approached building there. Introduce yourself to your future neighbors and they will tell you "how the cow ate the cabbage" as far as their experiences in building their home.
There are many really nice homes there.
They will have real experiences with the site, soil, etc. of the area.
There are many really nice homes there.
They will have real experiences with the site, soil, etc. of the area.
Mike Record, AIA ('87) at Arkitex Studio in Downtown Bryan.
Be sure you know the difference between someone who draws houses for a builder and a registered architect. They are typically worlds apart when it come to the end result.
Be sure you know the difference between someone who draws houses for a builder and a registered architect. They are typically worlds apart when it come to the end result.
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