What an architect does

The usual modelThe architect runs everything

In the traditional full service, the architect takes a project from start to finish:

1. Brief and design, from first ideas to a settled design.
2. Documentation, the drawings and specification a builder prices and builds from.
3. Approvals, planning and building.
4. Tender, inviting builders to price and recommending one.
5. Contract administration, where the architect administers the building contract on the client's behalf: inspecting the work, assessing the builder's progress claims, valuing variations and certifying completion.

Fees for this model are often charged as a percentage of the construction cost. It suits some projects well, particularly large or complex ones, or where a client wants an independent professional standing between them and the builder throughout construction.

How I workEach of us does what we're best at

I focus on the parts of a project where an architect adds the most: understanding how you want to live, designing the house, documenting it properly and getting it through approvals. For more than two decades I've worked alongside builders rather than over them.

• Design, documentation and approvals are mine.
• Pricing and building are the builder's. I bring a builder in early to test the numbers while the design can still change, and the price firms up as the design is defined.
• The contract is between you and the builder, using a standard residential contract from Master Builders or the Housing Industry Association. These contracts are written for exactly this situation and set out each party's obligations, payments, variations and warranties.
• My fees aren't a percentage of the construction cost, so there's no link between what I'm paid and how much the house costs to build.

It's the same principle you'd apply to any trade. You'd engage a plumber for the plumbing and an electrician for the wiring. You engage me for the design, and the builder for the building.

When it suitsThe right builder and the right project

This way of working depends on two things.

A competent, trustworthy builder. Because the builder is involved from early on and builds under a standard contract, choosing the right one is the most important decision in the project. A builder who has priced the design as it developed, and who knows the documentation well, is in a strong position to deliver it.

The right kind of project. The houses, extensions, dual occupancies and small multi-unit projects I work on suit this model well. They're built every day under standard residential contracts by builders who know how to deliver them.

Where a project needs more, such as unusual complexity, a builder the client doesn't know, or a client who wants independent oversight throughout construction, full contract administration is still available. It's a choice for each project, not a rule.

During construction, I'm still available to the builder and to you for phone calls and questions, and a simple query costs nothing. In practice the calls are rare. The point of documenting a house well is that everyone knows exactly what they have to do, and they get on and do it.

What it means for youYour part in the process

• Make the decisions during design. Selections and changes are easiest and cheapest while they're on paper, with the builder's prices in front of you.
• Choose the builder carefully. Look for a licensed builder with a record of similar work, references you can check, and a willingness to price openly while the design develops.
• Read the contract. The standard contracts are clear, but you should understand the price, the allowances, the payment stages and how variations work before you sign.
• Talk to the builder during construction. Day-to-day questions about the build go to the builder, who's responsible for delivering it.