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roles of an architect, a design architect and an architectural technician?
Can anyone clarify the roles of an architect, a design architect and an architectural technician?.
I want to reconfigure the rear of the house and unsure who I ought to employ.
For a bungalow I’ve never known a place where there’s so many levels and such a variety of steps 4 sets!
Previous homeowners built a wrap around extension, which is lower than the original bungalow and its also blocked off the majority of light into the kitchen.
The owners prior to them built a double extension which is lower than the wrap around and garden but they installed velux window in an apex roof, creating double the height of the original hallway ceiling. There stairs continue into two loft rooms with more velux windows.
I’m at a loss what to do and who to employ to help me create a more functional living space.
I know we’ll need structural engineer and building regs as I want to knock through walls at the back, and create a large bathroom on the mezzanine floor, make the present shower room into an en suite.
I’ve been told in Scotland we’re required to have a separate WC or alternative on the ground floor for workmen and visitors too.
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3 Replies
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There are big overlaps in what they all do – there is a qualification difference between an architect and architectural technician (not sure about design architect). It takes years & years of study to be an architect (I know because it’s what my son was going to do but is doing Interior & Spatial design instead) – a fully qualified architect should be able to do everything you want. There is a creative element so would expect them to understand what you want to achieve and come up with creative options to achieve it and then be able to create the drawings required for both planning permission and building control as required. However some architects with be stronger in creative design skills and others in the technical aspects. I would meet with a few and look at their portfolios – they will have a signature style.
An architectural technician is much more focussed on the technical aspects. If you know what you want then they can do the drawings for you and ensure that building regulations are met etc. Of course some will have creative flair too and in many cases the experience would be indistinguishable from an architect.
A design architect I assume is an architect who focusses on the design/creative aspects over the technical (but would still then do the drawings etc for you)
We are currently re-modelling our kitchen & dining room into one and have just had an architectural technician do drawings for us to apply for the building warrant.
We are also planning a self-build and for that we are engaging an architect. We only have a vague wish list and loads of bookmarked photos of houses that we like bits of! The architect is holding our hand through the whole process – engaged a site engineer to test the soil, has applied for a quote for the electricity and basically is getting all the information together on what it’s going to cost before we start building so we know what our budget will be for the build and he will then design to that budget. An architect often acts as the project manager for a build but my husband is going to take that role. Key for us is ‘design for value’ – we have plenty of ideas but need the best value for our money.
A design architect could do that to but I expect are more focused on aesthetics.
The architectural technician cost us £950 for the drawings and managing build warrant.
Planning drawings for our house I expect to cost around £3k & another £1.5 for the building warrant- could be more!
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That’s really clear, thank you
I’ve employed 3 different architects (2 within our previous home) none of them have never supported us with a budget, indeed one architect recommend a builder and following a complete disaster resulting in needing to employ someone else, the architect confessed he’d had problems previously with him. Neither of the others were very helpful.
I’ll check out more local architects within Edinburgh, thank you
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Oh and yes, you do need a toilet on the ground floor that is not en-suite!
Messed up one of our ideas – only the two of us so was going to have master suite on ground floor with en-suite and office & guest bedroom in roof with a bathroom but would have to have additional toilet then! Seems crazy so now having master suite upstairs with a lounge and the other two rooms & bathroom downstairs with a kitchen/diner
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