Hiring an architect yourself can make sense for many reasons, here are a few:

Architects will often spend a great deal of time evaluating the project site and researching code and zoning issues. Architects are trained to think three-dimensionally and are often quite competent when it comes to solving difficult problems. Architects can also help with presenting renovation plans to homeowner associations.

Architects will often spend time with the home owner to see how they use the space in their home and often make suggestions on what changes might need to be made. A homeowner might say they don’t need more space in their garage, but they constantly have to move in between and around tight spaces created by toolbox and other equipment in the garage.

Architects can often find ways to lessen the scale of a project by salvaging structural parts of the building to decrease the amount of demolition by moving windows and doors to open up space rather than just knocking down walls to add more space. Architects can plan large scale projects in phases to spread out the costs.

An architect’s initial consultation cost is usually free. So a home owner who is thinking about renovating their home should make it a point to have a bottom-line budget and get a quote from an experienced architect. The architect will work within that budget depending on the nature of the project, such as how many hours will be required to complete the project including researching codes and preparing the Home Owners Association. Remember that some architects charge a flat fee where others will charge based on the size of the project.