What it takes to be a "Residential Designer"......

[phansford]

..... one architect's opinion.

There have been several posters asking questions about moonlighting, being "house designers", or looking for help with contracts. I don't want this to become a discussion (or rant) about whether architects should be the only people designing houses. I'm an architect who does residential work along with commerical work...... there are a freakin' boatload of architects who should not be doing residential design.

So here's a start at my list......

1. Education/Experience : You should have at a minumum at 2 year degree in architectural design and 5-7 years experience working for a contractor, an architect, or a "residential designer". If you don't have the education, you need at least 10 years experience working for an architect or a residential designer. Experience with a contractor is fine, but you need the design portion.

2. Professional Knowledge: You need to know and be able to easily define the various stages or design services. There are many professional organizations that publish manuals/handbooks concerning practice. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has the Handbook of Professional Practice. The Contruction Specification Institute has the The Project Resource Manual. Every office should own either one or both. The AIA book has copies of the various contractural documents and CSI PRM has a disk of forms used during construction administration.

I'm not calling anyone out, but if you don't know that preliminary and schematic design are the same thing, you should not be doing design work.

3. Code Knowledge: You MUST own a copy of the most recent residential building code for your area. You MUST keep it up-to-date. You MUST learn how to use it. You MUST know the difference between a zoning code and the Building Code and be able to interpret both.

4. Strucutral Knowledge: You need to know how to frame a house. You need to know how to use the code to determine joist sizes and spans, wall heights to thickness ratios. You many need to take a construction materials/methods course and a course in structures at the local community college.

5. Related Displines knowledge: You need to have an understanding of electrical, lighting, plumbing, and HVAC systems. Not necessarily to design them, but to account for their inclusion in the building. You need to have some basic understanding of site issues - particularly how local zoning codes affect your work.

6. Resources: I own a lot of books...... alot. Hundreds, maybe over a thousand now..... all about architecture, urban design, planning, professional practice and construction. You MUST have a library of some sort. It should include at a minimum books on residential construction and framing, graphics, one of the professional manuals from the AIA or CSI, simple structures. It would be good to subscribe to periodicals such as Residential Architect, Builder, Dwell, This Old House..... something. In otherword, get off you a$$ and start educating yourself and continue edcuating yourself.

7. Which brings me to Continuing Education: I believe in life-long learning (that's different that Continuing ed as defined by the AIA). Keep educationing yourself. Do continuing education that expands your knowledge and helps you in YOUR practice, not just whatever it takes to get the CEU for membership or maintain licensure.

8. Professional Organization: If you care about what you do, then you should be part of a professional organization that advances the profession or industry. That can be the AIA, CSI, AIBD, HBA. It also allows you to network.

9. Insurance; Liability of some sort. Talk to your insurance agent. Protect your family.

10. You need to have a relationship with an attorney and an accountant. For all the obvious reasons. I talk to my all the time. They are business resources that help me make all sorts of decisions.

You should have all of this points covered........ Just my opinion.

[ChooChoo]

I'll take that as a big "go fuck yourself" answer.

I tell you what Mr. Architect, there hasn't been a one of you that has come across my desk in 20 years of building that actually knows what we have to deal with out in the field. Go pick up a hammer first, then design your pretty buildings. Haven't met one of you that has. Built over 200 houses myself. Designed a few with no problems at all. Seen some of the dumbest, most ill conceived homes ever....and all by architects. You all want to be like Franky. Well, his designs sucked in my opinion.

I have more than qualified for your #1 this and #2 that.

"I'm not calling anyone out" my freakin ass you're not. What I meant was predesign.

I'm trying to start a new career in residential design because I have had a fair amount of jobsite accidents that have damn near killed me. I've had 16 stitches on my face, 8 broken ribs, fractued my wrist in 7 places, and all of which I will say none of these were the fault of myself being negligent on a jobsite.

My wife and family worry that one day I'm going to fall off a roof and kill myself. I'm just trying to make as easy of a transition as possible.

I was asking for some help, maybe yours. You don't want to give it...fine. Doesn't stop me.

Could of been a little easier just giving me a link instead of writing a book.

[ChooChoo]

sorry, mr architect maybe I shoulda asked

pre design
site analysis
schematic desing
design development
construction documentaion

dont need your help anymore

[phansford]

ChooChoo -

Again - these 10 items are my opinion only.

Your 20 years of construction experience should certainly help you. I highly recommend that you get some level of formal design education. A 2 yr associates could be that start. Please re-read #1. I talk about a combined experience being helpful. Along with my formal architectural education, I have practical experience in construction. In fact my undergraduate degree is in Construction, not architecture. I also taught construction and design both at the four year and two year college level. FWIW - I'm from a family of excavators.

If you are looking to transistion out of the field work, you might consider working for an architect as a field representative. The best guy I ever worked with was a field rep who had worked construction for many years. Large firms really need your type of experience. You just need to lose the poor attitude for design professionals.

Another associated profession might be building inspection. This typical requires you to have a minimum of 5 years of experience either in construction or design. The good thing with this would be the benefits and pay of being a public employee.

If you think being an architect or a designer removes us from the dangers of construction, you are wrong. I personally know two architects who were seriously injured on construction sites functioning as architects. It is somewhat safer, but I still have to climb up scaffolding to inspect work, climb in excavated trenches, and inpect roofs. I have personally been injured on a job site. Read #9.... I have insurance to provide for my family if something happens to me.

The other thing you might seriously consider is getting the education you would need to become an estimator. Most companies develop estimators out of their field crews. You might think about architectural sales.

Construction is a vast industry with many opportunities for people who are self-starters and willing to gain practical and academic experience.

Finally........

Pre-design Services
Schematic Design
Design Development
Construction Documentation
Bidding and Negotiation
Construction Administration
Post-construction Services.

I learned that in Construction class not architecture school.

[ChooChoo]

My apologies for exploding. You're right, I need an attitude adjustment. Always have.

I already have my 2 year degree in Residential Design. I continually educate myself every day. Never has anyone told me the phases of design Not once. I swear to you.

Just because I didn't know the difference though really doesn't make someone a complete idiot, just uninformed. I went looking for what I needed and I found it. Your extra help is greatly appreciated.

Also, the reason I was asking was because I am trying to finish up my contract for what I consider a huge amount of work (500K for 2 months). I needed some very specific wording. It has been extremely frustrating on my end to get this to work the way and I am completely broke and I need this to start. Stress has just gotten the better of me today.

Honestly, I wish architects and designers both took the time to educate themselves in the field as much as in the office. There are very minor things that one can do in the design phases (I'll steer clear as to which one!) that can help the sanity of workers in the field. Construction workers in general are not too bright of a bulb and most need to be told "put that nail right there"

These are 2 different types of people that in a general sense will never come together to have amicable goals. It's a pity because we can all learn from each other.

[phansford]

ChooChoo -

Item #10 - Please have your attorney look over your contract. Professionals use professionals. Its well worth $100 or $200 to have that legal eye take a look and help protect you and your assests.

My points are about helping people understand (again in my opinion) what they need to succeed in residential design.

Unlike some folks, I think there is value in the 2 year associates degrees. I thought some good people at one of the local CC's. Many like yourself, trying to shift gears, but stay in the construction industry that we all love so much. My best students where guys (typically in their mid to late 30's) who were working construction and wanted to get out of the field and into the office.

[mx2]

I don;t know what the original question was but if I may add to the conversation, the biggest mistake architects and builders alike can make is to assume they need to do what the other does. The best relationships, particularly on any given project, is for both entities to assume their roles independently. An architect should never tell a builder how to do his job and a builder should never tell an architect how to do his. This is imply because their roles are vastly different.

Basically, a builder constructs a building according to plans and specs in the safest, quickest, best manner possible.

An architect locates all the building elements and specifies materials, assemblies and other requirements.

The hour, minute and second either one deviates and tries to do the others job, all sorts of issues arise, particularly in liability. An architect that tries to demonstrate how to attach something now assumes constructrion liability and the builder who constructs something not shown on the drawings now assumes design liability.

That said, I applaud choochoo's bravery in attempting to switch disciplines...it's never easy to leave one career and embark on another. It's certainly a huge advantage to have 10 years construction experience and then becoming a designer. But keep in mind, the concept of designing is not knowing all the detailed ways of attaching building components together, but rather about shaping a building out of thin air; and locating floors, walls, roof, doors, windows, utilties, etc, etc...AND designing something that somehow is "beautiful"...whatever that means.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but a good designer at least appears to be able to design incredible buildings every single time and they do this because they have developed a logic and feeling for what size rooms, their locations, their orietntations, their materials and amount of lighting and flow of foot traffic...how it all comes together in one perfect building. Then the architect has to somehow communicate to a builder what this building is supposed to look like when it's done. And that's when the use of the various phases, as mentioned by phansford, comes into play. Each one of those phases has a particular approach and method in order to advance the project towards completion and occupancy. I hope somehow something in this helps...

mx2.5

[phansford]

Well stated, mx2.

I am always telling the owner (residential or commerical) that the builder is in control of means and methods, schedule, sequence, subcontractors, and so on. I like my residential work the most because I have built a relationship with a handful of builders who respect what we do and who I can respect. I always think the two best compliants I can pay a buidler are 1) they are excellant craftsmen and 2) they know how to keep the project on schedule and on budget.

The best compliment I can get after the project is over is the Owner telling me the construction process was a good experience and the builder was everything we said.

The worst projects we have experienced is when we have contractors arrive on the site, immediately looking for conflict. They want to remove details, use cheap materials (typically light fixtures and plumbing fixtures). You know the drill. They bid the project, then immediately start substituting materials and products without discussion or consent from the Owner.

I work very hard to prequalify builders. It usually means calling architects and clients they have worked with in the past. It can get dicy, but I will also talk to building inspectors off-the-record.

[ChooChoo]

now that I've had my beauty sleep, wow, what an ass i can be hehe.

Yes the contract I was working on is to save what little money me and my family have left. I have someone taking a look at the contract today that has been a corporate lawyer for 30 years. He's retired, so he's doing me a favor. Monday it goes to a lawyer for dissection. Even then I do not have 100% faith in lawyers. So I'm having multiple people look these over.

I like your 10 opinions. I am in all of them to some degree or another. I don't have thousands of books, but have looked through many over the years. This is my life, it's what I've always been interested in. It's a new world for me, I'm crossing over to the dark side. Don't really expect it to go smooth.

[phansford]

There is a lot advice I can give, but the situation has to arise for advice to be given.

One thing to remember - You don't have to know all the answers, you have to know where to find the answers. It's okay to tell a client or a builder - "I don't have an answer for you at the moment. Let me look into it and I will get back to you."

As far as my ten points, I am not going to tell you that I score 100 on each...... I am learning something new each day.