Do I need an Architect?

Yes, you do, especially if you’re making large changes in your home’s lay out.

So, you’re one of the thousands in New Orleans with a flooded house. It’s gutted down to the studs, the mold is gone and the flood lines have faded, but you’re still waist deep in a mess of unresolved questions.

Should I elevate? Can I save the floors? Should I tear down walls to reclaim more living space?

Sure, your contractor can help answer those questions, but many homeowners are taking repairs a step further by adding long-delayed renovation plans into the mix. Some see their gutted houses as a blank canvases to the homes they always wanted if they had the time—or budget—to renovate.

As plans balloon, homeowners reach a point where they have to ask: When does this project get big enough to require an architect?

That depends, says Sean Sullivan, principal at SCNZ Architects in the Garden District. If you’re only replacing sheetrock, wiring and floors to return the place to its former condition, you’re probably good to go with just a contractor. If you’re doing anything that affects the structural integrity of the house, such as taking down a wall, moving a staircase or tweaking the floor plan, it’s time to bring in an expert.

“Now that you have the opportunity to go in and make some wholesale changes to the house that you may not have before … I think it’s a great opportunity to talk to an architect,” Sullivan says.

Dana Venezia hired a contractor to tackle repairs on her 5,000-square-foot home in Lakeview, but realized that the scope of the work required a lot more guidance and planning.

“It just becomes almost overwhelming, especially when you are renovating the bottom and the top floors. We had to renovate the whole house because we had three holes in our roof along with six feet of water in the house,” she says. “We knew this was much bigger than anything we could do on our own.”

Finding an Architect
While Venezia had previously worked with an architect before, many homeowners don’t know the first thing about how to find a reputable firm willing to take residential projects, says Stephen Braquet, president of AIA New Orleans, the local chapter of national trade group American Institute of Architects.

“We are getting besieged with phone calls every day by people that want to know the same thing—how do I find an architect?” he says.

The group is organizing an architects pairing program to match homeowners with local professionals willing to work on smaller projects. It can be difficult for homeowners to find an architect because larger firms specialize in commercial work, while others are too busy to handle residential renovations.

AIA New Orleans hopes to have information on the program online at www.aianeworleans.org by September. In the meantime, residents can get a list online of member architects. AIA’s national site, www.aia.org, has a search tool that allows consumers to find architects in their area by specialty. The Louisiana AIA Web site, www.aiala.com, has comprehensive information for consumers about the entire process of interviewing architects, narrowing the scope of the work and options for paying for the job.

If you’re doing anything that affects the structural integrity of the house, it’s time to bring in an expert.

Money Matters
How much does a typical job cost? AIA New Orleans Executive Director Melissa Urcan says it depends on the scope of the project and the firm. Some charge by the hour, while others can negotiate a design fee. Hourly charges vary, with some firms breaking down the work by level of expertise. For example, an intern rate could be $75 per hour with senior designers charging as much as $100 more per hour for their work.

Urcan says the biggest misconception among consumers is that hiring an architect is too expensive. Sometimes it can pay off in the long term. An architect may be able to redesign a floor plan to increase resale value. They can also help homeowners use more efficient building materials that could save money in the long run and make a home safer if another storm comes. •