In this episode, we take on a question we hear all the time: do you really need an architect? We explain that the answer is yes and no, because it depends on the type of project, the location, and what the homeowner is trying to achieve. Some jurisdictions require an architect for certain residential projects, especially when zoning analysis, change of use, or larger homes are involved. In places like Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and some municipalities in Ohio, even smaller projects may need an architect because of local rules.
From there, we shift the conversation from whether someone needs an architect to whether they should hire one. We compare it to hiring a chef. A homeowner can move forward without an architect, but that does not mean they will get the best possible result. We argue that architects add value through design vision, problem solving, and spatial efficiency. We discuss how builders and draftspeople can produce drawings, but architects are trained to see missed opportunities, improve layouts, reduce wasted space, and create homes that respond to the site, the sun, and the way a family actually lives.
We also spend time addressing cost. We explain that architectural fees vary by region and by level of service. A full custom service may include everything from drawings and selections to construction administration, while a reduced scope may leave more responsibility to the homeowner or builder. We make the point that cutting the architect’s role does not make the work disappear. Someone still has to answer questions, solve problems, coordinate decisions, and guide the project. If the architect is not doing that work, the homeowner or builder is.
Another major theme is guidance. We talk about the architect as a steady partner through a stressful and complicated process. Beyond design, architects help homeowners make decisions, manage expectations, communicate with family members, and stay calm during difficult moments. We also note that some people know exactly what they want and may only need a draftsman or builder-led process. But for homeowners who want a highly customized result, close attention to detail, and a home with lasting value, an architect can make a major difference. Architects help create homes that are not just trendy, but thoughtful, timeless, and built to age well.
(00:00) Intro
(00:43) When an architect is legally required
(03:19) Need versus should hire an architect
(04:11) Design vision and why blueprints are not enough
(06:10) Site specific design and planning
(07:26) The cost of hiring an architect
(09:56) What happens when services are reduced
(13:04) Architects and builders as project partners
(13:29) Guidance through the full process
(15:00) The architect’s role in decision making and communication
(18:28) Knowing yourself, your time, and your standards
(20:51) Off the rack versus custom tailored design
(21:38) Long term value and avoiding trend driven design
(23:18) Outro and how to connect
Sheri Scott (00:00):
Hi, and welcome to a snack-sized episode of Home: The Second Story. I'm Sheri Scott with Springhouse Architects in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Marilyn Moedinger (00:09):
And I'm Marilyn Moedinger of Runcible Studios in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Boston, Massachusetts. And today, we're talking about that time-honored question: do I need an architect? We hear it all the time. Even though we're architects, people are asking us, “Do we need you?” And the answer is: yes and no.
Sheri Scott (00:31):
Yeah, it depends. That's so many things. So many things, we're like, “Well, it depends. Call me.”
Marilyn Moedinger (00:36):
It depends, call me.
[Laughter]
Can we just always say that?
Sheri Scott (00:43):
Yeah. That's our whole podcast. It depends. It depends on the size of project, type of project – in general, I would say there are two different ways you can decide this. Number one, is it required? Some states, some municipalities in general require architects for residential architecture. You have to find out where you are, if that's required.
Commercial architecture, 100% always has to have an architect, no question. But we're focusing on residential. So, there is an option there for you to decide if you want one, unless it's required in your area.
Marilyn Moedinger (01:29):
It may be required in some funny ways. So, it's often required above a certain size house or a type of project. So, in our Boston projects, it's often required even for the smallest projects because we need to do a zoning analysis. And the jurisdiction wants to see an architect do the zoning analysis and then also do the drawings that go along with the permit and all that.
So, a lot of times, even on small projects that it seems like why would you need an architect for? And it doesn't hit those minimum size thresholds that the state requires, the city, like Boston or Cambridge or Somerville might require it because of the complication of the zoning analysis.
Sheri Scott (02:13):
Could they do just the zoning analysis and not use you for the entire project? I mean, technically?
Marilyn Moedinger (02:21):
If it is controlled construction, they have to use an architect throughout the project. So, what is controlled construction, you might ask? So, in the state of Massachusetts, that means that an architect has to sign an affidavit at the beginning and the end saying that they prepared all the drawings, and at the end, that they fulfilled all the requirements required by the state of an architect on a project.
So, that's always required for commercial work and larger residential. It's required for change of use. So, even if you had-
Sheri Scott (02:53):
Same here.
Marilyn Moedinger (02:55):
So, it isn't just like, “Oh, the state requires it on houses above 10,000 square feet.” There might be other little things.
Sheri Scott (03:03):
And close to us here, we have a community that just the municipality requires every residential to be signed by an architect. And it's really just because they want high quality work done in their community.
Marilyn Moedinger (03:19):
That’s right. So, let's talk about the question I always ... so when people say, “Do I need an architect?” I'm like, “Well, should you use an architect?” That's a better question. Like do you need a chef to cook you dinner? No. But will it be better than if you do it? Probably.
Sheri Scott (03:37):
Sure is nice. Yeah.
Marilyn Moedinger (03:38):
Like you're not going to die of food poisoning if you don't have a chef prepare dinner or you prepare your own dinner, that's not what we're talking about. We're not talking about the most dire situation, we're talking about value for your money.
Sheri Scott (03:50):
And when it could make a big difference.
Marilyn Moedinger (03:52):
That’s right. So, it's not just about like, “Oh, will my building fall down if I don't use an architect?” Well, no, probably not, but you're not going to get the full value out of your project. So, that's why I like to turn it to, well, should you use an architect? What are your goals? What are you hoping to achieve? And that's a better question.
Sheri Scott (04:11):
And I would say that architects help with one of the main pieces is design vision. We have people call us all the time and are looking for … the highlighted word is blueprints. Like can you make us some blueprints? We know what we want, we know what the floor plan is, we know what we want it to look like, we just need blueprints.
And there are plenty of architects/designers that do that work. But these days, we're like, yeah, we're probably not the person for you. We really want to help people with design vision and solving problems for them.
Marilyn Moedinger (04:53):
I agree. And by the way, blueprints haven't been used in the profession for 30 years. So-
Sheri Scott (04:58):
(Laughs) I know. We love seeing them.
Marilyn Moedinger (05:00):
I know. They smell. They have a certain smell. It's from back in the day.
Well, let's talk about that for a second (not the blueprints part), the part about design vision.
So, I've been on plenty of projects where — so I do a lot of design consulting.
So, I'll work with someone who might be working directly with a builder and they hire me for one or two sessions to kind of finesse their concept or look over their drawings, not for code stuff, but for opportunities they might be missing.
And every single time, there's weird stuff that a builder has drawn because a builder is a builder, not an architect. Just like an architect is an architect, not a builder. They're separate professions. They're separate expertises.
So, when I do these consults and I'm meeting with people, usually houses are way too big, and they're sort of planned really inefficiently. Like they might have long, weird hallways, there might be weird leftover space. So, oftentimes, we can cut the size of the house down by 30 percent or some significant number, but it actually gets better.
Sheri Scott (06:10):
Yes, I totally agree with that. The spatial awareness and the things that come with doing this for so many years and only focusing on one craft really makes a difference in the final product. The other thing that we like to say is different is you can't put the houses we design just anywhere. Like we design the house to the site.
So, do you have a flat site? Is it long and open? Are you on the side of a hill? Where's the sun orientation? We start with all of those things. So, we have people come in and they have inspiration from an internet plan.
Nothing wrong with internet plans. Some of them are very well-designed, but we still want to take a step back and say, “Okay, where is this sitting? Are you in the middle of a suburban neighborhood where you can't orient the house? Are you in the middle of 120 acres or 10 acres where you have options of where you place it, how you orient it?”
Those are the kinds of things that we like to get into that buying a plan or getting blueprints drafted, they don't get into that.
Marilyn Moedinger (07:26):
That’s right. And let's talk about the other big elephant in the room when it comes to hiring an architect, which is cost. So, a lot of people don't want to hire an architect because it's going to cost them too much money. So, a custom architect for full custom services for a custom house, custom, custom, custom is going to be 15 to 20% of the cost of construction.
Sheri Scott (07:47):
We are 12 to 14%, but that's Ohio. That's a difference there.
Marilyn Moedinger (07:53):
Well, also, we might be including different levels of service. So, we are providing every single selection, we are going with the owners to the showrooms, we are picking absolutely everything out down to the hinges on the shower and specking that out in the drawings.
So, ours is full, full, full service with full CA. So, full constructions, all through construction. But yes, to your point, prices are different in different places.
Sheri Scott (08:21):
There are ranges.
Marilyn Moedinger (08:23):
Yeah, there are ranges. And we do a lot of renovations and renovations have a higher cost.
Sheri Scott (08:31):
Absolutely. It is harder, more time, yes.
Marilyn Moedinger (08:35):
Yap, they’re a lot harder. So, a new build is cheaper on every front than a renovate, like a full gut renovation. And so, this is a good point to say like, “Oh, well, Sheri's 12 to 14%, Marilyn's 15 to 20%, well, obviously, we should go with Sheri because she's going to give us a cheaper price.”
But no, you have to compare what is Sheri providing? What is Marilyn providing? You have to compare it apples to apples. I've provided services as low as 3%, but that's a totally different level of service (laughs).
Sheri Scott (09:08):
Exactly. And I don't know how you do it, Marilyn. Again, every architect is different. But we do talk to clients and say, “If there are services that we provide, we can talk about that.” Like if our scope is too large for what you really want and what you need based on your experience or your builder or things like that, let's have a conversation about it.
And less often are we reducing our services because we truly believe that that is the best solution for people, for us to be involved the whole way through. But we do have that conversation and there are instances where we do. We end up coming down off of that percentage by reducing our workload, not just by reducing our price.
Marilyn Moedinger (09:56):
And we largely don’t, we largely pass on those projects. It's just not a good fit for us. We want to do this full service, but it's absolutely worth having that conversation.
Well, on top of that, the different level of service, like let's say you met with that client and then they said, “You know what, yeah, we'll go with reduced services with you and we will handle the construction side of things. We don't need you to do CA services” is what it would be called. “So, we don't need the architect, Sheri. We don't need you during construction.”
Well, then my question is, who is doing that work? Because there is real work. You're not cutting the architect's fee and then magically the work also goes away. The work has to be done by someone. And if the builder's doing it, the builder will charge you more. And if the builder isn't doing it, then the homeowner has to do it.
Sheri Scott (10:51):
And we've talked to several people like that. They've said that.
Marilyn Moedinger (10:55):
And many people overestimate their abilities or their time to be able to do that. It's a ton of work.
Sheri Scott (11:07):
Yeah, a ton of work. And I tell people, you're a professional and an expert at what you do. You don't have the time or I'm sure they have the capabilities. I have very smart clients. But they don't have the time to learn everything that they have to learn in time to avoid costly mistakes. And I think that's where you were going with, like what does it cost to hire an architect? Well, what does it cost not to?
Marilyn Moedinger (11:35):
Yeah, absolutely. And when you're looking at how builders charge. So, where I work up and down the East Coast, builders charge for their work. And then there's a line item that says profit 15%. So, they are charging for the cost of the work. They're paying all their guys, they're paying the subs, they're paying their overhead, and then there's a line item that says profit 15%.
Sheri Scott (12:02):
Yes. And isn't that smart (laughs)?
Marilyn Moedinger (12:05):
I am charging 15% and that includes all of my stuff.
Sheri Scott (12:10):
All of our costs.
Marilyn Moedinger (12:12):
So, why don't people push back on the builder? This is my eternal controversial opinion. And by the way: I used to be a general contractor building homes. So I have been on that side. For real, why don't people know and push back on us then, but they would push back on the architect.
And I'm like, they're like, “Well, we don't think you deserve 15%.” I'm like, “Do you want to know what my profit margin is on that 15%?” Like your builder is charging 15% on top of after he's paid his guys. I am taking 15% and paying everybody.
Sheri Scott (12:43):
Right. Because those are all line items. Yeah, those are all line items in the construction cost, which (and I know you believe this too) builders’ jobs are very hard and I'm not trying to take anything away from them. Just saying why negotiate our work down when it doesn't go both ways.
Marilyn Moedinger (13:04):
When it doesn't go both ways or when you're not understanding that that 15%, we are working our butts off within that and we have to have our profit be within that. And I think that good builders understand that really well, and good builders encourage homeowners to have a really good architect because good builders know that their job is so much easier when there's a good architect (laughs).
Sheri Scott (13:29):
And we’re a partner. We're a partner in the project. Yes, 100%. I have many builders that we work with that way.
The other thing that I think is very important, that we at my firm, we focus on endlessly is guiding people through the process. It is a tough process from very beginning, very first meeting, all the way through moving in. There are so many decisions, so many moving parts, so many different people, contractors, people trying to spend your money, that to have one guiding force through that entire process is priceless. It really is.
If you talk to people that have been through a project with a good architect, they will tell you that we guide them through and there's one point of contact. Now, the builder has a lot of responsibility and there is a point where it kind of tips so that the builder is more responsible and probably more leading the project.
But for that same person being in there and being consistently guiding you and helping you and answering dumb questions, like you're going to end up having a lot of dumb questions. And I always say this is where we are, this is okay. This is the point of the process and ask away and I'll try to explain it.
Marilyn Moedinger (14:60):
Absolutely. And you know the other thing that they’re providing, which is a big help for the builders – so the builders can focus on building and managing the subs and dealing with all of the complication and the craziness that happens there.
We are not only answering the little dumb questions that we want and we welcome from our homeowner clients, but we're also providing basically therapeutic services.
[Laughter]
So, there's sort of a joke amongst custom residential architects that a lot of what we do is marriage counseling, family counseling, communication counseling, like that kind of stuff. And we laugh about it, but it's true.
So, there's someone guiding you not just on the, oh my gosh, this faucet that we loved is now discontinued what do we do? But there's also someone guiding you through the dark times. I just heard this the other day where we're in a tough spot in a project, totally normal. But I see it as totally normal because I've been here a thousand times.
But I can recognize when my homeowners are getting nervous or it's just feeling really overwhelming and I can come in and say, “I have never not finished a project. I have never not seen a homeowner thrilled with the result. Stick it out. You're going to be fine, I promise you. It's going to be a little scary, but you're going to be okay.” (Laughs)
And that kind of boost and also helping people make decisions between couples, navigating families. We do a lot of multigenerational work. How do you navigate all that? And we're there as a third party trained to help people do that.
The builder is not. The builder needs to focus on building. We are trained to do something different, and you want to move into your house and be like, “Wow, that was tough, but I'm so happy.” And we're all talking to each other still (laughs).
Sheri Scott (17:00):
Yes, yes. And there are parts I love and can't live without now.
Marilyn Moedinger (17:05):
That's right. So, do I need an architect? I mean, obviously, we're biased and we would say yes.
Sheri Scott (17:15):
Not every project, honestly.
Marilyn Moedinger (17:18):
I think every single project could benefit from an architect (laughs), but that doesn't mean they need one (laughs).
Sheri Scott (17:23):
True. They don't need one, really. I mean, we tell people a lot (well, not a lot). We get calls and they describe what they're looking for. And I could spend this same 20 minutes that we're spending on this podcast explaining to them why it would be best for them to have an architect. But most times, people know what they need and what they want.
Marilyn Moedinger (17:50):
It's very true.
Sheri Scott (17:51):
If they're pretty clear, like, “Hey, I know what I want. I know what I want it to look like. I have this floor plan. I just need somebody to draw it up.” I say you probably want to just go back to Google and look up a draftsman or a designer, or start with a builder first and they will have some connection or drafting service that they work with.
You're not going to get any of those services. And some people know that. And that is what their budget is, and that is what services they're looking for. So, there's room for everybody.
Marilyn Moedinger (18:28):
There's room for everybody. And I think something really crucial that you said there and that I really want to draw out is that people have to know themselves. So, if someone says, “I know myself …” A lot of my clients are coming to me and they'll say, “I know myself and I know I need more handholding.”
“I know myself and I know that I own a business, my wife owns a business, we have five kids, like we do not have time to eat a proper dinner most nights, much less like deal with all this other stuff.” So, they are willing to pay for someone to take that off their plate so that it goes faster, it gets done, they can move in and they can continue enjoying life with their family.
But there's also people knowing themselves in terms of what level of aesthetic and most of our clients are very, very picky. They're very particular. And that works really well for us because I'm picky in particular as well.
So, it's important if you are that kind of person who you walk into a room and you can tell if a window is one inch off, or you can tell if the tile is like slightly tilted and 99 out of 100 people will not be able to see that, then you need an architect. You need a really good architect, not just any architect – but you need one who is going to meet you at your level of detail and execution.
Because even the best builder in the world can't read minds and needs drawings to tell them what to do. And I've seen those projects where they try to do that and it’s a mess.
Sheri Scott (20:06):
And we have those conversations with clients about the one inch off window. I had a client recently, their house is being built right now, and I was nervous about releasing the construction documents because he told me many times, “Sheri, if there's a window off center, it is not going to be good,” because he is that person and he let me know.
And we did scour those drawings for exact sight lines, exact center lines. We accounted for the half inch of drywall that was going to come on where we really dimensioned to the studs. There are things to go through to make it that level of quality that people are looking for.
Marilyn Moedinger (20:51):
It's the difference between buying a suit off the rack or having a suit custom tailored.
Sheri Scott (20:57):
Yep. Great point.
Marilyn Moedinger (20:58):
You know, you buy the right size off the rack, you'll still look great. And there's one in the middle where you buy the suit off the rack and you take it to a tailor and get some adjustments, so there's that. But if you want a full custom suit that is exactly the way you want it, down to every single detail, because we can do whatever.
The only thing that stops us is money and time. Well, and gravity and code. But as far as things that we can control (laughs). So, if you know that you're going to want the custom suit level, then go for that. If you're like, I want a suit off the rack and I'm going to tailor it or whatever. You guys get what I'm saying (laughs).
Sheri Scott (21:38):
I mean, and the last point I want to make on this is long-term value. I think that architects truly add long-term value. It's not the hottest trend. Even if it is the hottest trend, it's in a way that's going to live well with you and grow with you and change.
There's a lot to be said for long-term value in a home that should last forever, even if it's not for your family. Like buildings last forever, they should. Not all of our buildings will these days, but they should, and we should design for that.
Marilyn Moedinger (22:16):
I agree. And especially in a world where Instagram and Pinterest are now basically full of AI renderings, which aren't even real. It's so easy for anyone to crank out a bunch of unrealistic images that are so trendy. It's like the fast fashion of design trends; they change so fast.
And if you're sort of in that world and you're basing the design of your home on a bunch of viral AI images instead of tried and true design principles that people have been in the industry for decades understand and can translate to aesthetics that are fresh and don't look dated but are also, in one year, you're not going to look and go, “Ooh, that was like seven Instagram trends ago, and I don't like it anymore.”
And that's what we're here to do, is to help translate that stuff into something that's timeless for people.
Sheri Scott (23:17):
Well said.
Marilyn Moedinger (23:18):
Thanks for joining us today on Home: The Second Story for a quick snack. Questions for us, topics you'd like to cover, or are you interested in being a guest? Reach out at admin@htsspodcast.com, and follow us on Instagram. See you next time.
[Music Playing]
Voiceover (23:32):
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