Jennifer Roberts

Choosing a good architect can be extremely stressful. The work that they do you will live for many years to come.

Building a home is extremely exciting and can be a really fun season of life. There is nothing better than coming home after a long day of work or even after a long vacation.

If you are going to be spending hundreds, thousands or perhaps millions of dollars on your home build or renovation, then you want to be sure that you are hiring the right team to do this for you. It can be hard to find the right architectural firms in Miami when you yourself know nothing about architecture.

Luckily for you, there are three quick and easy steps to finding the right Florida residential architect for you and your build.  

Follow along and by the end of this blog, you will know the easiest way to find the best architectural team in Florida’s most popular city.

Step number one - start asking around. You probably know someone in the area that has done something at least sort of similar. 

As there are so many architectural firms in Miami, it will not be a challenge looking for an architect. The challenging part will be finding an architect who is available to take on your project, honest, and will communicate well with you. You will need to communicate with the firm because they will be attempting to take what is in your mind and create it. This is no small feat and requires comfortable and accurate communication.

Start your search by asking friends or family for any recommendations they might have for Florida residential architects. If you do not know anyone that has used an architect recently or nearby, or if you don’t trust their recommendation, then you can take to the internet. This will at least be able to help you to get a good start. 

When you find a few architects (somewhere around three firms that meet your expectations), you will need to start interviewing them. If you were the hiring manager at your office, you would not hire the first person that walked through the door. This holds true for architecture firms. You can’t simply rely on the fact that they are an architectural firm; it does not mean that they will be able to complete YOUR project in the way that YOU imagined it.

These interviews will be your chance to ask them questions about your concerns. Some questions that you could ask might include: How long has your firm existed? What types of architecture do you usually handle? What are the fees and costs involved? Who will be personally handling my case? These questions are very important because they will give you an idea of whether or not you will want to hire this Florida residential architect. 

You may also wish to bring in some photos of projects that are similar to what you want to do. Pinterest can also be a very valuable tool when looking for ideas to spark your creativity or simply photos that are similar to what you are picturing in your mind. These photos will help the architect know what style you are looking for.

All architectural firms in Miami specialize in a certain type of architecture. Some might specialize in Spanish influenced architecture, some may specialize in modern architecture and other firms may specialize in other styles.

The reason that you might want to consider what the firm specializes in is because if you want a Spanish style home but the firm you hired specialized in modern architecture, then you might not be completely happy with the end product. A specialist will know the nuances of the specific style and will be able to deliver a far superior product.

If you follow these three important steps you will find a great architect. It can be very difficult to find a great architectural firm that you can completely trust with your home, but these three steps can help you to find the perfect firm for you.

Building a new home, or making major changes to your existing home can be very difficult for you and your family. You will almost certainly have to find a place to stay during construction, it will cost a lot of money, and it can cause you significant stress. 

While choosing a good architect can be extremely stressful, the work that they do will fortify your home for many years to come. This process is also extremely exciting and can be incredibly rewarding, especially if done right. 

As we mentioned before, if you are going to spend hundreds, thousands or maybe even several million dollars on your home build/renovation then you need to be absolutely sure that you are hiring the right architectural firm for you and your family. 

Hopefully, now you feel able to find the best architectural team. If you just follow our three quick and easy steps, then finding the right Florida residential architect for you should not be an issue.

If Marvel has taught us anything it is that nothing is complete without some hidden extras at the end. So here are some bonus tips! 

If your project is particularly large and has a rather large budget then you might be able to utilize design charettes. Design charettes are design challenges that invite architectural firms in Miami to produce creative ideas based on some of the criteria that you provide. 

A short design charette could give you a chance to not only see different architects design skills, but also a chance to maybe be inspired by their representations of your idea. You might like what they do better than what you originally had in mind. 

Another option for you is to go and tour the firm. An office is the perfect place for an architect to showcase their creativity, experience, and design specialty. If and when you do go on a tour of their office, look for things that can help to give you an idea of their collective personality and design style.