There is no point in denying that you end up getting what you pay for and nothing could be truer when you try and design either a renovation or home design yourself (top residential architects in Miami).
Look, an architect spends up to 6 years at university just to get qualified – Just to understand what works, what costs are, what are the best materials. S/he has you beat hands down on design, cost and experience so why resist?
You know what it all boils down to ego and pride. You always think that you can do better yourself and are prepared to prove it. Just because you may be good at the business you own doesn’t mean to say you know the business of ‘designing a house’. The fact is when you DIY architectural design you may as well throw away your money.
For example, instructing an architect to do your design is going to cost thousands – no point in beating around the bush here BUT you will save thousands in project management costs, better quality of materials and a design that works. So, the net cost is usually actually a saving. Now, does that make better sense?
A professional architect will also help you see how to get the best out of your project both in a design and on a construction basis. You see good design is being able to ‘visualize’ the result and truly the best way to do this is using a professional!
London, in particular is one of those cities where an architect is essential. There are two main reasons for this. One is that there is not so much space for new-builds so most clients are looking for some sort of renovation projects. Rarely are you going to get planning for a knock down and new-build in or near the centre. This means you really need to get the best design for the interior/exterior that matches your brief with often potentially having planning or grade listing limitations. If you do it DIY and it WILL cost you thousands.
I have found that architects in Hampstead or other satellite suburbs of London can be ideally placed to combine renovation and/new build design because they understand London, they understand and appreciate the historic nature of central London architecture and at the same time get briefs for suburban work which is vital.