plans available on internet

[RSCarcht]

Five to twenty years sounds like an eternity. The problem with that large a backlog is that at the end of it there won't be anyone who remembers the mistakes that caused the problems to begin with!

[Checkpoint43]

The issue of Architect vs. Residential Designer seems to keep popping up.
This thread had been asleep for a year and a half, but it's awake again.

I have the utmost respect for individuals who have obtained a higher education in the field of architecture.
But isn't there a situation when someone is considered "over-qualified"?

The category within this forum is about residential design.
Architects have the ability to design much bigger and more elaborate structures, yet for some reason, many like to remain here.

Why would an architect feel threatened be someone who has the qualifications and credentials for designing houses?
Does talking down to residential designers somehow make some architects feel important?

If these architects were important, they would move on.
Apparently, they don't have what it takes to compete on the level in which their education allows, so they hang out in the "minor leagues" to act as a bully.
It is unprofessional to do so.

This statement is not directed at all architects. I will say again that I have the utmost respect for individuals who have continued their education, and made an effort to work at their greatest potential.

Not everyone can do what an architect can do.
But apparently, some architects can't either.
How sad.

Checkpoint43

[scottr303]

The previous post had some good points and some "interesting" comments.

For the record I am a registered architect. Big projects - been there, done that. I have chosen residential and light commercial work because I like the people involved, variety of jobs, working from home, and many other reasons. I do not feel I am wasting my education. The real education starts when you get out of college.

I was asked just last week by a potential client about using an Architect vs a Residential Designer. I told her that there are many designers out there that can design homes just as well as architects and that they know what they are doing. I even told her that there are commercial architects that I would not want to design a home. I personally have designed homes for many architects over the years. They realized there limitations. I asked who they had been talking to and found out that one was a designer whom I know. I told her he was very good and if she chose either one of us she would get a good design.

Architects can, but not necessarily, have an educational and experience advantage over most designers but that may not be the whole story. Has the Architect or Designer ever built a house? Are they active in the Home Builders Association? The AIA in not particularly residential oriented. Have they continued their education on green building, mold, energy, materials, trends, universal design, etc?

Just more ideas for the discussion.

[Mtntop]

I've been following this discussion on this and other forums for years, and finally, a rational post. If others can leave behind self-absorbtion or turf-defense, maybe this will actually go somewhere.

[kmapro]

I have to admit that even I bit my tongue over some of the comments checkpoint made.

All though I have had some bad experiences with architects and have seen some who will "design pretty pictures and expect someone else to figure it out", but this is not the case with ALL architects.

Yes, I have been very vocal in these dicsussions and I myself have questioned architects, but I don't think I would ever insinuate that some design houses because they are not good enough to do the real thing..

Scott, I can appreciate your comments because you have given some true insight from both perspectives.

There is nothing wrong with an architect that designs houses. I do not think it is a waste of their education..all though, given today's market, it might not be the best choice for them (that is meant to be scarcastic and joking).

Scott also touched on one issue that I feel very strong about. "How many of them [architects or designers] have ever built a house?" May not be a direct quote, but it is close...

I am a firm believer that you can make anything look good on paper or you can draw anything you want on paper...but actually making it happen in the field is a very different animal.

I feel that having some actual hands on experience in the field will go a long way in developing good design characteristics. If you know how it can be built, then that is how you should design it.

I myself, will not draw anything that I could not build or know how it would be built.

[Checkpoint43]

My previous post is not an issue of architects vs residential designers.

I'm just poking some fun at the individuals who are trying to act as militant enforcers of an elite club and I'm wondering how far they will go?

Oh no! Little Timmy is drawing a picture of the birdhouse he wants to build for his boy scout crafts show.
Someone call the architectural cops!

Architects who choose to focus on home design are welcome to share the stage with the regular cast members. There is no jealousy or rivalry on this end.

But I find it interesting that when I stand up and "push back", several responses seem to turn to remarks of equality.
Equal skills, or equal in a lack of skill.
But I never read any statements or facts which enforce the initial accusations of inferiority.

I also see agreement in the observation that the issue of a rivalry is not shared by everyone in the architectural or residential design field.

So please do not misinterpret what I have said as an attack on architects in general.
All I am attempting to do is shake things up a bit, and allow onlookers to notice how silly or insecure some people can choose to be.

Clearly, these are not the views of professional architects, nor would any of my exaggerated replies represent the views of professional residential designers.

But this forum sure is fun!

[jb780923]

You can purchase and download AutoCAD plans on the internet from www.cad-architect.net - ask your architect if he would be able to work with these plans before buying.

[phansford]

[michael77002]

the firm i work for sell stock plans online www.jackprestonwood.com

[RSCarcht]

Buildings are the legacy we leave to the next generation. They use energy and create landscapes that affect others. To design well is perhaps 5% more expensive than designing poorly at the start, but the downstream costs (environmental, financial and aesthetic) of poor design are extraordinary. Quite frankly, house plans are for the lazy, the cheap and the short sighted. The use of house plans became popular in a climate where builders took short cuts to create whatever profit they could at the cost of society and the buyer of the building. It is short-term, "greed is good" mentality that has made us into the Wal-Mart consumer nation with a motto of "low prices, always!" that is tottering on the brink of a financial crisis. We need to turn our minds to the long-term future of our families, our communities and our nation and this can only be done through creating:
--compact, mixed-use communities where long commutes are not required
--smaller, but well designed and solidly built homes that will last generations and fit artfully into the communities in which they are constructed
--energy efficient structures that make the most of the very limited energy reserves this country has by employing the latest developments in technology.

I would venture to claim that advocating differently verges on being unpatriotic (or worse). These may be harsh words, but the current environment has focused a very bright light on the state of things.
While architects hold no monopoly on good design, they have been trained and educated to accomplish these goals to a greater degree than any other profession. On the other hand, many house designers have no training at all and frequently this is painfully evident in the designs they create.

[csintexas]

Frankly looking at both commercial architecture (mostly designed by architects) and residential architecture (mostly designed by residential designers) I can't really determine which is worse.

Here is a real beauty



I believe the thing had to be sanded because it was reflecting so much sun into the neighbors apartments that their AC's couldn't keep up. Of coarse not many buildings waste more energy than these glass boxes architects have been selling for the past 50 years.

I'm not sure we as a society can afford architects for much longer.

[cousinbirgco]

Chris, Really, sometimes you totally the miss the point
of a truly innovative design. The building is not only a legacy for
our children, but is was also designed to ease the suffering of
neighboring residents who had contracted vitamin D deficiency
syndrome and as everyone knows, a little extra sunshine works wonders.
The higher A/C costs were simply collateral damage.

[csintexas]

I'm just wondering if it is time to bring back public floggings?

[Checkpoint43]

[csintexas]

New and improved Disney Hall -Now with nuclear power