How to Find the Right Building Designer for You

If you’ve ever dreamt of building your own home and have ideas about how the rooms would be laid out, the design of the stairs, and what materials the hallways would be lined with, a building designer might be exactly what you need. For those that have a vision and want to bring it to life, building designers are the qualified professionals that can help you do just that. 

So what does a building designer do? Their job is to consider your visions and bring them into reality through designs and blueprints. They also possess the expertise to determine the viability of your original dream home. If the initial dream is not affordable, safe, or legal, a building designer can use their expertise to bring your design under cost and into code. Once a design is agreed upon, the completed plans are then drawn and the designer works closely with the building contractor to ensure that the plans you have are properly understood.

Why Is It Important to Find the Right Building Designer?

Finding the right building designer is a crucial part of ensuring project success because they’re trained to be meticulous about details that might have gone unforeseen.

There are a lot of considerable benefits to finding a good building designer for your dream home project. And all of them will make your project easier and trouble-free, which is important for ensuring project success. 

Benefit of Expertise

A residential designer is your guide through the building process, helping you to determine what certificates or zoning permits you may require for your project. They can also help by finding experts for each stage of the home-building process, thanks to their many connections. The building industry is notoriously complicated and hard to navigate, but a house designer can help you to sift through all the confusion.  

Save Money 

Without the experience of qualified building designers, you cannot be sure that construction mistakes will be avoided over the entire course of the home-building process. This way you can save a lot of headaches and also reduce building costs over the long term. If mistakes are made, a home designer will be able to catch them early before they become too difficult or expensive to fix. This is because a good house designer will be with you every step of the design and building process. And if we’re being honest with ourselves, mishaps are common when it comes to big projects, such as building your dream home.

Less Time Planning, More Time Building 

Designing and building a house is not an easy feat, so your best bet is having a team of professionals collaborating together to make sure every detail goes as planned.

There are so many important decisions that go into building a viable home that complies with your requirements and local regulations. These decisions are a lot for one person to handle, especially if you do not have a professional background in architecture home design. Making informed choices in this area will also require you to do extensive research on building materials, tools, and construction techniques. All of this can be quite onerous and risky to take on alone, so instead, we recommend getting in touch with a home designer. 

Access to Other Industry Experts 

Of course, house designers are not the only experts involved in building a home, other technicians and certified pros will play a role at different stages. Builders, plumbers, electricians, interior designers, interior decorators, and many more experts all have a crucial role to play in this process. While it is technically possible for you to go and find the perfect expert for each of these roles, this will be much easier with the help of a building designer as they will already have most of the required contacts within their network.  

Designers vs. Architects 

Architects are more specialized in specific aspects of building design such as how the design will interact with the environment.

The main differences between these two professions have to do with their skillset and the costs involved. Let’s break down the main differences between these two choices. Ultimately, it is important to understand that this isn’t an either-or decision as many projects will often have both architects and designers on the payroll. 

Architects

Architects are professionals who have years of formal training, and that training goes beyond merely just design structures. Depending on the type of architect, architectural designers are also tasked with understanding how to craft a space so that its design accounts for the surrounding environment, or even integrates artistic motifs. This means taking stock of ambient light, materials, and even emotions when drawing up a home design. Architects are also highly trained in technical detailing and have a thorough understanding of construction and best practices. Because of this expansive expertise, an architect will tend to charge more than designers, typically amounting to at least 7% of the building costs.  

Designers

A building designer is arguably essential to building a house, as accounting for codes, regulations, and certain design choices can make or break the outcome of your dream home.

Building designers share many of the same expertise and are the lead professional to consult before deciding which builder to hire. Designers can also help you to find an architect that suits your needs. The building designer is more focused on the technical and legal side of the building process, namely complying with local regulations and requirements, as well as hiring the required professionals. The cost of a building designer is typically a maximum of 5% of building costs. 

Finding the Best Building Designer 

There are a few ways you can work out whether a building designer is the best fit for your needs, most of which revolve around developing a rapport with your potential building designer so you understand what they bring to the table.  

Make Some Calls

Though calling around to all of these designers can be rather time-consuming, think about the investment that you are making. The thousands of dollars that you may be putting into this project are worth the extra minutes you will take to find a building designer who will listen and work with you, rather than work according to their schedule.

Aim for Good Communication 

Things will go much smoother if there is regular communication between you and the house designer as you will be spending many hours collaborating, making decisions, and deliberating ideas.

You must understand that there are some limitations to what a building designer can do. Without effective communication, they cannot anticipate what sort of needs you may have, so regular dialogue with your designer is essential. When discussing the possibilities of your new home, bear in mind the limitations that local building permits and requirements may impose on your design. Lastly, it's important to agree on what your budget will be and how far that budget can go toward realizing your plan.

Referrals

The best way to find a good building designer is to simply ask your friends, family, and neighbors about any building designers that they have used - meaning, seek referrals. This will give you a first-hand look at a recent job that the building designer did and whether their customers were satisfied. 

Another great way to look for a building designer is to check out any professional organizations, such as a local builder's guild, and find a reference from there. Your state may also require building designers and other technicians to register on a database, something that allows you to ensure they are properly certified. Lastly, you can also run an internet search to both find the building designer and some reviews.

Professionalism

A professional demeanor is a good sign of what you can expect when working with a home designer.

This is a small detail, but it can go a long way. When you get in touch with an architecture designer you are considering, pay attention to how they interact with prospective clients such as yourself. A consummate pro will have a certain air about them that is not too stiff but not too casual either, a business attitude that signals confidence and responsibility. 

Good building designers will also demonstrate both a capacity and willingness to listen to the consumer and freely answer questions. This doesn’t mean someone who misses one of these qualities won’t be a good building designer, but generally speaking, this is a good indicator of what they will be like to work with and that is important for making your decision. 

Nail Down The Details

Since experienced home designers will have a lot of expertise, they should also be able to answer most questions about materials to be used, such as cladding, costs, timelines, and other details of your home-building project. Indeed, you must have these kinds of details settled before you get started on your project as this will allow you to have a full picture of what to expect going in. For a professional, thoroughly nailing down the details in this way is a basic part of best practice.