Blueprint for Success

Carolyn Mitchell calls her relationship with her architect “comfortable.” Mitchell is a South Minneapolis homeowner who worked with architect Ali Awad, partner at Awad & Koontz, an architectural and building firm in Minneapolis, on her house remodeling project.

“Relationships were very important to me, given the day-to-day-ness of doing a project of that scope,” Mitchell says. “It was important for me to be comfortable.”

As construction began at her home in May 2003, she and her husband Jeff were thankful they took the time to build such a relationship. They had to completely move out of their house for six months while construction took place; having a strong relationship with Awad, in which communication was a major component, made the process smooth.

“It was not an icky process at all,” Mitchell says. “If there was something that came up, everyone was upfront about it. There are a lot of great people that can do the work, but it’s how you feel about it along the way.”

Architects work on a wide variety of residential projects, not just new builds. From remodeling a bathroom to adding square footage to revamping an entire house, an architect is there to design, guide, and oversee the entire project. As the Mitchells found, the key to a successful working relationship with your architect comes down to the same thing that enables all successful relationships: communication.

“We’re looking to solve a problem,” Awad says. “The more open people are about their house or their project, what they like and dislike, the quicker we can cut to the chase.”

Choosing an Architect

To be called an “architect,” by law, a person must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in architecture. In most cases, architects designing single-family homes do not require licenses, but most are licensed anyway. To get licensed, an architect must have several years of experience (the number varies based on the field of architecture) and pass all portions of an exam. Continuing education is necessary to maintain a license. Licensing ensures that the architect knows health, welfare, and safety standards and has the creative design education to execute a project.

Many architects are also registered with the American Institute of Architects, a professional association that checks the credentials of all its members.