Choose an Architecture Company with the Expertise to Deliver Your Vision
By Clint Evans, AIA, NCARB
Designing a custom home or significantly remodeling or expanding an existing one is no small undertaking. With so many considerations – from maximizing space and natural light to the details in the design – a new build or renovations can take a lot of time and planning. Working with an experienced architect can be the difference in making your vision come to life.
Finding the right residential architect to design a space that fits your style, and stays relevant for many years, is a key step to creating a home that inspires and fits your life. For instance, NSPJ has more than 60 years experience and believes strongly in the importance of respecting the context of carefully proportioned, detailed architecture and efficient space planning. We strive to create innovative solutions to meet each client’s unique needs, with an innovative, holistic approach to design.
When looking to partner with a residential architecture firm, use these five tips to help find the best designer to fit your needs and desires for your project.
1. Do Your Research Before Hiring a Residential Architecture Firm
Custom home projects require a substantial investment of time, finances and sometimes convenience. This is why it’s equally important to partner with the right residential architecture firmwith the expertise to be able to create a design that fits its client’s needs, while integrating timeless and classic principles that go beyond the latest trend.
The best way to research a firm is to look at past projects by a residential architect for their various styles and experience. Look at a firm’s portfolio of work online and use this as a guide to determine whether they have the expertise to match you and your project’s needs. When projects resonate with you, use them for inspiration to show an architect as you start the design process.
Also consider an architecture firm with more than residential experience. At NSPJ, we work on a range of projects, from residential to multifamily, mixed-use, landscape, commercial and land planning. This diversity in our work helps us collaborate on the complexities in a project and share expertise from a variety of project types to create the best environments for our clients.
2. Look at Residential Architecture Firms Beyond Your City Limits
If you’ve never planned a custom home project, you may think you need to partner with a residential architecture firm near you. However, to find a top-tier architect, it may be in your best interest to look beyond your city limits.
NSPJ Architects has projects across the nation. Although we’re headquartered in Kansas City, we routinely work with clients in multiple locations, crafting plans that celebrate the landscape and blend with existing structures. Our team’s understanding of carefully proportioned, detailed architecture and efficient space planning allows us to develop properties to surpass clients’ expectations and enhance the surrounding community.
3. Consider What You Want to Accomplish
A clear vision is one of the most important aspects of any architectural project. Articulating needs and design preferences to your residential architect will help them design a custom home or home improvements with the unique details and personal touches that align with your goals and vision.
Before your first meeting, ask yourself questions like:
- What style of home do I want?
- How can I personalize my new space?
- What are the must-haves for my project?
- How many bedrooms and bathrooms do I need?
- What types of spaces would I like included, like a courtyard, walk-in pantry or rooftop terrace?
- What is my budget?
That’s not to say you have to have every detail figured out, and that’s why it’s important to work with an architect who can help determine what features will work in the space, how you can enhance the space and ways to incorporate personal preferences and touches into the home. Our residential architecture firm’s creative and energetic team has more than 500 years of experience combined and is primed to offer recommendations that help take your property to the next level.
4. Listen to Your Residential Architect’s Professional Advice
Make the most of your architecture company’s expertise! A highly-skilled residential architecture firm can act as your guide when you’re unsure about the next step or which choice suits you best. Because they have experience working on a wide variety of projects – some much like your own – they will have thoughtful recommendations to help navigate the decision-making process with ease.
At NSPJ Architects, we bring experience with many building types, construction methods and best practices to every project and client to create innovative and custom spaces through a step-by-step collaborative approach. We take into account both your project and investment goals to provide advice for your unique circumstances.
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
Designing a new home or significantly remodeling or expanding an existing home is a process of inquiry and discovery. We ask questions, and you should too!
NSPJ works with each client to discover the place’s essence and the family for which it is intended. We believe that creating a new home or remodeling an existing one is a process of making a place that feels both new and old: new, in that it is a fresh response to the existing conditions, and old, in that it contains deep and familiar qualities that make a place a home.
Our residential architects are always happy to shed new light on a subject or explain a concept in greater detail.
Request a Proposal from Our Residential Architecture Firm Today
At NSPJ Architects, we hold ourselves to a higher standard. Our long-standing tradition of excellence in service and architectural design sets us apart, and it’s why thousands of property owners have put their trust in us time and again to realize their vision.
Each set of drawings we create is detailed, comprehensive and intelligible, ensuring a smooth process for clients and contractors. By approaching each project with a client-focused mentality, we produce brilliant results that benefit everyone involved.
Get started on your 2024 custom home project, and request a proposal today. Contact our residential architecture firm by calling (913) 831-1415 or sending us a message online.
