Hello all.
I’ve been an ardent reader of fine homebuilding, and as much as I think I know I’ve long realized that design is one thing, learning how things are actually built is another. While I have a strong design background I’ve always enjoyed and arguably learned a substantial portion of my skills from field observation during my site visits and have an enormous respect and debt to those I’ve learned from. I can see the eyes of the contractors now 😛
Now here’s my question. I’ve gotten to a point in my career where I’m eager to break away from the traditional approach to practicing architecture. Thru another forum I frequent, a person I highly respect offered an exellent idea. I am cutting pasting the text, sorry if it’s a bit long. I wanted to see what everyone thinks about it’s viability as a business opportunity….
Get hooked up with five to ten high end remodeling contractors. Offer them a service that differentiates them from other remodeling contractors…a real design side of the business. Tell them that, for a fee, you can provide their clients/prospective clients access to a professional architect to help design remodels.
99% of remodels are designed by the builder (I know because half my relatives are builders) and as we both know, they don’t know
about properly designing anything. Most quality builders can take a design and figure out how to “engineer” plans in a way that works for a given house (load bearing issues, plumbing, heating, etc.). What they suxor at is the actual design.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I’ve been blown away at some of your designs posted here and elsewhere. The designs you did for S4del (iirc) were
incredible. The layout(s) was spot on and provided him with a damn more useable space.
The builder gets something out of it which is differentiation. The homeowner gets a better plan and better end product. The builder also probably gets a better and more cost effective (PROFITABLE) job because he is not trying to stick lipstick on a pig (overly fancy moldings or details) to make up for the
design.
I’m telling you there is a * fortune to be made by you doing this. And…getting started in the remodel business will immediately lead to plan redesigns/modifications for high end new constuction.
A good friend of my brother and I moved from CT to NC to live with my brother. He went to business school but spent his entire childhood building stuff (grandfather and father were builders). He meets a girl (who he ended up marrying) and her parents find out he knows how to build. They ask him to give a quote on a friggin closet of all things. He spends two weeks going back and forth with the mother on plans and the thing turned from a “California Closets” type job to a $10K closet.
The next thing he knows, he’s doing $20,000 closets on the same street. Six months later he’s doing additions. A year later, he’s building custom homes. Apparently, New England craftsmanship goes a long way down in Raliegh.
Anyway, the best thing is that this is something you can do RIGHT NOW! Find ONE high end remodeler and ask to buy him breakfast some morning (before you go to work). Tell them you want to ask their advice on arch services to remodelers. Explain the business proposition (win/win/win) and that you will do the first two for them for free just to see how their clients’ receive the concept. Ask them not to charge for the services…just ask them if they are willing to provide honest feedback and ask to be able to contact their client directly for feedback. Do all the designs at night/on the weekends (you aren’t charging for it because it’s a test and if things get pushed so be it). If you present anything to them like I’ve seen out of you, they’ll be fighting for your services.
Who knows, in a month, you might be offering them full 3-D renderings of the projects and helping the remodelers to win jobs and/or charge a premium.
Replies
how can I put this nicely. First thought after I read your friends story was "yeah, good idea. Go into a relationship with that attitude and they'll be beating a path to your door". Then I thought, take him up on it.
I have a customer that is organizing a fund raiser. They are going to the builders in the area and asking them to build play houses for children. Not just a couple sheet of ply, but real miniature houses. The ones that'll knock your socks off. All material and labor to be donated, houses auctioned off. All proceeds go to help abused and neglected children.
She wants me to build her best of the bunch house. What say you? You wanna design it? Lemme know.
thanks.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
That's an interesting fundraiser campaign idea! Tell you what, I *may* interested, but tell me more - what's the criteria, time table, size, materials limitations, contraints, the charity, etc. I had the pleasure of being chosen in a competition here to design and construct an interpetive treehouse at the Atlanta Botanical Garden (without as much as scratching the tree), which was well received. That was an enormously satisfying experience.
She talked to me about this b/4 she left town. She returns mid sept for a couple days, back in town for good by the end of sept. I'm sorry I can't give you the details. She has a few ideas about what her entry into the auction would look like. She has enlisted the help of several area builders and suppliers to donate their time and material. Her goal is maybe a dozen entries into the auction.
It would have to be movable to the auction site and then to the purchasers home, so size and weight are a consideration. A child's playhouse. Her thoughts for the one I would build, a miniature work of art house........scaled down to child size. One that would overwhelm the idea of playhouse. She has support from an area roofer for a metal roof, perhaps copper. She wishes her entry to be the best, knock their socks off. The location is NW Ohio.
If you are truly interested, send me your contact information and I will meet with her on her return and pass it along. If you have a mailable portfolio, you might send it along so she doesn't think I picked up an internet nut case.
She volunteers through the Family Court here in Toledo. The exact charity, I am not sure. This project would be for completion next spring.
Still interested?
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
I am, though the input will be beneficial. Here's my website that my partner and I ave for our stuff. The contact info on the website is a bit old, so I'll need to send you that.
http://www.inkarchitect.com
Hey ... put me down for breakfast! But I'm sure we will have to meet 5 or 6 times before we understand each other.
What they suxor at is the actual design. Suxor? Sorry, that's not a word I used while putting lipstick on the pig. Whazzit?
Where are you located? The general idea might work, but I think it would work best if you could meet with theclient and make a few job site visits.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Sounds like a good idea. Most builders can build, but many have no design sense or sense of aesthetics. A number of the higher end builders here in my area already have an in house architect/ designer. Of course this is high-end, high-end that sometimes it gets disgusting.
-m2akita
I often have a hard time believing that a builder is worthless as a designer. I work in the custom (true custom) home sector. I have found that if a builder is truely good at building he is also pretty good at designing. I have complete faith in the builders I work with. If something needs changing and he says he has an idea to solve the problem, I trust him and his ability to design something on the spot that is completely functional and aethstetic. Even in predesign on a project, I don't simply dictate to the builder what I want in the design, rather I feed off the builder's ideas on the project.
Granted....not all builders have this value. I have found that the more production oriented the builder, the less reliable that builder is for good design. It seems to require a builder who views themselves as a "craftsman" that really proves to be a closer match to an artist or architect.
gk
Gabe,
Yeah, I agree with you. After posting, I reread what I said and kinda painted all builders with one big brush. I was thinking of the mcmansion or mini-mcmansion builders and houses. I get a bad feeling from many of those houses, just dont like many of them. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder though, becuase it seems like a lot of people like those houses ( some of my friends and family included...what do you say when they ask you "dont you just love our new house?"). It seems that many of these houses could flow/feel so much better with just some small changes.
-m2akita
I totally agree. Every time I have to drive through another subdivision on million dollar homes that all look the same I just cringe. Mass conformity at its costliest. You might also notice while driving through that all the residents drive all the same cars and even wear similar clothing. I perfer my life to have a bit more variety and character.
As far as the guys who build those homes (production or "custom" production.....custom usually meaning you can choose between four similar light fixtures, etc.); More and more those builders are becoming assemblers....or maybe custom assemblers.
To me, real custom is one of a kind. Custom architects then be artists and custom builders are craftsmen.
gk
I agree, I have met quite a few supers that have a VERY good sense of design, one that has saved a few projects. I have a great respect for the guys in the field, and won't paint them as unable to "design" or have a good eye.
I do feel that point is taking this post in a tangential direction; I was interested in the feedback about the feasibility of doing it, and if my firends suggestion about how to go about it was a good one.
I don't really know if your friend has a good plan....it really seems to depend on your salesmanship of the whole process. Then again, if you have good salesmanship you will make money in most any way.
My method (in the design build field) is to not "cover up" my subs. That is, I don't post large signs in front of projects declaring it to be all mine (as the GC). Each individual sub has his name, logo, and contacts on my sign. I figure that they should share in all the glory or shame...depending on the outcome.
To me, my group acts more as a "building guild". We each have a role that we are very good at.....I hand picked all the subs that way. One guy can frame great but his greatest talent and most joy comes from building decks...he's my go to deck guy while another guy who really loves figuring out custom roofs is my framer. That's the other thing, all my guys really do enjoy what they do and all take pride in it.
So, in short, there's my method....share the wealth....give out loads of respect.
now you see why I was so adamant to describe how I feel about a good builder (or general tradesman) when it comes to the ability to design.
good luck
gk
It's not a new idea. Design/build is the fastest growing segment of the construction industry, especially in the remodel arena. many of us have outfits that do one to three jobs at a time which is not enough to support a full time design professional. I do happenb to be good at it, but I have my shortcomings - time being one of them. It takes a different mindset to design, to build and run the crew, to do bookkeeping and biling, etc. Something needs to gety subbed out in smaller compnaies, so your friends idea has merit and has worked in other places. There's something about his attitude that could be left at home though, as far as I'm concerned.
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Excellence is its own reward!
epd,
I have a similar situation, kinda. I work in an archy office and have for 6 years and I am starting to take my test to be an architect. I also work with about 4-5 contractors on the side to do drawings for them, my brother being one of these contractors, and how I got my start.
The down fall is, I would have to partner with or increase the number of contractors I work with to venture out on my own, in my opinion. I just don't get the number of jobs that would get me a backlog that would turn a profit. When it gets to be this time of year I get a quick rush and then i don't hear from anyone until spring. so have a savings plan.
The contractors also have different ways they will want to use you. With my brother and a few other contractors he usually meets with the HO and then brings me into the meeting along side of him (great), some will give the HO my name and have them meet with me and then deliver the plans back to them (also great), I have some that by-pass me and give me the changes per meeting after the fact so they have more control (not as fun), but then I have a few people who have come to me by word of mouth and then I usually give back and include the contractors in the competetive bid.(my favorite)
All ways work for me, now because i haven't ventured out. Have a plan of attack and be picky. Work with the people that have the same vision, outlook, and quality programs that you would expect from yourself. This is the hardest part. Plus, you have to market yourself to the builders(that don't already have an archy on staff), show worth to them, gain their trust to provide a working set of drawings that fit budget, are buildable, and are what the clients want. some builders, believe it or not don't like the archy types...provide you own joke hear. some don't want to lose control, and don't want to pay for this. I usually get paid by the HO direct, but one contractor pays me thru his payroll.
Anyway there are a lot of factors, but thru the right building of relationships, this is possible. Also, you will need the right market. I am from the midwest and the quality contractors who know why an archy might be a good thing might be fewer then in an area with a higher market value with larger scale residential work.
Just a few thoughts
Thanks
dps