How to work with an architect on a new home or renovation

According to the New Zealand Institute of Architects, "The architect’s role is to guide their client through design, planning and construction, to bring value for money through design and to provide peace of mind.

In fact, every architect has a social responsibility to design buildings that not only consider the needs and enjoyment of the client, but also take into account the specifics of the site and surrounding environment and community.

New Zealand architects are highly trained and passionate about their work. They uphold longstanding traditions of creativity, innovation and professional excellence. They also use the latest technology to craft enduring buildings that will reward those who use them well into the future.

A good architect adds value to a project. An architect’s training, well-honed creative skills and broad technical knowledge allow them to design buildings that can be integrated into the built and natural environments at every scale and budget."

"Architect" is a protected term—only registered architects can use the term, but in New Zealand it is often used loosely.

To become a registered architect, practitioners must first complete an architecture degree before passing a challenging registration process that requires practical experience and ongoing professional development requirements.

Registered architects must comply with strict criteria for insurance, health and safety and quality management systems.

An architecture degree in New Zealand requires five years of study, and architectural graduates need to then gain considerable work experience before deciding to take part in the registration process.

Without completing this registration process, architectural graduates (or anyone else) cannot call themselves an architect. 

In the case of Herriot Melhuish O'Neill Architects, you’ll have a free initial consultation with one of the directors to discuss your project, and they'll explain process, timing and fees.

Every HMOA director is a registered architect. The director you meet with will be the lead architect on the project and will remain involved throughout the design and delivery of your new home or renovation.

This phase of the project is called PRE-DESIGN.

Working together, the HMOA director will gain a sense of what you are after for your new home; your wish-list, must-haves, what you don’t like, and how you like to live.

You'll get together, often more than once, to develop a brief and to collect information about the site, including relevant planning rules. HMOA will visit your site to confirm things like site conditions, sun paths, position of views, neighbouring buildings and landforms. 

Your site will need to be surveyed before the design phase can begin – HMOA can help facilitate this.

Here's what to discuss with your architect when developing the brief:

• budget

• expectations of floor area

• number of bedrooms

• aspect/outlook—priorities for sun and views

• accessibility, e.g. future-proofing for later in life or accommodating family with accessibility issues

• potential for additions at a later stage or flexibility of spaces

• outdoor living and landscaping

• target completion date

• garaging and outbuildings

• ventilation/air-conditioning, heating

• materials—is sustainability a key issue for you? How eco-friendly do you want to be?

CONCEPT DESIGN is the second phase in the design process. Once the brief is finalised and everyone is happy, we’ll prepare concept sketch plans and a computer model.

What Herriot Melhuish O'Neill Architects will present to you:

• a site plan, showing the position of the house in relationship to the site, views, and contours

• proposed floor plans (1:100 scale)

• computer model, rendered views (and cardboard model if required)

Concept plans may be re-worked as necessary until we have a scheme you are happy with. At this stage, analysis is done or contact is made with the local council planner to establish whether a resource consent is required. A rough estimate of costs will be discussed, but only based on square metre rates.

Once the concept plans are approved by you, the design is developed in more detail in consultation with external consultants, including a structural engineer. This phase is called DEVELOPING THE DESIGN / PRELIMINARY DESIGN.

At the conclusion of this phase, before proceeding with the full detailed design drawings and specifications, Herriot Melhuish O'Neill Architects recommends that residential clients engage the services of a quantity surveyor to estimate a full breakdown of costs.

HMOA architects coordinate these consultants and gather fee proposals for you.

When this stage of the design has been confirmed, and if a resource consent is required, HMOA puts together the necessary documentation and writes an Assessment of Environmental Effects for neighbours to sign-off on.

HMOA then lodges the consent with the local council. If neighbours are happy to sign-off, and the project is not publicly notified, it will take a minimum of four weeks for the council to process this documentation (although it can often take longer).

This next phase is called DETAILED DESIGN AND DOCUMENTATION and involves the preparation of all the working drawings and specifications required for applying for a building consent, tendering the project and for construction.

It is the architect's role to lodge the building consent. These usually take a minimum of four weeks for the council to process and approve. This can vary depending on council workloads and the complexity of the project.

This is the PROCUREMENT / TENDERING & NEGOTIATION phase.

Finding a builder

HMOA recommends that at least three builders tender for your project. We can advise and manage this process. 

Depending on the scale of the job, builders are usually given three to four weeks to price.

Additional time is usually required for negotiation and confirmation of the contract between you and the successful builder. With some projects, it is better to negotiate with one suitable builder. This can speed up the process and provide more surety on cost and quality.

Contract Management when you are building a new house

We always recommend the New Zealand Institute of Architects Standard Construction Contract (NZIA SCC) is used.

On projects with difficult time constraints, and/or when builders are very busy, we recommend engaging a contractor as soon as possible for a negotiated and/or partial tender process.

During the CONSTRUCTION PHASE, architects play a pivotal role by:

• administering the contract between you and the builder

• responding to the builder’s queries

• issuing all instructions to the builder

• certifying all payments to the builder

• processing all contract variations

• carrying out site observation

• coordinating regular site meetings

Administration and site observation by a registered architect during this phase will save you time and money.

In the POST CONSTRUCTION phase, once the Practical Completion Certificate is obtained and a list of remedial work compiled, the architect will make a further site visit to check on the builder’s progress and deal with any issues. 

This Defects Liability Period usually takes three months.

During this time, final accounts are processed, and a Final Certificate of Payment is issued once the builder has achieved Final Completion.

Registered architects' involvement during the construction stage is strongly recommended as it is a critical, though often misunderstood, part of the design, cost management and quality control process.

Architects can offer to reduce their level of involvement if the client is happy to take on more responsibility/liability and some of the day-to-day administration and paperwork.