Your Subtitle text
When comparing architectural design services it is important to make certain that you know, well in advance, what services your architect is going to provide for their fee. There are many firms to choose from, but not all offer the same level of service. Here are the 12 services that we typically provide:
1. Pre-Design Due Diligence: Assistance with the selection of your building site.
2. Submittals: We normally do the actual submittals & re-submittals, if needed, to the HOA and/or city.
3. Checking all of the Floor and/or Roof Truss Shop Drawings: Truss companies have been known to ignore truss depths as specified, which can lead to huge problems. I’ve found mistakes on nearly every set of these drawings that I’ve checked!
4. Checking all of the Window & Door Shop Drawings: I’ve seen Shop Drawings that have had the entirely wrong jamb & mullion widths, and had even deleted some of the mullions from those shown on the elevations. Checking the Shop Drawings of these items is vitally important in order to avoid costly oversights or errors!
5. Window & Door Schedules: Our Working Drawings always include these, not just marking the Window & Door sizes on the plans. This makes quick work out of both checking the Shop Drawings, and for installing them in the correct locations.
6. Construction Observation: On-site follow through during construction to assure that your builder is providing the proper level and quality of materials and detailing as specified on the plans. Any “Change Order” presented to you by your builder must be approved by both Desert to Mountain Architecture and you. On a typical 5,000 square foot house we include up to 80 hours of Construction Observation time as a part of our standard service, inclusive of written Field Reports for documentation.
7. Unique detailing: We pride ourselves in creating and including a variety of unique details that fit the overall desired theme of your design. Details that appear to have been very expensive to produce, but are not, is another hallmark of our designs.
8. Pre-Wire on Site Meeting: Our base fee always includes that we be part of a pre-wire “walk-through” meeting at the house with all players present in order to assure proper placements of light fixtures, switches and outlets.
9. Lighting Design: Our plans typically include many unique lighting features such as in-direct lighting and accent lighting of major architectural elements such as columns and trusses, or lighting concealed in crown-molding, if used. Lighting design also extends to exterior of the home. We never place “toe-lights” in a stairway on the vertical risers of the stairs. This is a dangerous way to light stairs because it casts a shadow over the next tread. We always place “toe-lights” along the sides of the stairs recessed into the wall where the light can uniformly illuminate several risers and treads. Specialty lighting inside of, and below cabinetry, is also very common in our designs.
10. Complete Consultant Coordination: We have worked with the same team of “Primary Consultants” on many projects. These would be the Interior Designer, Civil, Structural, Survey and Electrical Consultants. All of the Consultant fees are typically in addition to the Desert to Mountain Architecture fees, as are the Design Review fees for your particular subdivision, City Permit and Plan-Check Fees, and Septic Permit and design fees, (if applicable).
11. Green Building: This is becoming more and more the trend in the industry and with knowledgeable clients. We are familiar with a wide variety of “green products”, the latest of which is a soy-oil based S.I.P., (Structurally Insulated Panel), which has an R-7 per inch rating, is fire, mold, and termite-proof. It has superb structural capabilities in both span and bearing capacities and it can be pre-modularized so that it can be brought out to the jobsite and rapidly assembled. This virtually eliminates ending up with about 4 to 6% of the framing lumber that you’ve paid 100% for, going into the dumpster. (For further reading on these products visit some of the S.I.P. websites)
12. Assistance in building material selections: The experience and knowledge gained over the years has proven to be a true asset in helping our clients select the best valued materials available for their particular needs. We maintain a constant eye on the newest trends and materials via our memberships with the American Institute of Architects, and through various other trade periodicals.
Now that you’ve read the 12-point list above, I wish to share with you the following poignant observations about the architectural profession in general:
Good architecture and complete architectural services do not come at a discounted price. If you’ve been given quotes that are much lower than others you’ve been given, then expect to later regret your decision if you select the low-fee firm. You should steer-clear of the many unlicensed architectural “wanna-bees”, that are out there offering design services for discounted rates. Typically not only are their design and experience levels marginal, but the services included in their fees are often incomplete. If you’re about to hire an architect and build a custom or spec-home, the last place you should be concerned about “saving” money is on the design. You will have ample opportunities during the construction process to save $10K to $30K or more, at a time, as you select certain grades of cabinetry, flooring, doors, stone, windows, and roofing materials. We can assist you with these selections, and in the end, good design and wise material selections will actually save you money. Just as you can not get a good bowl of soup at a deli for $1, you can not get a good design and a complete range of services at ridiculously low rates. The old cliché of, “They got what they paid for”, was never more evident than on a house with a bad design & bad materials…
…you can always tell were they “saved the money”.
In conclusion, whether your architectural design needs are grandiose or modest, I look forward to providing you with the same excellent service as all of my previous clients. I respect the trust that you place in selecting an architect that will fully respond to your needs & desires. It is my intention that every project is a pleasant experience that concludes successfully for all concerned. I pride myself on having excellent communication skills, a great work ethic based on simple integrity, honesty, and a good old-fashioned sense of fairness, not often found in today’s “litigation-obsessed” society. Finally, I ask that you do call to check on my references, as they are the bread and butter of my business.
Thank you for considering Desert to Mountain Architecture as your architectural firm.
Sincerely,
W. Kirk Hostert, A.I.A
Owner, Desert to Mountain Architecture, LLC
Typical Services provided to you when you hire
Desert to Mountain Architecture:
(Some of these services may be reduced if you
wish to have a corresponding reduction in our fees)
Desert to Mountain Architecture:
(Some of these services may be reduced if you
wish to have a corresponding reduction in our fees)
1. Pre-Design Due Diligence: Assistance with the selection of your building site.2. Submittals: We normally do the actual submittals & re-submittals, if needed, to the HOA and/or city.
3. Checking all of the Floor and/or Roof Truss Shop Drawings: Truss companies have been known to ignore truss depths as specified, which can lead to huge problems. I’ve found mistakes on nearly every set of these drawings that I’ve checked!
4. Checking all of the Window & Door Shop Drawings: I’ve seen Shop Drawings that have had the entirely wrong jamb & mullion widths, and had even deleted some of the mullions from those shown on the elevations. Checking the Shop Drawings of these items is vitally important in order to avoid costly oversights or errors!
5. Window & Door Schedules: Our Working Drawings always include these, not just marking the Window & Door sizes on the plans. This makes quick work out of both checking the Shop Drawings, and for installing them in the correct locations.
6. Construction Observation: On-site follow through during construction to assure that your builder is providing the proper level and quality of materials and detailing as specified on the plans. Any “Change Order” presented to you by your builder must be approved by both Desert to Mountain Architecture and you. On a typical 5,000 square foot house we include up to 80 hours of Construction Observation time as a part of our standard service, inclusive of written Field Reports for documentation.
7. Unique detailing: We pride ourselves in creating and including a variety of unique details that fit the overall desired theme of your design. Details that appear to have been very expensive to produce, but are not, is another hallmark of our designs.
8. Pre-Wire on Site Meeting: Our base fee always includes that we be part of a pre-wire “walk-through” meeting at the house with all players present in order to assure proper placements of light fixtures, switches and outlets.
9. Lighting Design: Our plans typically include many unique lighting features such as in-direct lighting and accent lighting of major architectural elements such as columns and trusses, or lighting concealed in crown-molding, if used. Lighting design also extends to exterior of the home. We never place “toe-lights” in a stairway on the vertical risers of the stairs. This is a dangerous way to light stairs because it casts a shadow over the next tread. We always place “toe-lights” along the sides of the stairs recessed into the wall where the light can uniformly illuminate several risers and treads. Specialty lighting inside of, and below cabinetry, is also very common in our designs.
10. Complete Consultant Coordination: We have worked with the same team of “Primary Consultants” on many projects. These would be the Interior Designer, Civil, Structural, Survey and Electrical Consultants. All of the Consultant fees are typically in addition to the Desert to Mountain Architecture fees, as are the Design Review fees for your particular subdivision, City Permit and Plan-Check Fees, and Septic Permit and design fees, (if applicable).11. Green Building: This is becoming more and more the trend in the industry and with knowledgeable clients. We are familiar with a wide variety of “green products”, the latest of which is a soy-oil based S.I.P., (Structurally Insulated Panel), which has an R-7 per inch rating, is fire, mold, and termite-proof. It has superb structural capabilities in both span and bearing capacities and it can be pre-modularized so that it can be brought out to the jobsite and rapidly assembled. This virtually eliminates ending up with about 4 to 6% of the framing lumber that you’ve paid 100% for, going into the dumpster. (For further reading on these products visit some of the S.I.P. websites)
12. Assistance in building material selections: The experience and knowledge gained over the years has proven to be a true asset in helping our clients select the best valued materials available for their particular needs. We maintain a constant eye on the newest trends and materials via our memberships with the American Institute of Architects, and through various other trade periodicals.
Now that you’ve read the 12-point list above, I wish to share with you the following poignant observations about the architectural profession in general:
Good architecture and complete architectural services do not come at a discounted price. If you’ve been given quotes that are much lower than others you’ve been given, then expect to later regret your decision if you select the low-fee firm. You should steer-clear of the many unlicensed architectural “wanna-bees”, that are out there offering design services for discounted rates. Typically not only are their design and experience levels marginal, but the services included in their fees are often incomplete. If you’re about to hire an architect and build a custom or spec-home, the last place you should be concerned about “saving” money is on the design. You will have ample opportunities during the construction process to save $10K to $30K or more, at a time, as you select certain grades of cabinetry, flooring, doors, stone, windows, and roofing materials. We can assist you with these selections, and in the end, good design and wise material selections will actually save you money. Just as you can not get a good bowl of soup at a deli for $1, you can not get a good design and a complete range of services at ridiculously low rates. The old cliché of, “They got what they paid for”, was never more evident than on a house with a bad design & bad materials…
…you can always tell were they “saved the money”.
In conclusion, whether your architectural design needs are grandiose or modest, I look forward to providing you with the same excellent service as all of my previous clients. I respect the trust that you place in selecting an architect that will fully respond to your needs & desires. It is my intention that every project is a pleasant experience that concludes successfully for all concerned. I pride myself on having excellent communication skills, a great work ethic based on simple integrity, honesty, and a good old-fashioned sense of fairness, not often found in today’s “litigation-obsessed” society. Finally, I ask that you do call to check on my references, as they are the bread and butter of my business.
Thank you for considering Desert to Mountain Architecture as your architectural firm.
Sincerely,
W. Kirk Hostert, A.I.A
Owner, Desert to Mountain Architecture, LLC