Is it normal to have to hand-hold an architect on design?

[Ron S.]

I’d love to hear your experiences with architects.

I'm not impressed by his design skills. While he knows standard dimensions well, I found myself providing my own ideas for floor plans to get the most out of the square footage.

The buildings or lots we work with are tight, so we do have to be very creative, but I found that my general contractor (/investor partner) and I are finding much better floor plan ideas than he did and I wasn't impressed by his creativity.

For example, for a flip we were able to fit 2 master bedrooms where he proposed a far less efficient design, and on a rental, I had to point out that we could extend the building length by 4 feet and that he was too conservative with the rear setback. My general contractor and I also easily pointed out a way to expand the building which allowed for a few more bedrooms across the multiple floors, things he missed completely. Is this lack of creativity normal, or should I find someone new?

I’m working on my third flip/rental project. My architect is great with technical code and dimensions, but lacks the vision.

Since I’m paying premium fees, I expected more proactive design work.

Is this typical for investor-focused architects, or should I switch?

I never worked with a different architect and I think I might want to try my luck elsewhere. How much hand-holding do you do?

[Chris Seveney]

This is not normal. You'll want to find architects specific to what you are doing, similar to doctors. There are different types of architects that specialize in different types of things and you want to find an architect who is good at home remodeling and has a vision. Typically these firms have some type of interior design component to them as well.