HOME STYLE / Remodeling : Architect May Be Key to Remodeling Success

North County contractor Mac McCarter has built dozens of homes designed by top San Diego architects. But when it came to doubling the size of his own house, he found out that designing isn’t as easy as some architects make it look.

“I tried to come up with something, and I just struggled,” McCarter says. “We were looking at the little things and not the big picture. Then we hired an architect, and his first shot was perfect.”

Employing an architect, even for a small job, makes especially good sense for the person planning to keep a home for several years. If there’s a possibility of additional expansion, an architect can map out phases that maintain a home’s design integrity.

“If you just plug on a room and don’t spend for the design, you may not recoup the total construction cost when you resell,” says San Marcos architect Michele McLain, president of the North County section of the San Diego American Institute of Architects chapter.

“If a remodel adds to the total theme of the design and improves the entire feeling of the rest of the house, you’ve upgraded the house, not just one end of it.”

McLain uses her sister’s 1920s Craftsman-style home as an example. It was moved to a large lot in San Marcos from Escondido 10 years ago, and McLain recently designed a $55,000 addition that blends with the original.

“The original house was two small bedrooms, a bath, a small living room, a kitchen and a very large room at the back that they didn’t use much because it was too cold and out of the way,” McLain says. “I added a winding stairway in that room and built a second story over it. We ended up with a big master bedroom/bath loft, including a tub in a dormer window and a little deck. And with the stairs and other architectural features, we made that dead downstairs room into something attractive and usable.”

For those shopping for an existing home they expect to remodel, Del Mar architect John Nalevanko recommends hiring an architect before buying, preferably one familiar with North County.

“He or she can help you avoid a lot of trouble if you are thinking about doing something to the house in the future,” Nalevanko says. “You can hire an architect to look into zoning, height limits and the potential for blocking a neighbor’s view.

“Architects can visualize the potential of raw land or something you might want to buy and fix up. Over and over, I see cases where people do not hire a local architect, and they buy thinking they can add on. Then when they try, neighbors get upset over view blockage issues. In cities like Del Mar, they can deter you from doing anything to your house.”

Finding an architect who is a match for your tastes and project involves doing some research.

“One way is just looking at houses, finding ones you like and finding out who did them. Then talk to people that architect worked for,” McCarter said.

Many are listed in the telephone directory. The local office of the American Institute of Architects can provide the names of architects who specialize in residential work. Member architects are licensed in the state of California. They have access to a variety of educational programs, such as lectures on new design ideas, building codes and energy conservation.

McLain recommends interviewing at least three architects before hiring one, and says that your gut reaction to them is as important as their experience and fees.

“Especially with a residential project, you want to be able to get along with that person,” she says. “You’ll spend anywhere from a few hours for a minor addition to several months for a major remodel, working with your architect, so it is essential to have good, positive communications.”

Finally, that least favorite of topics: costs. Most architects determine their fees in one of two ways: They bill by the hour, or charge a percentage of a project’s cost.

Architects who specialize in residential design generally charge $55 to $95 an hour, or 6% to 15% of the construction cost.

McCarter recommends investing some trust along with your hard-earned money.

“What I’ve seen is, almost every time homeowners enforce their artistic wants on a project and overrule the architect, they regret it later,” he says. “It could be the color or it could be something functional in the house.

“That’s a dangerous statement, though. You can’t just let an architect run wild, because some of them do.”