Should I use a design-build firm or hire an architect first?

Neither choice is wrong. Use a design-build firm when you want one team accountable for design, price and construction. Hire an architect first when you want independent drawings you can take to several builders, or when the design itself is the hard part. In Virginia, the legal requirement is not to pick one route over the other but to make sure whoever builds is a licensed contractor and whoever designs is licensed when a licence is required.

When a design-build firm fits

Design-build tends to suit projects where budget and schedule are the main worries and the design is fairly conventional: a kitchen or bathroom remodel, a basement, a typical addition. One firm prices options while the design is still flexible, so you hear early when a wish list is outgrowing the budget. There is one contract and one point of contact when something goes wrong, instead of an architect and a builder each pointing at the other.

The trade-off is independence. The firm designing the project is also the firm building it, so there is no separate designer advocating for your design against the builder's convenience, and no competition on the construction price once you have chosen. Ask to see finished projects like yours, talk to past clients and get the contract terms in writing. See how a design-build contract works and whether design-build costs more.

When to hire an architect first

An architect first suits a project where design quality matters more than speed: an unusual site, a significant addition, a historic house, a project where you want to decide how it looks and feels before talking about price. You end up with a set of drawings that belong to you, which you can use to collect bids. DPOR advises getting at least three written bids or estimates using identical plans and specifications,^[5] and complete drawings are what make that comparison possible.

You may not need an architect at all

In Virginia the choice is sometimes between design-build and a builder with a draftsperson, not an architect. No architect or professional engineer licence is required for people who prepare plans, specifications, documents and designs for single- and two-family homes, townhouses and multifamily dwellings, excluding electrical and mechanical systems, not exceeding three stories, provided the documents bear the name and address of the author and his occupation.^[1] The exemption leaves out electrical and mechanical systems,^[1] so those parts have their own rules. Your building department decides what it needs to issue a permit: see do I need an architect for a home addition in Virginia.

How the licensing works in a design-build project

An architect or professional engineer licensed under Virginia law does not need a contractor licence to bid on or negotiate a design-build contract or to perform services other than construction services under it, but the construction services under such a contract can only be rendered by a licensed contractor.^[2] A licensed contractor does not need an architect, engineer or land surveyor licence to bid on or negotiate a design-build contract or to perform services under it other than architectural, engineering or land surveying services, and those services can only be rendered by an architect, professional engineer or land surveyor licensed under Virginia law.^[3]

So a contractor-led firm should be able to name the licensed architect or engineer doing its design, and an architect-led firm should be able to name the licensed contractor building it. Ask for both, then look them up.

Questions to ask either way

• Who is licensed, with what licence number and class, and who is responsible if the design and the build disagree?
• What does the design fee cover, and do you keep the drawings if you stop there?
• How will construction be priced, and what changes the price?
• Who applies for the permit? Any person applying to the building department for the construction, removal or improvement of a structure must furnish, before the permit is issued, satisfactory proof that the person is duly licensed or certified as a Virginia contractor, or file a written statement that the person is not subject to licensure.^[4]

When to call a licensed pro

Remodeling that involves structural changes, additions, new electrical, plumbing or mechanical work is a job for licensed professionals in Virginia, whichever route you choose. DPOR also says that by hiring a licensed contractor you become eligible to receive monetary compensation from the Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund in case of improper or dishonest conduct.^[5] Check the licence before you pay a deposit, and see what a general contractor does on a home project.

Browse remodeling services, read more remodeling answers, or describe your project once to get proposals from licensed local businesses.