Architect or Draughtsperson : Who should you work with?
Should you be looking for an Architect or Draughtsperson to help you design your dream home? Depending on what type of house design you have in mind, each will offer you different solutions for your Plans.
Throughout my building career I have built lots of houses designed by Architects and Draughtspersons. I’ve found the bigger and more technical the build, the more likely it was designed by an Architect as this type of design work is what they specialise in.
If you are looking to build a relatively straightforward house as are commonly found in new subdivisions or renovate an existing house without complex design ideas, then a Draughtsperson will be able to provide you with a good set of plans at a good market rate. This will most likely be your best choice in this instance.
If, however, you would like to build or renovate a larger, more complex, bespoke, custom designed house or a small unique one with interesting or challenging design features, then an Architect would be more experienced in this niche. Also, if the site is particularly challenging in relation to what you would like to build, then also an Architect would be a good choice.
As Architects are regularly designing high end of the market homes and other buildings, they have a good range of ideas, wealth of knowledge and design flair to produce some great concept plans to help get your vision down on paper.
These types of plans will cost more than a set from a Draughtsperson, but will normally have a higher degree of detail which enables more accuracy in the build-pricing stage, which can save you on price variations throughout the build. This can offer more security with your build estimates and hence your budgeting. A set of lower-cost plans may end up with lots of price variations due to a lack of details, leading to budget blowouts and, consequently, stress.
It comes down to employing the Architect or Draughtsperson who has the capabilities and skill set required for the type of home you desire to build or renovate. Once you are really clear on what you desire to create and, equally as important, what your budget will allow you to create – then you can check that against the information above and you will know whether to choose an Architect or Draughtsperson to complete the plans.
To further assist you, we have written a Guide for you detailing how you can avoid many of the pitfalls during the earliest part of the build process, possibly saving you a lot of wasted time, energy and money. You can access this here : Salter Builders Guide
Trevor Salter
Licensed Building Practitioner
Registered Master Builder
Phone : NZ (0064) 021 229 6222