What should I bring along for the first meeting with an Architect?

Often people who either want to build a house of their dreams or renovate an existing one will try to put their imagination into mere drawings and blueprints.

“What should I take with myself when I am meeting Architects for the first time?”
This question has always been a topic of concern.

They are not keen on discussing ideas with an Architect, so they meet him or her unprepared, and thus, end up wasting a lot of time since they don’t know where to begin.

But believe me, the first meeting with an Architect is an exciting opportunity to turn your imaginary ideas into reality, whether you wish to renovate or build a house.

Architects provide a good opportunity to maximize the potential for your house by balancing needs and availability. He or she will bring out his or her expertise and experience from their previous projects to put into your dream project.

Architects can gather information in many different ways. Some complete schedules by working with their clients, some speak to their clients to deduce a clear picture of their lives, make lists of rooms, etc.

The fact is, an Architect needs to know you fairly quickly. You can help them do this by answering certain questions.

Asks and Discusses your needs and requirements?

Generally, an Architect makes almost all decisions only after consulting you. For example, your house designs, home finishing, materials, the construction cost of the project, time frames, and fixtures.

An Architect might discuss a few things as mentioned below:

• About you and your family requirements?
• Discuss the perspective of your House?
• How do you spend your time?
• Understand and Debate about space planning?

Why do you need a bigger house and more space?

• Because of your growing family.
• You have kids who love the outdoors more; hence you’re concerned about their safety.
• Being a busy person, you need to keep an eye on the kids.
• To entertain family and friends, so you need more room.

How big do you want your home to be?

• This question really needs to be discussed.
• The house needs to be flexible and compatible to meet your day to day needs.

How much are you willing to spend (Construction cost)?

Budget is the key factor. This cannot be postponed. It needs to be discussed as soon as possible. Currently, the current cost of building a house in Bangalore varies from Rs 1600 to Rs 2200 /sq ft for premium finishes.

What is the way that you want your house to look?

To get more ideas about your likes and dislikes, you can use pictures from any magazine, a newspaper or probably even awesome ideas from your Pinterest boards. This can be a compelling way of demonstrating exactly what you want in your home.

Information about your property through surveys, existing plans, and other information.

Creative ideas and Solutions?

These can be demonstrated through blueprints, simple sketches or floor plans from your favourite homes. Your ideas help create a brief for your home.
Thus, working with Architects helps in connecting the skill gaps between your vision and the home. One should trust their expertise.

Mistakes happen during house construction as multiple contractors need to be involved, such as labor/Building contractors, Electrician, Plumbers, Flooring layers, Painters etc., but remember everything happens for good.

Working along with an Architect?

One should learn to be honest with them to build a working relationship with contractors working on the project. You can’t keep what you dislike in your heart, and then when something is finished already, express dissatisfaction over it.

The best working relationship between an Architect and his client comes from honesty.

Try to give feedback as early as possible if you feel that your ideas are not being incorporated as they should because remember later, “there is no use crying over spilled milk”.

Try to sort out and change the direction of the design in the earliest stage possible. Finally, your architect will guide you in your journey of building your home. So stay very excited!