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Addition & Alteration in Historic College Park featured in Atlanta Journal-Constitution Article
We are delighted to have an article on one of our designs featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, along with photographs. It was written by Lori Johnston of Fast Copy News Service. Please check it out at this link, and...
Repair & Renovation in Historic Westview
“But I already had that extra Kitchen upstairs. I never have rented it out as an apartment — just use it for my kids’ craft room.” The Plan Review Intake Official at the City would not allow the set of drawings to be submitted for permitting until the so-called...
“Why can’t I find a Contractor?” — a Recent Dialog with someone who wanted to Alter his house & Build a small Addition
Recently, I addressed a question from a consumer on a forum about altering his home and adding a very small addition. Paraphrasing for brevity, he asked, “I don’t know why this is so difficult. I had three quotes for upgrading from a half bath to a full bath, but then...
3D Design & Mid-Project Changes, or,”What is my Architect Doing to Me?”
Would you rather pay lots of money to design a project, and then pay that money all over again because you discover the design isn’t what you expected? Or would you rather be able to see the it in 3-dimensional drawings from early in the design process? The most...
Aging in Place — the Accessible Bath
Here’s a question While you’re active, would you rather stay in the familiar surroundings of your neighborhood or relocate away from your established roots and those you know? While some are choosing retirement communities, where all residents must be 55 years or...
Why do I need an Architect? Part 2
Last week, we wrote about the pitfalls of starting a building project without an architect. So, what, exactly, does an architect do for you? First, we protect all the parties by establishing standards that apply to your project. For a typical project, here’s how we...
Why do I need an Architect? Part 1
So, someone just urged you not to hire an architect. Why is that? If you’re a property owner, maybe it was a contractor. Or if you’re a builder, your customer may have asked you to build without “wasting time or money on drawings” — he just wanted to “tell” you what...
Why You Need A Survey
As architects, we have worked on hundreds of projects over several decades. We often hear questions such as, “I just bought a house. I’d like to do a little upgrade and addition. I need to know where to start. What do I do?” The short answer is, “Get a survey.” Read...
Avoid Costly Mistakes In Your Building Project – From the Outset
In our last post, we identified the phases of a project. To finish a project the most economically and efficiently, start with a good foundation. This is true of the building, but it’s even more true of the planning process. The beginning of a project will determine...
What are the Steps in Working with an Architect?
People ask us what steps to take to start their building projects. We break these down into Phases. The Phases of most construction projects are: Pre-Design; Schematic Design; Design Development; Construction Documents; and Construction Contract Administration. A few...