If we had to add a third item to our “obsessions” list, it would be old houses. Whether you’re in a 200 year old farmhouse, a frilly 1890’s Victorian, a 1920’s Craftsman (like our own!), or a 1950’s modern rancher, we love harmonizing with historic home styles. Just because “they don’t build them like they used to” doesn’t mean you can’t. We love helping homeowners figure out how to renovate while preserving character and charm. And we love sharing our ever-growing knowledgebase of how to renovate older homes so they can continue to look great 100 years from now.
We often get calls from homeowners who have tons of renovation ideas, but no idea where or how to start. They want guidance on which improvements will be the best investment and in what order to tackle projects. For these houses, we usually do full measurements, several floor plan options, and sometimes 3-D modeling to determine the best path forward.
10-80 hours x $150/hr = $1,500 – $12,000 (depending on the size and extents of improvements)
Once you’ve decided a renovation and/or addition makes sense and you’re ready to hit the ground running, we provide all the design services you may require. With schematic floor plans, 3-D models and other drawings, we help you establish the scope and design. Then, we produce all of the drawings you (and/or your general contractor) will need to build it, including assistance during construction. We can also provide interior design services, shopping and selections, color planning, furniture advice, and whatever other details may be needed.
When we’re doing “full services” for a renovation, our fees are typically 10-15% of construction costs. For most of our clients, that ranges between 30-350 hours x $150/hr = $4,500 – $52,500.
When we’re starting from scratch, there are two basic phases of our work — design drawings and construction drawings. The design drawings typically include floor plan options, 3-D models and/or elevations, and extras like lighting plans, cabinet design, and other details. Once the design is established, the rest of our time is spent on construction drawings so your vision can be permitted and built.
Architectural services for a new house typically land around 10-15% of the construction cost of the house. For most of our clients, that has fallen within the $20,000 – $100,000 range.
But for houses, homeowners do that! When it’s the space you occupy every day, most people have tons of ideas, inspiration photos, and opinions about what’s not working and how to make it better.
We love working with homeowners for this reason — they care deeply about their homes. And we tailor our design services to respect and leverage this.
Yes, we still bring tons of guidance to the table and, yes, we can take the reins when a homeowner doesn’t want to overthink it. But we pride ourselves on a design process that combines the homeowners’ ideas with the architect’s vision and creates a beautiful home as a result.
When we put together a proposal for services on your project, it will include an estimate of our fees to give you a general idea of how much our assistance will cost. The proposal helps ensure we’re on the same page from the beginning.
We invoice biweekly so you have frequent checkpoints on how much time we’ve spent and where we stand.
If things change during the design process and it seems you’ll need more or less help than originally projected, we can issue a revised fee estimate so there aren’t surprises down the road.
At Open Door Architecture, we are constantly improving our abilities to help you visualize the design, narrow down the options, and think through construction in advance so you can win the game of construction and get the result you want.
When’s the right time to hire an architect?
It’s really never too soon. We can help answer big picture questions like whether it even makes sense to renovate given your home’s value, how long you plan to stay there, and home equity in the neighborhood. Sometimes shopping for a new house is the better choice.
Clients often call us about adding on to their homes, and, after an on-site visit with one of our architects, discover wasted space we can reconfigure to get the same extra room for much less money.
Or, sometimes the opposite happens and the “extra space” you hoped to finish in your basement or attic is actually riddled with costly structural and insulation issues that make an addition or a new home a much sounder choice.
Imagine how good it will feel to move forward with your renovation plans knowing you’ve considered all the options and made an informed decision about which is the best fit for your style, budget, and schedule. Enjoy the peace of mind you will have knowing you can reach out to us at any point in your project for input on paint colors, product selections, or what to do when demolition reveals a rotten foundation that requires a tweak to the plan.
Hiring Open Door Architecture is like hiring a coach — someone who’s seen hundreds of renovations and construction projects and can be in your corner, helping you each step of the way.
Whether you need a few hours of help to fine-turn a bathroom floor plan, or an on-site design expert for a complex, long-term project, we’d love the opportunity to be your architect.
Click the button to find out how we can help.