Design Process 101. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has launched a new site, How Design Works to reach the growing number of people designing/redesigning their homes. The site aims to answer general questions such as "Do I need an architect for my project?" and "What services do architects provide?" and delves into more complicated concerns with Qusetions To Ask Your Architect (pdf)...
I may feel compelled to write this in more than one place. Be forewarned about taking architecture advice from a bunch of architects. I renovated my small kitchen in Manhattan about three years ago. Set out telling my architect that I had a $20,000 budget and was VERY serious about the figure. $7,000 later I had plans that weren't quite finished and no work done on the kitchen at all. I fired him and finished the design job myself (redesigning a hanging cabinet he conceived from his $15,000 version to a $2,500 version that looks exactly the same. The cost of the project doubled in the end and I realized later that my contractor could have done exactly what the architect did. We're only talking an 8 X 10 foot space. My bad, for being woefully inexperienced.
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SO you hired 1 architect out of thousands for one project and want to condemn the whole profession? That's a bit harsh. I think your last sentence sums it up. And the new AIA site can help people exactly like you decide what professionals they need for their project.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but architects do know what they are talking about-4-5 years of school, 3 years of internship in the business and a very rigorous exam lasting 5 days to get licensed . I'd pick an architect over a contractor any day. In either case, as in hiring anyone for anything, get reccommendations and ask for references.
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