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Building a new home or undertaking extensive renovations at your Auckland property can be exciting but if you have never built before it can be easy to make mistakes. A qualified architect can help transform your dream home ideas into a workable plan easing the stress of your building project. However with such a lot at stake it is important to feel comfortable with your architect so here are four tips for creating a productive working relationship.

Be clear about your expectations

Your architect can only respond to your choices and ideas if you communicate them clearly. If you are too vague, then you risk getting a design that does not truly reflect what you want in your new home or renovations.

You also need to be clear about budgets and time constraints to make sure your architect comes up with a feasible design.

Remember they are the professional

While it is your prerogative to set the style and layout of your new home, remember that your architect is a professional and will have undertaken training as part of their career.

They will know if something simply isn't practical or will stretch your budget too far so take on board their advice. An experienced local architect should also have a good knowledge of planning regulations and be able to tell you if any of your ideas will fall foul of the council.

Be flexible

Even the best-laid plans sometimes have to be changed so be prepared to be flexible. It might not be until you start building that you discover part of the plan won't work and will need to be rethought.  Keep an open mind throughout the build process.

Keep in touch

Because things might change and you may need further clarification, it's important to make yourself available and keep in touch with your designer during the work. Some may visit the site while others will deal with you over the phone, but a good architect should be on hand until the building is complete.

If you are using a project manager or main contractor, make sure that they have all your contact details in case they need to clarify anything with the architect directly.

Picking an architect

Entrusting the design of your home to someone else is a big step, so you want to be sure you have chosen the right architect for the job. Spend time talking with the planner before you commit and ask to see some of the other buildings they have worked on. If you choose to work with a local architect, they will probably have completed other local homes that you could visit.

Different architects may have different styles of working so make sure their approach fits with your ethos and the way you want to run the project. For example if you will not be able to supervise the work directly, you might want to look for an architect who is willing to take the lead on the building site as well.

Don’t be afraid to talk to two or three different contractors through Builderscrack before making your final decision.