To avoid this, it’s best to appoint a representative to be your key decision maker, ensuring everyone is on the same page and that there is an established chain of command. In our experience, this is best achieved with your architect.
Regardless of what you might have initially thought, an architect should always be involved beyond handing over the plans for a permit. In order to ensure the finished product is the exact representation of your vision, they should always be involved in the construction process, providing advice and collaborating with the builder where required.
Appointing them as a key decision maker takes this one step further. With over a decade of architectural building experience, we’ve seen time and time again what a difference this can make to both the process and end result. Having a key decision maker will remove a source of stress for you as the client, while also establishing a clear point of contact for regular progress updates and any questions you may have.
Internally, it will prevent confusion and miscommunication amongst designers, trades and contractors, while also creating a point of contact for your builder – they’ll know who to turn to with questions or when decisions need to be made.
This doesn’t mean a loss of autonomy – you will still be making the important calls and have full control of your home, but with the added benefit of an expert in the form of your architect. With specialist knowledge and access to the full scope of work and available information, an architect can make an informed decision that’s going to benefit your home in the long run.
However, this appointment won’t work if your builder and architect don’t have a strong rapport. Therefore, when choosing a builder and architect to work with, it’s worth checking if they have any preferred partners, or if not, what their communication styles are like. The last thing your project needs is a builder and architect who can’t get their points across!
One way to ensure strong lines of communication is to bring both parties on board at the same time. If both parties are engaged from the initial stages, they will be able to pool their expertise, linking the architect’s creativity with the builder’s practicality to ensure a high end renovation that you’ll enjoy for decades to come.
At TCON, we have over a decade of experience in partnering with some of Melbourne’s best architects. Get in touch today to see how we can help bring your vision to life.
WHERE WE BUILD AND WHAT WE BUILD?
TCON has its office in Surrey Hills and the main suburbs we build are Canterbury, Camberwell, Hawthorn, Hawthorn East, Balwyn, Kew, Deepdene and Glen Iris which are all located in Boroondara. Our architectural work provides further large-scale projects in suburbs like Brighton and Toorak. Our team is large and established and we specialise in Heritage renovations and extensions, which many are typically incorporating Basements. We have an incredibly talented team who enjoy the large-scale work and when we build basements, we build them quickly and keep them water tight (also called a “dry basement”). If this sounds similar to what you’re looking to build, then contact TCON today.
