Adding Value: The Case for Architects in Residential Design (Practice‪)‬

The act of design is an intangible concept that eludes most people. They might know good design when they' see it, when they get something they can lay their hands oil or walk through. But they have a hard time grasping the intellectual work that goes into making something as complex as a house. Unfortunately, that gap creates a catch-22 for architects. Part logical, part magical, a good house looks inevitable, like the obvious fit for a client and site, and so people underestimate the effort required to design and build it. And until they live in a house made for them, they can't fully appreciate how it will enhance their lives. Even veteran architects struggle to explain the dynamics of success. "Good architecture, in the end, is greater than the models and drawings," says architect David Salmela, Duluth, Minn. "We don't know the secret to making good architecture; it surprises us." That being the case, homeowners could be forgiven for feeling a bit squirrelly about hiring an architect. At a time when modifiable stock plans are a mouse click away, spending countless hours and tens of thousands of dollars in design fees for personalized architecture is a risk, particularly so for people of modest means. But to put things into perspective, it's not so different from hiring a financial planner, Salmela says: "Yes, architecture is hard, but everything is hard. It's hard to give a financial planner $50,000 and tell him to make it grow when you're watching the stock market go up and down. You have to do your research on whom to trust."