All About Architects: Do You Need an Architect?

Are you thinking about or planning a new home construction project? Or even a home addition? You know that you need professional created plans and documents to make it all happen. And you need to make sure you get all the right permits and will pass all the inspections. So, the question is -- do you need an architect to help with your project?

Architects can do so much for any building or remodeling project. They can handle the management of the entire process, from design to completion. Or they can provide just the design plans for your new project.

I found a list of questions and answers on whether you need an architect, what an architect can do for you, and more. From the AIA website:

"1. Do I need an architect for my project?
If you haven't worked with an architect before, you may wonder whether your project really requires it. Particularly if your project is your personal residence, it may not seem necessary.

2. What services do architects provide?
Architects see the big picture when it comes to your project. They help you explore what appeals to you aesthetically and what you require functionally. They coordinate teams of design, engineering and construction professionals; they sort through the maze of building codes and zoning requirements; they ensure your project is built the way it was intended.

3. At what point in my project should I involve an architect?
As soon as you decide you want to build something new, you should start looking for an architect. Architects provide important pre-design services including site evaluation, and can help you explore options you may not have considered. Involving an architect early in the process can help avoid costly missteps, and increase the likelihood of your satisfaction with the project.

4. How do I find the right architect for my project?
It is critical to find an architect who makes you feel comfortable, and with whom you have open communication. It's also important to find an architect with experience in your project type."

To find a local architect or architectural firm, you can post your request on the ConstructionDeal.com website. Describe your project and submit! You can choose how many architects will contact you. You'll save time because they will call you instead of you having to call several at random from the phone book. Find an architect the easy way!

"5. Don't architects add substantial cost to a project?
While it's true that architects' fees are an additional project cost, hiring an architect can actually save you money in many ways. Architects can monitor your budget and negotiate to get the best materials and workmanship at a good price. An architect's design can reduce energy and maintenance costs. They can turn a difficult lot into a successful building site. And they spend time planning and fully developing your ideas to avoid changes once construction is underway.

6. How are architects compensated?
An architect's compensation can be based on time, a stipulated sum, a percentage of the cost of the work, the project's square footage, unit cost (based on number of rooms/apartments, etc.), or royalty in which compensation is a share of the profit derived from the project. Time-based compensation and stipulated sums are most common.

7. What's my role in the design process?
Your architect will depend on you to communicate about your design preferences, functional requirements, and budget. Your timely response to questions and design submissions will help keep the project on track. It is also important for you to raise any concerns you have as the project proceeds, so they can be addressed in the earliest stages. Working in partnership with your architect, you will help ensure the best possible outcome for your project."

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Do you need an architect, designer, or design/builder? You can find one the easy way. Post your request with ConstructionDeal.com. We'll match you with local architect firms in your area. And it's free. You'll save time because the architects will be calling you instead of you calling several at random from the phone book. The smart and easy way to find an architect!

Reasons to Get a New Land Survey

What is a land surveyor? A surveyor has the tools and experience to provide mapping and boundary services to property owners. They provide plans, maps, property boundaries for construction, remodeling, title insurance, and other real estate projects.

The surveyor researches titles and documents to obtain an accurate description of your land. They may also research neighboring property documents for any problems or conflicts. Next, they obtain physical measurements from the property. These measurements are compared to the records on file to check for any problems and verify any disputes.

A land surveyor will use various methods to determine boundaries, including electronic equipment, photo mapping, GPS positioning, measuring tape, and may even employ an old-fashioned compass to give accurate measurements.

Costs for a land survey can vary. It depends on how much work is involved to research records, the size and scale of the project and the land itself, the time of year, weather, and how many visits are required for complete and accurate comparisons. The more effort required, the more it can cost.

Reasons to Get a New Land Survey:
From the website Colorado Professional Land Surveyors: "In recent years, few and fewer property buyers are getting a professional land survey done. This is due, in large part, from advice from real estate professionals, mortgage companies, and title insurance companies.

Simply because a mortgage company or title insurance company does not require a survey for their underwriting requirements, that doesn't mean they are looking out for the best interest of the buyer of the property or the seller for that matter. Buyers and sellers should be aware of matters that could adversely effect the title, marketability, or value of their property.

Many new home buyers are relying upon old outdated surveys to evaluate survey matters. This is unwise. An old survey is certified to the seller, not to the buyer. Therefore, the new buyer should not rely on the old survey for obvious reasons of assurance and liability. A new survey should be conducted and certified to the buyer. A new survey will address encroachments onto and off of the property, access to and from a public right-of-way. A current survey will identify and locate new structures, fences, walls and additions. A new land survey will also identify recent, missing, destroyed and erroneous property corners. Flood hazard areas will also be delineated, as they relate to the subject property and the improvements.

A recent development has property owners signing a survey affidavit as a substitute for a survey for the new buyer. This practice puts the homeowner (or seller) in an awkward position of certifying an old survey, and stating that there have not been any changes since the date of the old land survey. These homeowners have been persuaded into signing the so-called affidavit do not have any way to determine if the old survey is correct, much less a way to identify any changes or if there was an error. Nor do the sellers know what matters and to what standards a survey should be conducted for a survey to be correct. This practice might also put the seller in a position of covering up and not disclosing issues in order to save some money.

The request for the survey affidavit usually comes from a title insurance company for their motivation of shedding liability. The seller, by signing the affidavit, assumes the survey related responsibility. The buyer, in turn has no assurance or recourse if there are survey related matters that adversely affects the marketability and value of the property. The buyer cannot seek recourse from the title company, because they usually take exception to survey related matters and any matters that a 'correct' survey would disclose. The only course of action would be to seek damages from the past seller of the property.

All parties should also be aware is that a survey is an original creation and is protected under the federal copyright laws. Any unauthorized reproduction of an old survey can result in a lawsuit. The original survey is certified to the original homeowner and is not transferable. A third party cannot rely upon an old survey. A new survey should be conducted and specifically certified to the new buyer. Also the Tennessee Real Estate Commission recently noted, 'if the surveys given to prospects are not accurate, a court could hold (real estate) licensees liable for providing a party with misinformation.'

In conclusion, buyers of real property should have a new survey conducted. Those buyers who do not have a new land survey will be purchasing property without reliable information as to encroachments, overlaps, boundary line disputes and other matters that might be disclosed by an accurate survey of the property by a registered professional land surveyor."

If you need to have a land survey done on your property, you can post your request with ConstructionDeal.com. We'll match you with a local land surveyor for any type of property survey that you need done.

And it's a free service to find a local property surveyor in your area.

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More on Bathroom Remodeling

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The Importance of Fire Sprinkler Systems

Whether you're building a new home, adding on to your existing home, or simply want to protect your family and your assets in your current house -- you need to consider residential fire sprinklers.

Fires in American homes killed more than 3000 people in 2006.

One would think that all the talk of fire safety, smoke alarms, and in-home fire extinguishers that the numbers might be going down.

What is the problem? According to a recent study provided by Underwriters Laboratories (the U.L. on nearly all electronic equipment) and The Fire Protection Research Foundation.

From their site:

The $700,000 joint study systematically investigated the characteristics of smoke and how materials used in modern residential settings have changed the way fires behave in homes. The year-long Smoke Characterization Project studied 27 synthetic and natural materials and various combinations of materials now more commonly found in homes.

Their study reveals that there are fewer natural materials in our homes today. We used to have furniture, window treatments, rugs, and other household items made from cotton, wool, silk, rubber, linen, etc. But now... homes are filled with plastics, polyester, rayon, and more.

In the study, they burned a lot of the synthetic materials found in a typical American home to see how they would react in a fire. Items were set aflame individually and together. Couches, mattresses, carpeting, even appliances were burned to test burn rates and smoke composition.

According to their study - fires in homes burned hotter and faster and smoldered longer because of the increase in synthetic materials:

The study also concluded that because fires could grow more rapidly, the time needed to escape some types of fires has been reduced from approximately 17 minutes to as little as three minutes in certain situations.Three minutes is not very long. In any situation.

A remedy for this could be the installation of a fire sprinkler system in new homes and a retrofit in existing homes.

• Fire sprinklers react quicker to a fire and usually have the blaze completely out in the time it would take for the fire department to arrive on scene.
• Sprinklers use less water (by as much as 80% in most cases) than the average fire department trying to put out your fire.
• Systems are not nearly as expensive to install as most think. In a new construction, it's usually around $1 per square foot. Retrofit costs can run from $2 to $5 per square foot and may go as high as $10 per if the work needed is more specialized and difficult.
• Homes with fire sprinklers installed generally pay a much lower insurance premium than those without, helping the system to pay for itself.
  
• All sprinkler heads do not come on at once. Usually one head comes on in the location of the fire and that is enough to put out the flames.
  

Adding a fire sprinkler system to your home appears to be a priority now more than ever. The U.L. study proves that fires are moving faster and burning hotter than ever before. It's important for you to protect your home and protect your family.

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If you'd like to talk with a fire sprinkler company to get an estimate on installing them in your home, we're here to help. You can post your request on ConstructionDeal.com for free. We'll connect you with local sprinkler system installers.

It's a fast, free, and easy way to find a local professional!

Bathroom Remodeling Options

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Protect Yourself from Home Repair Scam Artists

As Spring and Summer roll around, you notice a lot of discussion in the media about home repair scams. It's as old as the hills - warm weather brings out the crooks who want to take advantage of the unsuspecting... and the lazy.

You can protect yourself from an unscrupulous contractor or even an outright scam artist by doing your due diligence. Or, in other words -- doing your homework.

Scam Artist?
Where do the scam pros lurk? At your front door, for starters. Don't ever hire anyone soliciting repair or renovation services door-to-door with a "special deal" or someone who has some "leftover materials from another job." Usually, you should leery if an unknown contractor or company calls you out of the blue. Treat an unsolicited call from a remodeling or repair company the same as you would any telemarketer. Hang up.

Can I Trust the Yellow Pages?
Just because a company is in the phone book does not mean they represent quality nor has the company been screened by the directory. They simply paid for an ad.

Beware any contractor who only gives you a cell phone number and has no business address. It doesn't mean you should avoid them completely, but it means that you may not be dealing with a qualified or established company. Do a little extra homework and thoroughly check their references. Go to a current or recent job site to physically review their handiwork.

Does a Contractor License Matter?
Yes and no. Some people prefer to work with a local contractor who will simply give them the best price - they don't care of that repair or remodeling company has a license or not. However, a license is a great indicator of quality, history, experience, and stability for any contractor.

If you want to find out if your potential contractor is licensed, ask for their license information and check this online resource!

Also, find out if your state even requires a license. Some do not. Some only require a license for certain projects or projects over a specified dollar amount.

Should I Check the Better Business Bureau?
Absolutely! The construction industry provides the BBB with the most complaints nationwide. They handle, monitor, and help resolve customer grievances against companies. Check to see if your potential contractor has current problems or a history of complaints. They hold complaints on record for 36 months.

What About "Pre-Screened Contractors"?
Ha! There are several online companies out there that promise that all their companies and contractors have been pre-screened. Or, there are "excellent" reviews and ratings on their sites. ConstructionDeal.com doesn't do anything quite so foolish.

Why? Well, read this story to get an idea. It's nearly impossible to keep track of all the thousands and thousands of contractors in our network. They may sign up with no BBB complaints, all their insurance and bond payments made, with no legal actions against them, but... all of these things could easily change the next month, week, or even day!

Any company that promises their contractors are prescreened are providing a false sense of security to homeowners! We want you to ALWAYS do your homework on ANY and EVERY service professional who may step foot on your property. The more you know, the less chance you have of getting burned.

How Much Should I Pay Up Front?
Ah, here's where many homeowners get screwed. The unscrupulous contractor and especially the scam artist will ask for most (if not ALL) the money up front. But, they're getting smarter about this. They know most homeowners can't or won't pay it all up front. So, they're trying to get as much as possible and they're running away with it.

The BBB says you should never pay more than one third up front. I'm a little stingier and I think you should be, too. Try to negotiate a serious pay plan in your contract. Tell the contractor or company you will not pay more than 15% up front - but will give another ten percent on the first day of the job... if they show up. Then, if work progresses, you'll pay more each day/week/month. And then pay the final amount after work is complete and you are happy.
There will be compromises there. But I would rather see you not get your project completed than to be ripped off by a scam artist. So don't be afraid to negotiate to protect yourself.

What Else Can I Do?
Again, if you can - check REFERENCES of every contractor or company who will do work for you. And if they cannot provide you with more than one or any reference more recent than 2 months ago, you should be concerned. Quality companies should be proud of their work and should have plenty of satisfied clients. If they do not - what do you think your odds are that you'll be happy with your project?

If you do get burned without doing any of your own research, you've got no one to blame but yourself. If something does go wrong, try to work with the BBB to get help. They can usually help resolve almost 85% of all the construction, remodeling, and repair cases they mediate. If not, the courts might be your only alternative.

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If you need to find a home repair expert, post your project with ConstructionDeal.com. We'll match you to as many contractors as you wish -- and don't forget to check them all out! It's a fast, free service for all homeowners and business owners with remodeling, building, or repair jobs.