Do You Need An Architect To Oversee And Certify Your Building Project?

12 Jul Do You Need An Architect To Oversee And Certify Your Building Project?

Any new building project, extension, or renovation of an existing building can be exciting yet complex. From concept to completion, multiple decisions need to be made along the way, with an entire cast of professionals involved in the process. But one critical question that often comes up is whether it’s necessary to have an architect oversee and certify the building project or act as a project manager (PM) as it progresses.

This article will look at an architect’s important role in your building project, exploring their value and the benefits of having their expertise throughout the entire build process. You’ll then better understand why involving an architect in your building project can lead to a successful project and complete peace of mind.

What’s the role of an architect?

Undoubtedly, architects are essential to any building project, playing a crucial role in bringing your dreams to life and ensuring a safe and successful outcome. As skilled professionals, they bring their experience, expertise, and creative vision to the table. But they’re also trained to understand often complex building processes and regulations, design principles, and the combination of form and function.

One of the key responsibilities of an architect is to work with you as a homeowner, translating your ideas, preferences, and aspirations into a well-defined design and final set of workable plans. And while they’ll have a deep understanding of creating layouts that optimise space, both of the building and the surrounding garden or landscape, they’ll also get a handle on your timeline and any other issues that might affect your project. They may even recommend or help you find a building contractor suited to your project to start early engagement with them.

And when it comes to experience, good architects will know all about local and national building regulations – and any restrictions you might face for your project. Often a sticking point for any new build or extension, an architect’s invaluable knowledge will help you through a potential minefield of legal and planning issues so your project is fully compliant.

Will you need an architect to manage your building project?

Architects are incredibly skilled and knowledgeable and will happily do their job of drawing up plans, gaining the required planning permission, and helping you get early contractor engagement before moving on to their next project.

However, many architects will also be project managers for your building project, overseeing the entire process from start to finish, coordinating with contractors, subcontractors, and any specialists involved in the building project. But this isn’t essential or even necessary – with exceptions, depending on how you fund your build.

Some self-build mortgage providers will insist on having a chartered architect or designated project manager to administer the project, issue certificates for staged payments, and oversee the works to look after their financial interests. If this isn’t a legal requirement in your situation, you don’t need an architect as your project manager. However, if the prospect of dealing directly with your contractor is something you find daunting, it will provide you with experienced and professional assistance, which will alleviate any concerns.

Should you use an architect for your building project?

Whether you want or need a project manager is entirely up to you (unless specific legal requirements are in place with your mortgage provider). But it also depends on the size and complexity of your project. Indeed, an architect can effectively manage your building project, but their services can add up to 20% to your overall project costs.

While architects are known for their design expertise, they also have the skills and experience to oversee and certify the entire construction process. If you’re looking for someone to handle both the design and management of your building project – and the service is available – an architect is well-equipped for the job. Here’s why:

• Quality Assurance: By regularly checking in and making site visits, your architect will inspect the building’s progress, make sure it meets the required standards and building regulations, and check the overall quality of the project.

• Problem-Solving: With an architect running your project, they can identify and quickly resolve issues that might come up during the project, reducing potential challenges and keeping the project on track.

• Project certification: Thanks to their knowledge and understanding, your architect can certify that the work has been completed successfully according to their plans while complying with all building regulations.

Should you manage your project yourself?

Instead of using an architect, many people will often decide to act as PMs themselves, so they can keep track of everything done on-site, including preventing budgets from spiralling out of control. This decision is common as it can reduce overall project costs. Still, it can be stressful, takes total commitment, and isn’t something you can pick up occasionally. So having a dedicated PM or your architect to oversee your project is recommended to keep everything and everyone on track.

With most projects, Unicorn Construction deals with our customers directly and provides project management services from start to finish, ensuring we stay on track and deliver a build which meets your requirements. But if you wish to have a professional PM from the construction industry working independently to us to represent your interests, certify our payment requests, monitor the quality of our work, and manage the project in its entirety, we’re happy to work with your appointed PM.

Complete project management with Unicorn Construction

Whichever option you choose, our experience means we’re well-placed to make recommendations to ensure we can move your project forwards in whichever way you feel most comfortable with. And, of course, you can have complete trust and confidence in Unicorn Construction to build your new home, extension and refurbishment or barn conversion.

For more information on project management or architect recommendations, call us today on 01626 364 521, email [email protected], or send us a message. Together, we can ensure a smoother construction process, reduced stress, and a higher chance of achieving your desired outcome quickly.