75 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Church Architect
By Stephen Anderson

The design and  construction of church facilities may very well be one of the most important  activities in your organization's history.  One of the many critical  components of your building success is hiring the right architect.  Your  church should consider  at least 3-4 architects or design/build firms who have a good reputation for  building the type and style of structures you are considering and are familiar  with designing within the budget range you can afford.

 

General Background Questions</a>

1.    How long has  the been in business?

2.    What  percentage of the firm’s business is designing church facilities?

3.    How many  people does the architect’s firm employ?

4.     Does the  have a valid license for the state in which you intend to build?

5.    Does the commonly  do church projects of the style, size and budget that you anticipate building?

6.    Is the familiar  with the nuances of your denomination and worship style and what this may mean  in building design?

7.    Does the have a  specific design style and how well does their design style match what you are  looking to build?

8.    Does the  intend to use consultants for this project and if so, how are they  paid?

9.     Does the  carry insurance?

10.  What are the  policy limits for each type of insurance carried?

11. Will the architect  provide proof of insurance should the church decide to hire the firm?

12.  When and what  was the architect’s most recent project?

13.  When and  where was the architect’s most current project like yours?

14.  May the  church see examples of the architect’s previous projects that are similar to  your proposed project, including sketches, photos, plans and budgets?

15.  Should the  church decide to hire their firm, may the church get the names, addresses, and  telephone numbers of the clients for these previous similar projects?

16.  What services  did the provide for those church clients during the design, bidding,  and construction phases?

17.  Who will  provide each of these services for the church: the architect, the architect’s  employees, or outside professionals?

18.  What was the  actual construction cost versus the architect’s estimated cost for each of these  projects, and how do they account for the variance?

19.  Who from the firm will the  church be directly dealing with? Is it the same person who will be designing the  project? If not, who will be designing it and what direct interaction will the  church have with this person?

20.  What is the proposed  mediation process for resolving disputes and will the agree to binding  arbitration?

 Proposed Project Questions</a>

1.    What are the most significant  challenges of the proposed project and how does the anticipate dealing  with them?

2.    How well does the architect  understand the church’s goals and constraints?  (Ask the to  reiterate back to you the overall goals, design and budget constraints and  evaluate how well they understand them.)

3.   How confident is the  of meeting the church’s proposed schedule?

4.    What experience does the  have translating ministry needs into space requirements?

5.    What is the objective process  that the will use to gather information to help evaluate the needs &  goals of the ministry to provide the optimum design solution?

6.    What sort of information will  the church need to provide, and when?

7.    What services does the  propose to provide during construction?

8.    Which of the proposed  services are optional?

9.    What are the steps, or  phases, in the design process and how long should each take?

10.  What does the show  to explain and present the project? (Models, computer 3D models, color  renderings, line sketches, etc.)

11.  What are the options and  price differences for each option?

12.  How viable does the architect  believe your proposed project is with respect to timeline, budget and land  constraints?

 Fees & Contractual Issues</a>

1.    How does the architect  establish fees and when will payments be expected?

2.    How does the tie  fee payments to milestones or phases in the scope of work?

3.    What are the architectural  and engineering fees for each phase of this project?

4.    What specific  services do the fees cover?

5.     How   does the architect  establish fees for additional services?

6.   How  does the establish  fees for reimbursable expenses?

7.     What  additional costs (e.g. permit, impact and other governmental fees) or services  (e.g. time spent obtaining permits and approvals)   does the architect  anticipate for your project in addition to  architectural and engineering fees?

8.    If  consultants or engineers (civil, structural, mechanical, electrical,  geotechnical, testing and inspection, etc.) are necessary, are their fees  included in the architects quoted fee or are they separate services?

9.    How might the church  structure the contract so that the church has the ability to “walk away” from  the

Cad Drafting Services
Home plan design, drafting and cad services an affordable way to get your sketches and pieces of...
Drawings for a house addition
Here is a request for info I got today: What is needed in order for you to draw up...
Home Plans
Custom home plans We are professionals with 25 years of experience. I strive to make a custom house plan...
Custom Home Plan Drafting & Design
Here is a question I got today and my response: I was wondering if you could tell me how this process works....


agreement at the conclusion of any phase without additional cost or penalty?

10.  How does the church insure  they own and have the right to use the intellectual property (drawings, research  findings, etc.) from each phase if they should decide to terminate their  relationship with the architect?

11. What engineering work  will the architect  sub-contract, will it be sent out for bid and will  the church be able to see these bids?

12.   What is   the architect’s  markup on 3rd party services if they  sub-contract out the work?

13.   Will   the architect  provide construction cost estimates for the  project?

14.   What happens  if   the architect’s construction estimates are not in line with  construction quotes?

15.  Who is liable  for the cost of redesign if it is necessary to meet the construction budget?

16.  Will there be  additional charges for changes required by the building department or other  government agency?  If so, how are these charges calculated?

17.  How are  additional charges computed for design changes requested by the church after  working drawings are already completed?

18.  How are  additional charges computed for design changes requested by the contractor?

19.  Who is  financially responsible for correcting errors and omissions in design and bids?

20.  Will the  provide a fixed price agreement for each phase instead of a percentage  based fee? (Fixed price is usually better.)

 Making the Final Decision</a>

Don’t go by your feelings, check the references!   Call or visit each reference that each gives you and ask and evaluate  the answers to the following questions:

1.    How well did  the adhere to schedules?

2.    How well did  the live up to the expectation they set during the sales phase?

3.    Did the  project complete within budget?  If not, why not?

4.    Were you  pleased with the architect’s services and your working relationship with the  architect? (Compare to the architects explanation to the same question)

5.    Did the  listen to your concerns and attempt to resolve them to your  satisfaction?

6.    Would you  hire the again?  Why or why not?

7.    What problems  surfaced during the project?

8.    What were the  architect’s strong points?

9.    What were the  architect’s weak points?

10. What would you do  different the next time?

11. Ask each reference  about other projects they know the was involved with.  This will  give you some additional references to check.  Remember no one will  knowingly hand out references that won’t give a glowing report.  Seeking  out other “off list” references may give you a more balanced viewpoint.

 Subjective Issues To Evaluate And Consider When Hiring An Architect</a>

These are questions that you may not always directly  ask, but may evaluate from the responses to other questions and actions.

1.    How interested is the  in your project?

2.    How much time and effort has  the put into winning your business and earning your confidence?

3.    How busy is the architect?

4.    What do you feel sets this  apart from the rest?

5.    How well does the architect  respond to being asked why you should hire them over someone else?

6.    How well do your thoughts on  why this may be the best fit for your church line up with their answer  on why you should hire them?

7.    How well has the architect  performed in bringing projects to completion within the proposed budget on other  projects?

8.    How well does  the understand your goals, priorities and constraints?

9.    How good of a  personality fit do you feel you have with the architect?

10.  Does the  have an “all or nothing” attitude towards the proposed services, or  are they willing to offer services “a la carte” to help you meet your budget?

11.  Are the  agreements and pricing for services straightforward and easy to understand?

12.  How well has  the responded to your questions and communications in a timely and  accurate fashion?

It is recommended you create a form (or several) with all the  questions allowing each person on the evaluation team to rank each respondent’s  response on a scale of 1-10.   If possible, visit the projects the has  used as references for their services.  This will provide an objective valuation for each applicant that should weigh  heavily in the final decision and help eliminate personal feelings and  preferences.

As you may  notice, many of the questions assume you have a good idea of what you want to  build, why you need to build and what you can afford.  If you cannot  definitively answer these questions, it is premature to solicit the services of  an or design/build firm.

To download the free book, or for more information on church building and construction financing, visit http://www.ChurchBizOnline.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Anderson http://EzineArticles.com/?75-Questions-to-Ask-When-Hiring-a-Church-Architect&id=255840

 

In addition to leading his church through a building and capital stewardship campaign, Steve Anderson is a church building consultant, seminar speaker, past contributing editor for Church & Worship Technology Magazine and author of the eBook, "Before you Build": Practical Tips & Experienced Advice to Prepare Your Church for a Building Program.

Here are some more architect articles...