Architect Review When House Hunting
I am currently looking at townhouses and hoping to find one to purchase. I was wondering if I wanted to have an architect take a look at a townhouse and give me their impressions before I committed to purchase it, would most architects do that for a fee or for free with the hope that…
I am currently looking at townhouses and hoping to find one to purchase. I was wondering if I wanted to have an architect take a look at a townhouse and give me their impressions before I committed to purchase it, would most architects do that for a fee or for free with the hope that they would get some business assuming I bought the place?
To follow on what serpentor mentioned, typically you would have a home inspection as part of the purchase and sale contingencies anyway, whether you are interested in renovating afterwards or not.
If you are interested in renovating, I would also suggest bringing an architect by to review. Whether you would pay for this or not depends completely on the architect (i would do this for free). The reason being that while the building inspector is very capable of detailing the current condition of the building and its systems (in cases even more capable than an architect) they are less versed in informing a potential home owner on the potentials and pitfalls of a renovation on a specific property.
Personally, i find it very helpful when a client brings us by BEFORE the purchase as it helps us all understand the potential of a property and avoid any confusion that can be generated by real estate brokers.
Hi,
I’d be interested in learning more about your search process. Please contact me at your leisure:
Andrés Cortés AIA, LEED AP
212 203-0291
http://www.agenciegroup.com
Typically, with a townhouse or brownstone, you bring a building engineer through (at a cost of $300-800, roughly. Somewhere around $500 we started getting assessments we were confident with) after you’ve agreed on a sale price but before you’ve signed a contract.
The building inspector/engineer looks at the plumbing, the heating system, the foundation, the wiring, the roof, etc and tells you what it is going to need. Then if it needs substantial plumbing work you can bring a plumber through to give you an estimate on the plumbing. In my experience, you pay for that estimate — $50-60. That’s fair if you think about it — I hired a plumber to inspect more than one place that I didn’t wind up buying. If I don’t buy it I’m not hiring the plumber.
If you want to do a major renovation and get a bid from an architect for that renovation to help you calculate your costs, do it. But you still also need to hire an engineer to inspect the place.
We have often done this for a $100 flat fee. We have no problem giving our verbal assessment of the house as well as some initial thoughts on the potential the house may hold in achieving your personal design goals.
contact@architect-a2.com
http://www.architect-a2.com
I often meet a person at a house pre-purchase, for free if that person is strongly interested in the house, and is planning on making an offer. I’ll give a basic verbal impression of the house and discuss design options.
If the buyer wants a written estimate, then I’ll charge a small fee for that, as it represents a significant amount of time outside of the site visit.
Jim Hill, RA, LEED AP
Urban Pioneering Architecture
I would do it for a fee, but would take that off the fee if it turned into a project. Good luck.
When you say “give me their impressions” what do you mean. Their impression on the “quality of construction”. If that is the case, you need a home inspector.
I think you need to not select your architect based on whether they will give you up front free time, but rather if they have the experience needed for a townhouse project, a portfolio that interests you, and overall- high standards for quality of construction. Be careful!
You should interview several architects. Our fees can be significantly different- even if up front you win a freebie here and there.
I will do that for free, contact me at generative.arch@gmail.com