How to Choose an Architect and Contractor for a Brooklyn Renovation
SERIES #02, ARTICLE #06
I think homeowners understandably spend a lot of time looking at finished photographs when choosing an architect or contractor.
I would too.
You should like the work.
But beautiful photographs tell you what happened at the end of a project. They tell you considerably less about what happened in the middle.
And renovations spend a lot of time in the middle.
Do Not Compare Fees Until You Compare Scope
Imagine receiving two proposals.
One costs less.
Easy decision.
Except one includes detailed construction drawings, filings, coordination, bidding assistance, and involvement during construction.
The other does not.
Those are not two prices for the same service.
They are two different services.This is one of the first things I would look for when comparing architectural or construction proposals:
What is actually included?
And almost as importantly:
What is not?
That question is showing up in current Brooklyn renovation discussions for exactly this reason. Homeowners are trying to compare proposals where the apparent price difference changes once design, filings, coordination, and other services are accounted for.
Editorial concept visualization by From David Designs
Ask What Happens When Something Goes Wrong
I would ask architects and contractors about successful projects.
Then I would ask them about difficult ones.
What happened when something unexpected was found behind a wall?
How was a budget problem handled?
Who communicates with whom?
Who makes the drawing when a condition changes?
Who decides whether it actually looks good?
A renovation is too long a relationship to choose a team exclusively because everyone was charming during the first meeting.
Although charming certainly does not hurt.
You should enjoy talking to them and feel comfortable to share your private life (its your custom home)! It’s going to be a long relationship of awkward and unclear communication. I’ll staRt calling the home undertaker now if that’s the case.
The Team Matters More Than the Label
Architect-led.
Contractor-led.
Integrated team.
Separate architect and general contractor.
Homeowners can spend a great deal of time trying to determine which label is automatically best.
I do not think there is one.
What matters is whether responsibilities are clear and whether the people involved can actually work together.
The contractor should understand what they are pricing.
The architect should understand what is being built (not always the case if the firm has too many layers of hierarchy).
The owner should understand what they are paying for.
Everyone should know who is responsible when a decision needs to be made.
That clarity sounds mundane…
It is also one of the things that makes a renovation feel manageable. Because ultimately, you are not simply hiring someone to produce drawings or install cabinets. You are assembling the group of people who will help you take apart a portion of your home and put it back together.
I think it is worth choosing them carefully.
