This post is part of the ArchiTalks series where a group of us (architects who also blog) all post on the same day and promote each other’s blogs. The Topic ‘Leader’ for this post ‘House or Home’ is Jeff Pelletier…

Advice for Clients

This is one topic that I have already written the most about – advice for clients in order to work better with architects:

From THIS FACT SHEET – written in 2012 – every bullet of which is still current today as when it was written.

All the way through to THIS POST on why clients should let architects ‘Move’ in order to ‘hit’ the target in much the same way that the Sundance Kid (in Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid) can only hit the target when he can ‘move’. Here’s the clip again as it’s so good:

And if you go back to the HOME PAGE you’ll also see stacks of ‘Important Stuff’ and ‘Advice Notes’ as widgets on the right hand side that specifically to assist clients in their design and construction project.

But let’s use this post to summarise the key items of advice that clients need to take on board:

• No matter how many TV programmes you’ve watched on property. No matter how many interiors magazines you have read. No matter how much Googling you’ve done. No matter how much you’ve looked on Houzz.com or Pinterest. It is your architect who is the expert. It is your architect who has undergone years of training in design and construction. It is your architect who has your best interests at heart. SO TAKE HIS OR HER ADVICE!. I know that many people believe that they have the same amount of medical training a Doctor now that Google is at their fingertips – but the doctor is the expert – treat your architect the same way.

• Don’t expect your architect to be too helpful. In my book ‘Architect Like a Star’ – available on Amazon HERE I give advice to architects on ‘Never be too helpful’. The problem is that architects are a helpful bunch. They are trained to solve problems and unfortunately be helpful. In every single project which I have worked on that didn’t go 100% perfectly – the common denominator was me being too helpful. As an example, the common ‘too helpful’ problem that occurs is trying to do too much work for a client that either 1. You’re not getting paid for or 2. That you’re not qualified to do. In either case the result is that your client isn’t getting the professionalism or the service that he or she deserves. So my advice to clients is DON’T EXPECT YOUR ARCHITECT TO DO EVERYTHING FOR NOTHING!

• Be clear about your budget. It’s all to common for clients to have Grand Designs visions (for the US readers Grand Designs is a UK based Property Porn prog – DETAILS HERE – now available to view on your side of the pond on Netflix!) with a pennies budget. Therefore, be clear about the size and quality of the project that you can undertake with the money that you have available. Equally, for those with plenty of cash to spend – don’t do the same thing and try to economise on materials and finish when it’s only the best you’re looking for!

To read how the other ‘blogging architects’ have interpreted this theme click the links below – I’ve posted mine early due to time differences and I’ll update this list as they come on line:

Enoch Sears – Business of Architecture (@businessofarch)

Bob Borson – Life of An Architect (@bobborson)

Matthew Stanfield – FiELD9: architecture (@FiELD9arch)

Marica McKeel – Studio MM (@ArchitectMM)
ArchiTalks: Advice for Working with an Architect

Jeff Echols – Architect Of The Internet (@Jeff_Echols)
Advice for ALL Clients

Lee Calisti, AIA – Think Architect (@LeeCalisti)
advice to clients

Mark R. LePage – EntreArchitect (@EntreArchitect)

Lora Teagarden – L² Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC)
ArchiTalks: Advice for Clients

Collier Ward – One More Story (@BuildingContent)
Trust Your Architect

Cormac Phalen – Cormac Phalen (@archy_type)

Nicholas Renard – Renard Architecture (@dig-arch)

Andrew Hawkins, AIA – Hawkins Architecture, Inc. (@hawkinsarch)

Jeremiah Russell, AIA – ROGUE Architecture (@rogue_architect)
please have a seat: #architalks

Jes Stafford – MODwelling (@modarchitect)

Eric T. Faulkner – Rock Talk (@wishingrockhome)
Advice List — From K thru Architect

Rosa Sheng – EquitybyDesign [EQxD] (@EquityxDesign)

Michele Grace Hottel – Michele Grace Hottel, Architect (@mghottel)
advice for clients

Meghana Joshi – IRA Consultants, LLC (@MeghanaIRA)

Michael Riscica – Young Architect (@YoungArchitxPDX)

Stephen Ramos – BUILDINGS ARE COOL (@sramos_BAC)

brady ernst – Soapbox Architect (@bradyernstAIA)

Brian Paletz – The Emerging Architect (@bpaletz)
A Few Reminders

Michael LaValley – Evolving Architect (@archivalley)

Jonathan Brown – Proto-Architecture (@mondo_tiki_man)
Your Architect is your Advocate

Eric Wittman – intern[life] (@rico_w)
[tattoos] and [architecture]

Sharon George – Architecture By George (@sharonraigeorge)

Brinn Miracle – Architangent (@architangent)

Emily Grandstaff-Rice – Emily Grandstaff-Rice FAIA (@egrfaia)
Changing the World

Jarod Hall – di’velept (@divelept)

Drew Paul Bell – Drew Paul Bell (@DrewPaulBell)
Advice for Clients

Greg Croft – Sage Leaf Group (@croft_gregory)

Courtney Casburn Brett – Casburn Brett (@CasburnBrett)

Jeffrey Pelletier – Board & Vellum (@boardandvellum)
Questions to Ask an Architect in an Interview: Advice for Clients

Samantha R. Markham – The Aspiring Architect (@TheAspiringArch)
Dear Client,

Kyu Young Kim – J&K Atelier (@sokokyu)
Advice for Clients

Nisha Kandiah – ArchiDragon (@ArchiDragon)
Advice for clients

Rusty Long – Rusty Long, Architect (@rustylong)
Advice for Clients

Keith Palma – Architect’s Trace (@cogitatedesign)
Advice 4 Building

Jim Mehaffey – Yeoman Architect (@jamesmehaffey)

Tim Ung – Journey of an Architect (@timothy_ung)

Gabriela Baierle-Atwood – Gabriela Baierle-Atwood (@gabrielabaierle)
What I wish clients knew