In addition to hiring an Hobe Sounds architects for the production of construction documents (drawings and specifications) for a home improvement project or a new house, the architect can be a real resource in protecting the owner from the very difficult process which is a construction project. Besides being.
Well-versed in the construction process, an experienced architect knows intimately the pitfalls of construction and has a working knowledge of construction law and, in my case, Florida lien law.
An architect can make real suggestions for protecting the homeowner for an unscrupulous or inexperienced contractor.When an architect is hired to provide services during construction, he/she will generally:
Shop drawings provided by the contractor or subcontractor, through the general contractor, show the manufacturer’s information on the actual material and sometimes his recommendations on how the material should be installed. When a contractor asks permission to substitute one product for another, the architect would make sure that the products are equivalent items.
The architect who is hired for services during the construction phase will review the pay requests and make sure that what the client is getting is what is in the permitted drawings. When he/she goes to the site, the architect can make sure that what was submitted in the shop drawings is really what is being installed in the field. In addition, the architect can make sure that the contractor is not “front-loading” the schedule of material and labor costs.
Front-loading means that the contractor is trying to secretly collect more money up front by stating that items which are to be installed first actually cost more than they do. In other words, he will put in more money for the steel for the footings and the concrete than what they actually cost so that he can put more money in his pocket at the beginning of the job.
By providing these four services during the construction phase, the architect will help the homeowner avoid a dispute with the general contractor or his subs. It is easier to AVOID a dispute with contractor than to try to fix a dispute once it starts.
