Do you really need an architect to build a house? And if so, will he be anywhere near as nice and facilitating as Mike Brady? Most people will never need what is commonly thought of as an architect to build their house. Oh sure, there will be an architect somewhere in the process, but the average homeowner will likely never meet him. That’s too bad because an architect can really make the process of building a house a much more enjoyable experience.
The architect has gone to school and gained experience in the real world that helps him to realize the full potential of what you can do on a piece of property with the amount of money you plan or are capable of borrowing from the spawns of Satan; otherwise known as banks or mortgage companies. The architect, if he is good like Mike Brady, knows the materials and techniques and regulations and restrictions that all go into making a house a home. The architect is also fairly well versed in how much things cost so he can rein you when you start going all Lindsay Lohan over getting the house you deserve but can’t necessarily pay for.
What the architect is not trained to do-if he’s a solid Mike Brady kind of guy-is to take over your dream and transform it into his fountainhead. The architect works for you and it’s not the other way around regardless of how much the idiocy of Ayn Rand has filled his head. You will not be forced to change the basic structural design or taste or décor or design of your home by the architect if he knows what he is doing. On the other hand, if he knows what he is doing, he should step in to guide you away from making mistakes you will regret. He will also have no choice but to reveal to you that what you are asking would be in violation of municipal codes or in violation of Newtonian laws of physics. He’s not a miracle worker, this architect guy, so don’t expect him to mere nod his head and agree when you insist that he do the impossible.
The biggest advantage to using an architect when you design your home is that you become privy to all his experience. This means that he can look into your dream vision and perhaps suggest a way of doing something that would never have occurred to you because of your lack of knowledge of construction or design. Your plan for a new house may include an utter waste of space simply because you are not aware of how the same thing can be accomplished without wasting space. That is part of the reason for hiring an architect. He is capable of seeing the whole picture and taking it apart analytically.
All this comes at a price, of course. Mike Brady is hardly representative of the average architect in that respect. I mean, come on, six kids in two rooms with just one bathroom to share and that bathroom didn’t even have a toilet! What kind of architect was Mike Brady, anyway? Architects are not cheap, but the good news is that you are under no obligation to hire one just because you have showed him your plans.