Sometimes I meet clients who only want to engage us for the design stage, who do not know that our full services include follow-up on site. In other cases clients choose not to have us involved during the construction because they think it will save money. Informed people make better choices, so here we can confront seven reasons people think they don’t need an architect in the construction phase... 1. THE BUILDING CONTRACT DOESN’T NEED TO BE “ADMINISTERED” If we are engaged

The design and dreaming is over, now it’s time to watch your new home arise from your plans. This is a busy time and is fraught with possible problems – but it’s easier than you think as long as you know what to look for. Five things you need to know You need a contract with your builder—it’s a legal requirement for projects over $30,000. Your builder is a crucial partner – you need a good one whom you can trust. Your builder needs to be a licensed building practitioner (LBP)

Plans, Sections and Elevations can often obscure design ideas rather than illuminate them. Unless you’ve spent lots of time reviewing blueprints, you may find it difficult to understand the drawings well enough to have an active partnership with your architect or designer. There is, however, a solution. 3-Dimensional Renders allow you to fully understand your plans and become an active collaborator in your design. At VRA we offer them free to all of our clients. In the early

Most clients who come to see me have the same question uppermost in their mind—“How much will the project cost?” With careful planning and using the correct process keeping within budget can be straight forward. Knowing your spending limits and developing a building budget will go a long way towards keeping you out of financial trouble on your project. Bringing a building firm or quantity surveyor into the process right from the start provides cost certainty and ensures every