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Fourteen Recommended Questions for Initial General Contractor Interviews Rhodes Architecture + Light When initially interviewing a general contractor, you will want to gather as much information as you can before making your decision about who to work with. Eventually, the potential contractor should walk through the design and plans with you. In the initial interview, you have an opportunity to assess the contractor’s experience, work ethic and personal demeanor. We are sensitive to builders who try, in the early meetings, to re-design or who quickly suggest changes in materials and construction. Let the General Contractor know that you have hired an Architect, will have professional engineering and construction documents (plans) and will use the Architect’s services to manage the [...]

When my firm begins a new house with a client, and after an initial meeting, we create a customized “design questionnaire” that we think will be useful in asking and soliciting answers to a number of important questions. These questions form a framework for uncovering your needs and desires for your house, what you expect in a home (including expectations that you may not have consciously examined) and how you may plan on using your home. We ask couples and family members to answer these questionnaires separately since many of our clients will need time alone to think deeply about their expectations in a house. They may also often be influenced by others, sometimes distracted, and even dissuaded from their [...]

Part I You and Your Architect Successful built projects, those that achieve the desired results for owner and users, result from INFORMED clients working with skilled, licensed Architects. ARCHITECTs are registered professionals bringing many years of education, experience, and registration to your design and documents while acting to protect you, your time, money, and your property. Listed below are phases of typical architectural services. The Registered Architects at Rhodes Architecture provide all of the services listed. However, we do not discriminate against smaller projects, which may not require or have the budget to support all of these services. We are flexible and can tailor contracts to provide whatever services a client may require. ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES The general [...]

Your Architect, Your Contractor, and your Building Bidding and Negotiation Hiring a contractor to fit your needs is a crucial part of this process. As your architect, we will develop a list of prospective contractors that are qualified for your project and can provide you with the end product you desire. Contractors can either be brought onto the team early in the design process or several contractors can be invited to submit bids for your project once construction documents are complete. Both scenarios have their own unique sets of advantages and disadvantages. Deciding to work with one builder early in the design process will allow you and the design team to receive feedback on the design’s impact on construction [...]