Finding your architect

Inside tips on working smart, not hard

I’m going to tell you something that might make you blush.

I love hunting for new architects. I love spotting new buildings and tracking down the person responsible for that vision. I love the meet and greet and seeing if we can build together. I love the collaborative process, working through everything from site design concepts to construction drawings. To tell the truth, if there is a “sexy” part to this job, somewhere after signing your first purchase agreement and before popping that bottle of bubbles in the freshly cleaned lobby (after that last punch list!) it’s finding your architect.

Is it the equivalent of speed dating in Manhattan?

Nah. Candidly, once I find someone I can work with, I partner with them over and over again, but I do like the hunt!

So how do you find this magical person or team?

The process is more common sense than mystery. You simply have to be clear on what type of project you want to build and then go about finding the architect who has completed similar projects. When I first started out, I spent time in my car driving around Minneapolis looking at buildings. I’d pick out projects that I admired and then google the place. A short search almost always turns up the architects since, if they’re proud of their work, it will pop up in an online portfolio or something similar. Once you have a list of five or so firms, you’re simply going to call them and ask for a short 15-20 minute meeting (okay, maybe it IS a bit speed-dating-ish).

Are you worried that they’re not going to take your call?

Stop worrying.

They’re going to take your call.

You’ll set up a meeting and explain your vision. I hesitate to use the word “vibe” here but...look….you’re going to check out their vibe. If you recall from our discussion on Letters of Intent, you can guess that it’s equally crucial that you have a working partnership with your architect and that you can both weather the stress of a 12-16 month project together. So, you ask yourself this. Yes, I like their buildings, but can I talk with them? Are they good listeners? Do I have a sense that they are personable AND pragmatic? Does it seem like they have a good team and that there is some degree of mutual respect among them? Like I said. You’re checking the vibe. I once crossed an architect off my shortlist (and man, I LOVED his firm’s work!) because of how he treated his assistant. Dismissive. Rude. Some kind of weird demonstration of the hierarchy that I was not at all into. Why? Because despite what folks see in the movies (developers throwing elaborate tantrums) real estate development is a collaborative process, and that collaboration is the product of mutual respect. When I watched that architect with his assistant, my first thought was: “Nope. Not a chance. You’ll talk that way to someone on my team, and I’m not paying you to create drama for me.”

Notice how I just rambled on about the vibe and not their portfolio? Yes, find someone whose vision you love. Just make sure you can take them home to Mom as well. You get what I mean.

Okay, so after you’ve had your initial meetings, you’ll ask for proposals. In these proposals, they’ll summarize your in-person conversation (a good chance to see if they were paying attention!) as well as lay out the different components of their work for you. Essentially, what are they responsible for, and what are the fees associated with that labor?

For example, they’ll talk about the Site Plan Concepts, which identify overall zoning and site plan analysis to understand regulations, capacity, and overall intent. They’ll discuss Concept Design, which includes narrowing down the overall concept of the building once you’ve determined the overall direction of the project, i.e you’ve decided that it’s going to include underground parking and that ever-popular dog park.

There are many elements to this proposal that I’ll go over below, but the key thing is that this proposal serves as a stand-in for your contract until you’ve executed a standard AIA contract. And yes, you will execute a contract. Once you start the project and prepare to close on your construction loan, you’ll need a full AIA contract. Why? Well, one, your bank requires it as part of the loan documents. But as we are learning, it is always important to have solid contracts with our consultants and partners. The AIA contract will take the initial proposal and document the terms with a little more legalese.

Two other things I want you to pay attention to:

Some architects will try to front-load their fees so that they get paid no matter what. In my opinion, the savvy architect will guide you along and charge you less upfront but MORE on the back end. Why does this matter to you? We’re certainly not anticipating a failed project, but we also don’t want an appreciable amount of money upfront coming out of your pocket. I tell my architects that they can charge me as much on construction documents and construction admin as they want because at that point in the project, I’ve got a loan and equity I can pay them with. So, make sure your costs aren’t front-loaded.

The second thing you want to pay attention to is hidden costs. These usually come in the form of wishful thinking in terms of time allotted to a specific part of the project rather than something being altogether missing. Some architects calculate their fees by how many hours they believe a project will take, so you want to make sure that you aren’t charged over and over again for a process that they believe would take X amount of time when it actually took Y. For example, the architects I partner with know that I differentiate myself in the market by building design-forward buildings, and so at this point in our collaboration, they have accounted for more time dedicated to interiors and the selection of materials.

We’re going to cover more aspects of working with Architects in future Development 101 newsletters but here are the basic elements of that first proposal you’ll receive.

Each of these elements should be enumerated individually with a fee:

1. Site Plan Concepts: Initial concepts for the site layout and design.

2. Concept Design: Developing the initial design ideas into a more concrete plan.

3. Approvals: Obtaining necessary approvals and permits for the project.

4. Design Development: Refining the design and preparing detailed plans.

5. Construction Drawings: Producing detailed drawings and specifications for construction.

6. Construction Administration: Managing the construction process, including quality control and timeline management.

7. Interiors: Design and selection of interior finishes and fixtures. Sometimes this is with your architect’s firm, other times you are hiring this out separately. I’ve done a bit of both.

It is common in my market that the architect holds and manages the contracts for the engineers. So I don’t get proposals from the engineers. My architect does. Then we review and decide which firms to use. My architects manages their contracts, but their overall cost is detailed on my contract with my architect.

1. Structural: Detailed structural engineering and design.

2. Civil: Addressing civil engineering aspects like drainage, roads, and utilities.

3. Landscape: Planning and design of the outdoor spaces and landscaping.

Alright folks, that’s a lot to digest this week :-). But before we break for the holiday, I’m curious: What architects or projects do you admire in your area? What catches your attention? Drop a link to their work or even a specific building in the comments and we’ll talk!

See you in the new year!

Peace