When to request pricing for your architectural plans

Architects are often great listeners and brilliant designers, but they don’t always have firsthand pricing data or building experience. It’s important to validate the scope they’ve drawn by getting pricing at two important milestones in the design process — to ensure that you can afford to build what they’ve drawn.

What are the two milestones where I should request pricing?

There are two key moments in the design process when a budgetary check is crucial to determining whether or not you should move forward:

• Preliminary Budget
  This milestone occurs once your architect has developed some basic conceptual drawings: At minimum, an ‘as-built’ or ‘existing’ plan that shows the house as it is exists today, and a proposed plan that shows what it will look like when it’s finished. The value of a preliminary budget cannot be overstated — it’s the first major check to see if the scope is aligned with your construction budget. If the budgets you receive are in line, then you’re generally clear to proceed with the rest of your design. If they’re significantly higher, you can return to the drawing board without wasting time and money on a plan you can’t afford to build.
• Final Proposal
  This milestone occurs once your architect has developed a detailed set of architectural drawings, typically including structural plans and details, and other supporting documentation. This final package serves as the detailed set of specifications upon which your final proposal will be based. If the bids you receive at this point are still in line with your construction budget, then you’re generally clear to proceed with a home improvement contract and prepare to break ground. If they’re significantly higher, it’s important not to proceed until you can determine why there’s such a large deviation — and possibly return to the design to make changes.

What if I’m working with a design/build firm?

Your architect and builder will likely have continually collaborating throughout the design process and you may not need to formally request a preliminary budget and final proposal. Even so, it’s likely that your firm will have performed some budgetary checks at each of those stages to ensure they’re on track. Once construction costs have been validated, you won’t need to spend any additional time choosing a homebuilder and can jump straight to preparing to break ground.

What if I’m taking the design-bid-build approach and I haven’t chosen a builder yet?

If you’re working with an independent architect who is not directly associated with a homebuilder, the preliminary budget and final proposal are especially crucial. While waiting to choose a homebuilder gives you the flexibility to competitively bid your project out to multiple homebuilders, it comes with the risk that your architect may have designed something you can’t afford to build. But, you won’t know for sure until you’ve gathered some informed pricing directly from builders.

As you approach the completion of some early conceptual drawings that reflect your vision for your new home, work with your architect to contact a small handful — typically not more than three — builders. Send them your as-built and proposed plans as well as any accompanying documentation (land surveys, soil reports, etc.), and any preliminary information you might have about your desired finish materials (e.g., tile, flooring, countertops, etc.).