The Role of the Residential Architect

Read More
The Role of the Residential Architect

If you have never built a house before you’re probably unfamiliar with the role of the architect in the whole process.  Architects are a necessary part of the project and are crucial to getting your house built.  The role of the residential architect can and does include the following parts of getting your house built.

Design Your House Plans

Designing your home is what architects are most known for and you probably believe that that is all they do.  The architect will listen to the features and basic elements that you want included in your home and start putting together the plans.  They will assess the feasibility of the design of your home and used computer software like AutoCad among others to come up with a working design.

They will listen to what you want and put that together with the location of construction, the local building codes and with all of that information they will come up with a working design for you to approve.


Before you break ground to build your house there is a ton of research that goes into to making the construction feasible.  The architect needs to understand the rules and regulations from both the local government and the state regarding construction.  Each jurisdiction has their own set of rules and it’s your architect’s job to understand and adhere to all of them.

They also do research to estimate the cost of construction, working with different contractors and sub-contractors to put together a final quote for the construction of your home.  They will also look into retail and wholesale pricing so that things like the cabinetry and fixtures that are part of your home are put together in the quote they will ultimately end up submitting to you.

They Give You Advice

If you know nothing about home construction then the architect will educate you on the aspects that you don’t understand.  They are in a position to give you advice on materials that should be used in construction.  Which materials are best for the climate you live in, which materials are part of green construction, what insulates your home better and so on.  They are generally familiar with the local contractors in the area and can make recommendations on who you should use.


If you think that an architect’s job ends with drawing up house plans then you couldn’t be more wrong.  They are often the overseers of the entire construction project from beginning to end.  They visit the construction site regularly and make sure that construction is on budget and on schedule.

The role of a residential architect is more valuable than you think, many of them own or work with construction companies so they are involved with construction from beginning to the end.