How to Narrow Down Your Options

You have an idea in your head, your very own ‘Grand Design’. Now it’s time to see whether it’s feasible to turn that idea into a reality. But with a huge number of architects’ firms in the market, how do you find the architects capable of achieving your vision?

Think Local

Whether you’re looking for a large-scale building project, or some help with a small renovation, it’s normally best to look for a local architect.

There are 3 main reasons for this:

• A local architect will understand what kind of designs fit into your local area.

• They will have links to local planning departments, working with them on a daily basis.

• They will be on hand to help deliver the project, and can sort out any problems as they arise.

Get Recommendations

Source testimonials from neighbours, friends, family, colleagues – in fact the more opinions you can find, the better.

Ask the architects to show you details of any projects they’ve worked on which are similar to yours – this can help to give you peace of mind in their abilities – along with testimonials from satisfied clients.

Free – At First

Initial consultations are often without cost, as this first meeting is a critical step on the road to ensuring you can work together with your proposed architect. It’s essential to make sure that expectations, timescales and budgets can be met from both sides.

A good architect should follow up your meeting with an email or letter detailing everything you’ve discussed. This should happen for your initial consultation and each subsequent meeting, though the quality of the initial
correspondence can help you to decide whether you want to work with them or not.

A Partnership

Although you’ll always be the client, you will want to establish a mutually beneficial working relationship from the outset to give your project the best chance of success.

Here, initial instinct comes into play. Ask yourself whether the architect is actively listening to your dreams (and concerns). Do they reiterate your most important points, e.g. ‘So I see that your maximum budget is £X.’ or ‘Above all, sustainability is your goal.’

Transparency is Key

A good architect will be able to guide you through the entire project process, including costings and timings. These two elements, above perhaps anything else, are likely to cause the most stress in any project, so prioritising them can reap dividends.

Make sure your architects know the end date you have in mind, so they can advise you whether it’s realistic or not – managing expectations is key.

If you’re looking for architects East Sussex, contact the friendly, knowledgeable team at Yelo Architects for a no-obligation discussion about your project. If you want to find out more about the projects we’ve worked on, please read through the projects section of our website.