WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT ARCHAEON?
Archaeon will offer you design diversity. We listen! We pride ourselves in our ability to translate A clients desires, dreams and personal aesthetic into architectural reality. Archaeon gives clients dramatic designs that balance aesthetics and budget considerations.
Archaeon clients can see their projects in three dimensions prior to construction, thanks to our sophisticated computer system. We offer our clients pictorial perspective views of their project from any vantage point. We do this for commercial and residential projects, and even simple backyard decks, to help people more easily visualize the completed project.
Regardless of the size of a project, computer drawings allow clients to see fully developed alternatives and choose between them during the design phase.
Archaeon tackles challenges with creativity, with experience in custom single-family residential as well as a wide range of commercial projects. We have designed schools, churches, corporate office buildings, gas stations, fire houses, light industrial complexes, warehouses, retail stores, restaurants, multi-family residential developments and medical facilities.
Archaeon helps clients prioritize their needs and wants. In addition to training and skill, we have over 23 years of architectural experience. We respect your preferences and your budget. We take more time up front than you might expect to understand and develop our clients program, but we achieve a better result in the end.
Equally experienced with new construction and renovation, we have a long list of very satisfied residential and commercial clients, and, upon request, will supply references whose projects closely match yours.
DEFINE YOUR DREAMS
Whether you are thinking about adding on, renovating, or building a home from scratch, you might be overwhelmed by all the options you have. Archaeon developed the following set of questions and comments to help our clients do two things: explore their imaginations, and save time and money. Some questions are meant to inspire, some to narrow the field, and some to educate. Please feel free to share your answers with Archaeon or--if you have logged on from Alaska and can't use us--the architect of your choice.
QUESTIONS
1. How long do you plan to live in this house?
2. What is your favorite room in your house? Why?
3. When you go on vacation, what type of hotel do you prefer? Give examples.
4. What is your favorite restaurant? How is it decorated? What is the style of the building or room?
5. What area or aspect of your house is your least favorite? Why?
6. If you have children, what is their age range?
7. Do you entertain often? How many people in the average group? Is your entertaining usually formal or informal?
8. Do you prefer a quiet, cozy atmosphere or an open, modern one?
9. What is your favorite material of any kind? Which materials make you feel good and which ones make you uncomfortable?
10. Is there one color that predominates your home or wardrobe?
11. How does natural lighting affect your comfort in various spaces in your house?
COMMENTS
1. Create a wish list. Separate needs from wants, list your priorities, put them in order.
2. Remember that you should take the time and spend the money, (within your budget), to do your project right the first time. Do not try to get more for less. It's generally better to tackle a more modest project completely than to spread your resources too thin.
3. You get what you pay for, (within reason). Be a bit suspicious of a very low bid or estimate. Many firms will generate low budget estimates based on unrealistic allowances, finishes and systems, to get clients to commit to a project, (you will be very disappointed if the budget does not reflect the quality of fixtures, finishes and systems you had in mind).
4. Establish a realistic budget and plan to do less than you can afford. Plan to reserve some money for unexpected possibilities and surprises.
5. Use an experienced, licensed architect. Architects have the training and experience you need for a successful project. While contractors are skilled at construction, they rarely posses the training, experience and talent required to ensure excellence in planning, design, and engineering. In addition, architects work as your advocate with the contractor, throughout the construction project.
6. Ask the architect for references, with projects similar to the one you are planning. Call the references, and ask a lot of questions. |
