What is an Architect?

An architect is a design professional with a wealth of expertise in creating, crafting, sculpting, redefining, and enhancing the built world. An architect is an artist and designer, like a sculptor, creating habitable and livable art. Their education includes training in proportion, scale, rhythm, symmetry and asymmetry, color, texture, light, and shadow, and how each of these affects both the look and functionality of a building. In addition to aesthetics, architects learn structure, building materials and methods, required standards, and construction techniques and practices.

How can an Architect benefit me?

Architects are not just designers, they are problem solvers. At base 10, we train our team to identify, compile, and prioritize problems and to solve them beautifully, efficiently, and cost-effectively, ensuring a successful outcome for your project.

Why do I need to hire an Architect?

Architects play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of a building by adhering to local building codes and standards. Architects create documents to illustrate compliance with building codes and act as instructions for building the designed structure. Municipalities require architects to certify that buildings meet the adopted standards, providing you with a sense of security and peace of mind.

What is the value of an Architect?

The influence an architect has on the building's return on investment is often indirect, but the value an architect adds to a project is undeniable. From increased property value to improved energy efficiency, improved functionality, occupant satisfaction, and reduced long-term maintenance costs, an architect's work can lead to a higher overall return on investment over the building's lifespan, providing you with a secure investment.

How much does it cost to hire an Architect?

Unfortunately, there is no set answer. Every project is different. However, Base 10 will visit and evaluate your project and determine an appropriate fee based on the property conditions and your goals, dreams, and wishlist.

How long does the process take?

Home improvement television and streaming shows have caused a misconception about the services architects and designers provide and the time required to complete the requirements correctly. Base 10 strives to complete accurate, quality documents to ensure a smooth construction without disruption or delay. The total time required is challenging to predict, but we will keep you informed and prepared every step of the way. During our initial visit, we will discuss your time frame and our schedule, ensuring you clearly understand the process and timeline.

Is my project too small?

Not necessarily. It is more about scheduling and our current project load. We like projects of all sizes, providing your schedule and our time frame match. We want large projects because they provide constant revenue for our firm. However, we like small projects because they are quick and refreshing.

What is the initial meeting and consultation like?

The initial consultation takes a few different forms. Initially, it is a conversation between you and the crew at Base 10. If you modify or add to an existing building, we will visit the property and discuss your goals, ideas, and dreams. If you are constructing a new building, we will meet in our office to discuss how you plan to use the space, your requirements, and your particular style. In each case, we will discuss our work process, your time frame, and topics like billing and invoicing.

Do you have particular contractors you work with?

We are open to meeting and working with new companies, but we do have construction companies we regularly work with. We recommend certain companies because we know they will pause work, ask for clarification or explanation, or pick up the phone to discuss other materials, methods, or ideas. Base 10 lists preferred contractors with whom we have a long-standing relationship.

What kind of support does Base 10 offer?

Support can mean different things in any industry. We will name a few support methods cultured at Base 10 in our 21 years. First, we value a vital communication link between our office consultants and clients. We can customize our communication to meet your needs. Second, we can ask questions, discuss new thoughts and ideas, or chat about significant architecture. Third, we nurture relationships with a vast network of professionals ready to assist with your project. Fourth, we provide architecture and design services to follow the design from initial concept through construction to opening and occupancy. Fifth, we visit the job site to observe the construction and ensure compliance with the design intent. This list could continue.

Will you handle permits and other regulatory issues?

At Base 10, we can assist with obtaining approvals and permits. This process involves identifying the specific permits required for your project, preparing the necessary documentation, and submitting the applications to the relevant authorities. We may be required to appear and present to municipal boards for approval. We can guide you through this process to satisfy the regulatory requirements.

How does your fee work?

At Base 10, we believe in transparent and fair pricing. We tailor the fee to each particular project's scope of work. We set our fee based on the time invested in similar projects. We record our time investment on each project and use this data backlog to determine your project's fee. You can think of this as a market analysis. In other words, to provide the level of service this client requests, we will need a determined number of work hours to achieve the intended result. We will discuss the fee structure during our initial consultation, ensuring that you clearly understand the cost of our services.

What sets Base 10 apart from other Architecture firms?

Our unique approach focuses on efficiency. We strive for an efficient process that results in an efficient design constructed efficiently to achieve the client's wish list while being aesthetically pleasing and functioning efficiently. The result is a smoother, quicker linear process free from delays delivered at a lower cost.