How to Work with a Residential Architect

Let’s be clear: at Morgante Wilson, we love all our clients! But there’s no denying some win our hearts more easily than others. And there are simple reasons why. Bottom line, the things that make us love working with you are the same things that ensure you end up with a house that’s even better than you dreamed. Here, I’ll let you in on five simple secrets so you, too, can become one of our favorite residential clients – and fall head over heels with your new home!

Presumably, you’ve hired an architect because you recognize a trained, experienced, creative professional can probably come up with better solutions to your residential architecture needs than you can. When you trust us to lead you in the right direction – especially when it’s a direction you may not have thought of – we can really let our creative juices flow. Clients who have confidence in us are the ones who end up with homes that more than meet their expectations. It can require a leap of faith, but if you can make that leap we can practically guarantee you’re going to love the end result. Bring us your ideas, of course – and then allow us to make them better.

Trust works both ways, which is why we love it when clients challenge us. If we come up with an idea you just can’t warm up to, push us to find another solution. As architects, we welcome the opportunity to explore different ways to get where we need to go. We’ll never take offense when you ask us to do just that.

3. Be prepared for meetings

Architects are trained to adhere to process – it’s the one and only way to ensure successful project completion. As a client, you have a role to play in that process: be ready for our next meeting with your decision about whether or not you want your home office to double as a guest room, or your conclusion regarding whether you prefer patterned backsplash tile or natural stone behind your kitchen range. That way, we can advance to the next step of the process and stay on time – and on budget.

4. Be good to your tradespeople

After more than thirty years in business, we’ve been fortunate to develop a trusted network of contractors, builders, and tradespeople we consider the best of the best. Clients who treat our partners with respect and appreciation will always find their tradespeople willing to go the extra mile. A heartfelt exclamation over a job well done, a Monday morning question about their weekends or their families, and a box of doughnuts once in a while will net you a crew that not only looks forward to coming to your job site, but will eagerly give you their all. Trust me on this one.

5. Don’t second guess

We understand that building a custom home is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. So we get it that you want to be sure of your choices and take your time making them. That might mean spending endless hours online researching options, investigating Instagram, and asking your paddle team to vote on their favorite front door for your new house. And that’s great. What isn’t great is taking so long to make your decisions that your project ends up slowly but surely spiraling out of control. We’ve seen it happen. Our advice: allow us to narrow the choices for you according to what fits best in terms of what we’ve already aligned on, select the options you love most, and then don’t look back. It’s the best way we know to cross the finish line on time and on budget. (Notice a theme here? “On time and on budget”…..two hallmarks of any successful, client-pleasing project!)

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