Ever worked with an architect to build a home?

[darnheather]

I need so many quirky things that I've never seen all in one house plan before. I'm in the US but some of the things are more features of Australian homes, some are just things I've wanted a long time, and some are because I'm no spring chicken.

• single story
• 2 car garage
• study (with a lot of room for bookshelves - or a separate library)
• sewing room (must be quite large because I quilt, sew clothing, and do embroidery projects)
• scullery (with double ovens, sink, and room for most of the small kitchen appliances - I love to bake so I want room in the there to roll out cookies or proof dough)
• only one spare room (the study and sewing room can have closets so that they can be used as spare rooms after I die and the kids sell/live there)
• everything wheelchair accessible (doorways, shower in main bathroom - I plan to die in this house or at least go out fighting)
• the usual kitchen, dining area, living room that flows together for entertaining
• an attached one bedroom apartment with separate entrance and garage (for my youngest daughter or if she changes her mind income)

 

[kymom99]

We took an existing plan and modified it to suit our needs. The architect made the modifications.

 

[Travel60]

We custom built two homes. Lots of decisions. Sounds like you need to start with a 4 bedroom ranch-style house and add on the separate apartment and garage (maybe apartment over garage?). Or have the 4 bedrooms on one side of great room and apartment in the other.

Make sure ceiling height is enough for your quilting machine.

Wheelchair accessible deals mostly with door width, roll-in shower, wide-enough hallways and counter-heights. Any good architect can make those suggestions.

Best wishes

 

[_19disnA]

Probably depends on your budget as most custom home builders will cost more then builders who largely build to existing floor plans. When we built a new home recently, the builder was very flexible on various modifications we wanted to make to one of their existing layouts that suited our needs. All new construction has to comply with ADA requirements, but you might still be able to include specific design elements to meet your needs.

Study/sewing rooms can be as simple as converting a bedroom to suit your needs. Never heard of the term 'scullery' but it sounds like an extra room for cooking, perhaps those are more common in Australia as I am not familiar with that term in the US. Can you make the existing kitchen larger to suit your needs or do you actually need 2 kitchens?

Many homes include what is referred to as an 'in-law suite' which would have a separate entrance/living space for another member of the family to use. You can generally specify the number of garages you need when working with a builder.

 

[fla4fun]

We custom built two homes. Lots of decisions. Sounds like you need to start with a 4 bedroom ranch-style house and add on the separate apartment and garage (maybe apartment over garage?). Or have the 4 bedrooms on one side of great room and apartment in the other.

Make sure ceiling height is enough for your quilting machine.

Wheelchair accessible deals mostly with door width, roll-in shower, wide-enough hallways and counter-heights. Any good architect can make those suggestions.

Best wishes

We modified a plan that was already 90% of what we wanted. We also worked with an architect when the deck was added later (required in our county). I think it helps a lot to find a house plan as close as possible to what you want, even if you only use it as a visual aide to discuss what you want with the architect.

I agree that using a ranch style house as a base might work for the OP. I would have the garage on one end and set the apartment behind it, creating an L shape. That way the apartment would not share a common wall with the living area of the main house. This could come in handy for noise mitigation, especially if they rent it to someone other than family at some point.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

I wish

 

[kymom99]

OP, are you thinking of building on your own lot, or in a development?

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

.

 

[Guest Mode]

It can be done, but not if every developer keeps thinking a big house needs 10 bedrooms and 12 baths.

Yes, this has been our issue too. As soon as you start increasing the living spaces, developers automatically increase the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. The other issue we keep running into is that because of the cost of land everyone wants to build vertically. New ranchers are almost unheard of. My knees aren't going to last forever!

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

.

 

[darnheather]

OP, are you thinking of building on your own lot, or in a development?

My own lot for sure. Developments here are far too strict about building specifications down to how large they have to be.

 

[barkley]

everything wheelchair accessible (doorways, shower in main bathroom - I plan to die in this house or at least go out fighting)

if you have the mindset of aging up in a home then also take into consideration (with a custom build) of looking at non traditional areas of accessability-

master closet-a 'walk in' with wheelchair accessability AND custom closeting that can be adjusted for your reach. we had california closets do ours a couple of years ago with the adjustable height bars-it has been a godsend for my arthritic shoulders.

a kitchen island that has a drop down area that could be used to put chairs at in the present but as a prep area from a wheelchair in the future (have an outlet handy to it).

a shower door that opens both inward and outward (makes it easier if assitance is needed).

 

[kymom99]

My own lot for sure. Developments here are far too strict about building specifications down to how large they have to be.

Be prepared, it takes a long time to build on your own lot. We have not been happy with our builder due to all the delays we have experienced. However, people kept commenting that they can’t believe how long it’s taking, not realizing we had to prepare a big hayfield by bringing all utilities, yards and yards of construction driveway, navigating a narrow bridge over the creek with equipment. It’s not for the faint of heart. Nor is it cheap. You also have to be ready to advocate for yourself. Your house is basically already sold once you sign to start construction. You will have to keep a close eye on every step. My husband has been tirelessly overseeing everything. I do believe our house will be nice when it’s finally finished. It shouldn’t be long now. But I would not recommend our builder. I don’t know who I would have used instead, but it wouldn’t be them.

 

[MICKIMINI]

We are currently building in NH. We purchased a spec home with a foundation, well, septic and permits in place from a reputable, local builder. We grabbed it because the house is large (for us anyway) at 2500 sf finished and another 2200 sf unfinished for future needs. We hired a well known architect/design firm to make modest changes to fit our needs. They design everything including commercial.

The house is ADA, and we have 36" door openings. We removed doors from the mud room and laundry for accessibility and added windows here and there. Bath closets are open for floating shelves, again deleting doors. We moved a few walls. She helped with paint colors, finishes, lighting and furniture placement and was a delight to work with!

Our designer provided a "road map" using and refining my ideas (I have a design/build/art background) so the purchases we make are based on drawings that look like photos.

We paid an hourly rate and it was the best $$ we spent on this project. It seemed indulgent when we decided to use an architect, but ended up costing very little and gave us confidence that we will get what we need and want. We move next month.

If you want contact info, feel free to PM me. Best of luck!

 

[gmi3804]

We built in 1999. Moved in on 12/31/99, stayed up long enough to make sure the Y2K computers weren't going to destroy the world. We sold and downsized in June, 2021.

We found a "tear-down" ranch home on an acre of land in a near north suburb of Chicago. We hire an architect to design the home according to our specs and wants (big prairie-style/arts & crafts fans here). He used the existing foundation, and added the front patio, back patio, and garage, so the home was positioned with the same orientation as the previous home. We chose every detail before sending the project out to bid, to several reputable builders in the area, and the architect's fee was 10% of the ultimate build cost. We got a building loan, and we paid on the toll of the periodic "progress payments" that the architect approved once the items in the payout were completed successfully. Since everything was included in the bid, we had less than ten "change orders," which can possibly be very costly, but we kept tabs of prices and costs throughout the project. After move-in, the building loan was converted to a conventional mortgage.

Time frame from purchase of property until move-in: a little over 2 years.

We loved living there, but since there are only two of us, we downsized after 21 years.

 

[LilyWDW]

I have... not for my own home but as a designer.

It is a LOT of work and a LOT of decisions. It will also be expensive, especially if your lot is not yet set up to be built on. It will also take quite a bit of time. This is not something that gets done quick, especially if you want it done right.

 

[kymom99]

I have... not for my own home but as a designer.

It is a LOT of work and a LOT of decisions. It will also be expensive, especially if your lot is not yet set up to be built on. It will also take quite a bit of time. This is not something that gets done quick, especially if you want it done right.

I can’t emphasize this enough.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We’ve used an architect twice - once when we built an in law apt onto our house. Did a great job - all handicap accessible and blended in so well with our house it looked like it was always there. He was the family member of a friend so we got a discount, which was helpful.

Second time was when we built a sunroom. Our municipality required it be hurricane proof, so we had to have both an architect and an engineer sign off on it. We call it the safest space in the neighborhood, lol. Architect was retired and enjoyed still working a bit so his charges didn’t break the bank, either.

 

[MICKIMINI]

I have... not for my own home but as a designer.

It is a LOT of work and a LOT of decisions. It will also be expensive, especially if your lot is not yet set up to be built on. It will also take quite a bit of time. This is not something that gets done quick, especially if you want it done right.

SO true! We fell in love with a mountainside lot with a 35+ mile lake and mountain view but the wait for engineering reports (this is the granite state) and permits was too risky in both time and money.

I happened across this "ready to go" house on a mountain (no views), close to a lake (we can hear loons) and a 7 month move in. It was a no brainer.

A sharp real estate agent should be able to find a creative option for you that an architect can refine. Good luck!

 

[darnheather]

Be prepared, it takes a long time to build on your own lot. We have not been happy with our builder due to all the delays we have experienced. However, people kept commenting that they can’t believe how long it’s taking, not realizing we had to prepare a big hayfield by bringing all utilities, yards and yards of construction driveway, navigating a narrow bridge over the creek with equipment. It’s not for the faint of heart. Nor is it cheap. You also have to be ready to advocate for yourself. Your house is basically already sold once you sign to start construction. You will have to keep a close eye on every step. My husband has been tirelessly overseeing everything. I do believe our house will be nice when it’s finally finished. It shouldn’t be long now. But I would not recommend our builder. I don’t know who I would have used instead, but it wouldn’t be them.

Thank you. I do have an experienced builder willing to be my general contractor. I think that will help quite a lot. My other alternative as someone mentioned is to buy an older ranch home and gut it and add on. It will be an interesting few years one way or another.