So you’ve finally got your plans and your budget together for your dream home transformation, you’ve chosen an architect to work with you on realising that vision, and your first meeting to brief them is coming up.
Knowing how to prepare for that first briefing can be a challenge. If you’re not a serial developer, you probably haven’t had to work with an architect before. So how can you make sure you’re making the most of your time and theirs?
What to expect from your first meeting with an architect
The first step in preparing for your architect briefing is knowing what that process looks like.
Before we get stuck into anything like measured surveys or design concepts, we need to understand what it is you’re looking for. At MVA, this means an initial free consultation where we’ll come round, see the space for ourselves, and talk through your ambitions for it.
There’s a lot we need to gather during this consultation. We need to talk through your home’s daily routine, what you currently use the space for and what you’re looking to get out of it. This is also a good time to mention any non-negotiables – like the fact that your kitchen has to have an island, for example – and any luxuries you have on your wishlist, so that we can factor the most important elements into a design that fits your home transformation budget<link to budget blog>.
Don’t worry – this part of the briefing doesn’t mean you need to be ready to talk about bifolds and steels. Sometimes it’s a case of walking us through your home and talking about the problems you have with your current setup, and figuring out the details from there. Or maybe you have some inspiration from Pinterest or Instagram to use as a starting point (more on that in a moment).
Try not to keep all your questions in your head
It’s also important to remember that this meeting isn’t just for us to ask you a ton of questions. You’ll almost certainly have plenty of your own, and our first consultation is just as much about you getting the answers you need from us.
There’s never any harm in writing down your questions and running them through with us one by one. If there’s anything you forget or think of later, we’re always happy to answer them in an email or to pick up the phone and talk them through, but the earlier you can ask, the easier you’ll find the process.
Look for realistic inspiration
Back to those inspirational Pinterest boards we mentioned a moment ago.
Grabbing design ideas from somewhere like Pinterest or Instagram is a great way to start picturing what your space could look like, and to give us a clear picture of the aesthetic in your mind. But one key thing to remember is these are more about getting a style reference than a fixed idea of what the room is going to look like.
When you’re gathering inspiration for your space, pay attention to the footprint you’re working with and look for something similar. It’s no use showing your architect a photo of the perfect family room and saying “I want mine to look like this” if creating it means fitting a square design into a rectangular floor plan.
Be as clear as possible about your design budget
Going into your first architect briefing, you also need to have a rough idea of your budget for the design project<link to budget blog>. It’s fine if you don’t have an exact figure ready, but you do need to be able to say what ballpark we’re working in at least.
The clearer we are on your budget, the better sense we’ll have of what’s possible with the space. If a project goes over because the budget turns out to be less than what was suggested upfront, it’s not just the client who’s gutted – no architect or builder likes to strip out carefully crafted design elements at the last minute.
Talking honestly about your budget with your architect also gives you a chance to think about whether what you currently have to spend can give you exactly what you want, or if it would be better to hold your fire and save a little more to really tick all the boxes.
For example, you might currently have £50,000 and find that will give you a three metre extension at the rear. But if you were really dreaming of four metres, do you want to spend your whole budget getting most of that or would you rather wait a little longer and avoid the compromise?
Look ahead to seeing your designs
Although design concepts come later, it’s worth bearing them in mind at the briefing stage. These sorts of projects can easily get held up when clients don’t know what they should be feeding back on or how to respond, so it pays to keep it in mind ahead of time.
So first of all, you can start by looking forward to it! Getting your design concepts back from your architect is a big step towards seeing your vision for your home come to life, so by all means be excited about having your drawings or 3D models in hand.
As for giving feedback, clarity and honesty are always the most important aspects. If there are elements of the designs that you don’t like, we won’t take that personally – the way you live and use your home is unique, and it’s you who needs to be happy with what the result looks like.
If there are things you don’t like or want to change, it’s also important that you tell your architect why. It might point to something that wasn’t originally in the brief but you’ve since realised you wanted – like space for a pantry in a rear extension – or it may be that you simply need reassurance about something.
For example, we often hear clients say that a pitched roof is a must-have because they’re worried a flat roof will leak, but a lot of people don’t realise that modern flat roofs don’t have the same problems that older ones do.
If we know that’s the reason behind you asking for a pitched roof, then we can have a conversation about what the best solution is for your project.
At My Village Architects, we put as much thought into making your experience with us smooth and stress free as we do into the designs we create. If you’re ready to bring your vision for your home to life, get in touch to see how we can help.