How To Get Right Architect For Your House?

The right architect can unlock the potential of your existing home or turn your dreams into three dimensions in a brand-new house. Three practices with experience of doing both share their advice on how to get started

What are the most common mistakes – by architects and clients – when a home is being designed?

Andrew McAvoy, director, founder and principal architect, Retool Architecture, Glasgow:

People make lots of mistakes: having no respect for regional culture, local skill bases or materiality; not spending enough time at the start working through different options; not spending enough time on site; letting computer design rule the process; not thinking about climate, environment, energy, habitual behaviours, sensory awareness; forgetting that architecture is not a raw construction process – where it is good, it will always stem from the unselfconscious process of consideration, thought, poetry and a sense of nature.

David Blaikie, founder, David Blaikie Architects, Edinburgh:

Building a home is an exciting dream and, for most, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Getting a clear understanding of all the costs involved from the very beginning, and undertaking good financial planning, is critical to stopping it turning into a nightmare. Once you’ve chosen the architect you want to work with, I would strongly recommend employing a quantity surveyor with experience in one-off, private home projects to prepare a comprehensive cost plan covering every aspect of the process from drainage to door handles. Only then will you know the true cost of your build, which will go a long way to avoiding stress and disappointment at a later stage.

What is the secret of successful home design?

Andrew McAvoy: Intuition and slow process.

David Blaikie: The secret of a successful home design is communicating your aspirations and dreams to your architect, and allowing them to create a rich and rewarding setting for you and your family to live and grow up in.