One of the architectural projects I’m currently working on is a residential addition to a timber frame cabin near Richland Center, Wisconsin.  The cabin was originally intended as a rustic retreat, but the owners decided to make it their full time home and therefore want to add a bathroom, laundry area and kitchen sink, since the cabin currently has no running water.

The clients approached me after they had already worked with a designer to come up with an addition which, however, became larger than they needed and more costly than they expected.  In their own words, they were looking for my help to “come up with an alternative that is less disruptive to the current structure, less costly, and still meet our needs.”

After discussing what they could eliminate in order to scale back their project, we agreed to explore two different possible locations for the addition:  the east and the north sides of the house.  Since this is a passive solar house, it is important not to obstruct the south side.

NORTH LOCATION

The north side location of the addition offers several advantages:  it does not cut off views and light to the east from the kitchen and bedroom; the roof fits in nicely with the existing roofs, creating a balanced composition; and it creates a convenient mudroom at the main entry of the cabin.  The one significant disadvantage is the longer distance from the kitchen plumbing to the addition plumbing.  

SELECTED PLAN

My clients chose the north location, and we tweaked the plan to put the entry door on the west, which simplifies the roof and creates a more generous covered porch outside of the door.  The “tweaked” plan is shown below.

EAST LOCATION

The east side location of the addition has the advantage of consolidating all plumbing in one area, since it is directly off the kitchen.  However, it also has the significant downside of blocking the east kitchen and bedroom windows (it’s always nicer to have windows on two sides of a room for more even lighting), and the roof of the addition would necessitate altering the east windows of the loft above.

Below is a northwest view of the future addition.  The next step is for the clients to get a revised cost estimate from their builder for this smaller addition.

Perhaps you’d like to build a new house, remodel your existing house or expand it by building an addition.  You know that an architect could help you get more value and enjoyment from your home, but you’re not sure what to expect when working with one.  This is the sixth in a series of blog posts that will help to demystify the process of working with an architect.  Julie Kardatzke is a licensed architect working in southern Wisconsin, including the Madison area, who specializes in new homes, residential additions and remodels.


My previous posts in this series - Working with an Architect - have made little mention of the third main member of the project team (the other two being the homeowner and the architect) - the builder.  There are two common ways of selecting a builder:  bidding and negotiation.

Bidding a Construction Project

Some clients choose to “bid out” a project, after the design process is finished.  By asking multiple builders to submit bids for building their new home, addition or remodel, they hope to get their project built for the best price.  This approach may result in a lower final cost, assuming that the construction cost doesn’t creep up through the use of change orders.  

When putting a project out to bid, the more information that is called out in the design drawings, the more likely you are to get an apples-to-apples comparison between bidders.  Where information is lacking, bidders may make assumptions about your expectations that are not in line with your actual wishes.

Expect the bidding phase to take three weeks or longer for most projects.  It can easily take that long for a bidder to collect cost information from the many subcontractors and material suppliers who will work on the project, and then assemble that information into a total bid.  If you do choose to bid a project, I suggest asking for bids from no more than three builders, both as a courtesy (it takes a lot of time and effort to put a bid together) and because three bids is enough to give you a representative sample.  How you choose to interpret those bids is another question.  If all three bids are fairly close, you can probably feel confident that they are all reasonable.  If one bid is substantially lower than the others, this could be an indication that something has been overlooked by that bidder, so think through your decision carefully.

Negotiating a Construction Contract

Some clients come to me having already selected their builder, or with the intention of choosing one without going through the bidding process.  There are some definite advantages to bringing the builder on board early in the design process, preferably by the end of the schematic design phase.  

One advantage is that the builder can contribute his or her experience by suggesting ways to achieve the same results more economically and by recommending materials and products that he or she has found over the years to be reliable and of good quality.  The design can also be tailored to his or her preferred way of building, when it’s possible to do so and still achieve the design intent. 

Secondly, the builder can advise on the cost of a building throughout the project, helping to keep it within budget.  

Finally, it may be possible to do fewer design drawings.  When there is no bidding process, and I feel that the builder “gets” the design, I may feel confident about leaving some of the details to be worked out in the field during construction.

Choosing the Builder

Regardless of whether you choose to bid or negotiate a project, it is important that you choose a builder whom you trust to do a good job and whom you will feel comfortable working with on this very important project.  This blog post will not go any further into the process of selecting a builder.  However, I will say that different types of builders are best for different types of home projects, so it’s important to match your builder with your expectations of the finished product.  It’s also important to talk to others who have worked with your prospective builder to learn about their experiences with him or her.  And always have a written contract that clearly spells out what your builder is providing, at what cost and under what conditions.

Moving on to Construction

Now the architect’s drawings are finished, you’ve chosen your builder, and the project is ready to move into the construction phase.  


Next -  Part 7:  Construction Phase Services