Selecting the right person for a job can be a tricky task.
Often homeowners may simply go with the first person they deem suitable for the work. However, you can improve your chances of getting higher quality and better value for money by following several steps as part of the hiring process. Whether you want someone for designing a side extension, a rear extension or otherwise, we’ve got you covered.
Let’s look at our top tips for choosing an architect to design an extension…
Get Several Quotes
Whether looking online or otherwise, it’s worth getting quotes from several local architects before making a decision. This will give you an idea as to the range of prices on offer. Of course, there may be a temptation to simply go with the lowest quote offered. However, value for money is ultimately the best objective to have here.
There isn’t an exact science to this obviously. However, you essentially want to take into account the following to work out the value for money offered by a given architect…
Factors of value for money:
- Your impression of the architect
- Their experience/previous work
- Their online reviews/ratings
- The value of their quote
Based on doing the right research (we’ll discuss more on that shortly) and comparing that with how high or low their quote is, you should be able to get a sense as to which architect(s) offer the highest value for money.
Various Online Research
We touched on this a little in the previous section. Starting with online reviews/ratings, some architects and architect companies may have reviews/ratings available on their website, a general trades website or perhaps even social media. Some search engine searches may offer you the information you’re looking for.
Alternatively, or in addition, you should consider any previous work/experience the architect may have. This may be available on their website, social media or elsewhere online. If not, you could send them a correspondence and inquire about this directly.
Sourcing customer reviews/ratings and some sort of list of the prior work/experience of an architect are great ways of establishing a clear picture as to their quality and reliability. You can expect high quality either way but if you want only the very best in your area or/and the best value for money in your local region, these are some ways of doing so.
It’s not all about saving money, of course, so there are some extra tips worth taking on board when it comes to finding the right architect for designing an extension…
Additional Advice
A few other ideas worth taking on board include:
- Select an architect who seems (based on their prior work or/and your correspondences) well-suited for designing an extension in particular
- Ensure that the architect listens to you and your ideas
- Make sure you find an architect you feel you can work well with
- Choose an architect that clearly understands and respects your budget
- Find an architect who has prior experience with planners
Ask Friends/Family Members
Last but certainly not least, you could consider asking people you know for their recommendations. A friend or family member may have an architect in mind who did a stellar job for them and who is within reach of you. If you don’t want the hassle of various forms of online research but want to ensure you don’t just pick the first architect you come across, it could be a good approach to simply ask your friends and family.
