Like a theatrical production, a dream house is a collaborative work of art. Ideally, all the players will perform together in harmony to craft a masterpiece. In practice, it often ends up more like a circus act – with thrills, chills, spills and even lives hanging in the balance.
Many landed property owners decide to work with one firm to draft the initial architecture, another firm to handle the actual building and a third to oversee the interior design. Some choose to go this route in an effort to reduce their costs or to spread the risk of disappointment over three firms. A few property owners who have had problems with their homes in the past choose to separate out the tasks as a kind of checks and balances system. Some just want to make sure that nobody else is able to amass too much power over the look and feel of the final property.
Whether or not the property owner chooses to go with three separate firms for these essential tasks, they should know who is responsible for what, as well as what to look for in hiring a professional in each field of expertise.
The Role of the Architect
If the dream house was a play on the stage, the architect would be the director. The architect starts with ideas, dreams, wishes and emotions, then converts them all into structural design elements. Architects should be inspirational without being outlandish and know how to lines, forms and textures influence each other, inside and outside the building. A great architect is one who makes sure everything is surprising in the sketches and nothing is surprising in the construction.
What to Look for When Hiring
The architect should have a great deal of experience building landed properties. Inexperienced architects make mistakes that don’t take into account the weather, building code regulations, the cost of exotic material and practical limitations on structural design. Experienced architects have also built up relationships with contractors for plumbing, electricity, ventilation, flooring, landscaping and a host of other contractors that will come into play later in the construction process.
The Role of the Builder
The builder makes it real. While architects concentrate on capturing the right aesthetics to communicate a coherent visual story, the builder is responsible for a functional, reliable construction. The builder should have one eye on local building codes, another on cost containment, a third on the resilience of the materials, a fourth on the quality workmanship of the building crew and a fifth on maintaining project scheduling despite inevitable delays. Builders like to say that, “Architects sketch castles in the air and builders erect the scaffolding.” Architects and builders often come into conflict when builders suggest more elegant, functional ways to attain a desired effect. Another common conflict begins when an architect weighs in on construction techniques or require specific building materials.
What to Look for When Hiring
It may be counter-intuitive, but the best builders have artistic tendencies. Project management should be their primary concern, but they need to have enough artistry to fully understand what the architect intended. A good builder instinctively knows what kind of materials work well together and which substitutions will look horrible in situ. That’s why having an aptitude for artistic vision is a key component of managing an efficient construction schedule.
The Role of the Interior Designer
People live inside the home, not outside it. That’s why the inside is where the majority of artistic efforts should be concentrated. The choices made by the property owner, in coordination with the interior designer, can make all the difference between a life that is fantastic or frustrating. Unfortunately, some architects treat interior design like it is mere decoration instead of what it really is — the living heart of the home. Architects and interior designers often butt heads over spatial planning and lighting arrangements. They frequently have opposing opinions on finishes, furnishings, textiles and cabinetry that both enhance the property and fit well with the lives of the property owners.
What to Look for When Hiring
Interior designers need to be experts in a wide range of artistic endeavors and be masters of multi-tasking. They need to know every detail down to thread counts, yet know precisely when to order each piece so that the furniture doesn’t arrive before the flooring. The emotional effects of different hues, shades, tints, shadows and textures are well documented. With that in mind, a good interior designer needs to be up-to-date on both color theory and the science of motivational psychology.
The Architect/Builder/Interior Designer Combined
One of the most effective ways to head off all the potential conflicts in artistic vision and delays is to hire a one-stop design consulting firm that handles the entire production, from audition to applause. This eliminates coordination issues, communication breakdowns and distracting power struggles over aesthetic decisions. For most landed property owners, beauty, cost, timing and a thousand other considerations are equally important and none should be neglected in favor of the others. To keep everything running smoothly as the dream house becomes a reality, a single artistic vision should dominate the production.
