Is it hard to make initial contact with an architect?
Looking for advice from those who have done recent remodels. We just bought a home in Berkeley but it needs some extensive renovation.
I've called and left messages for atleast 4 architects recommended here or otherwise through friends, but no one has called me back. Is this normal? Are architects really slow to respond at every stage of the process? Or should I be emailing instead of calling?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Mar 14, 2018
Parent Replies
For what it's worth, I heard recently that architects/contractors in the Bay Area are currently busier than usual, and may be for awhile, due to the recent Santa Rosa fires (e.g., re-building homes that burned down). It's just a guess - but it may explain why folks aren't able to get back you.
We used architectural designer, Ann Maria Celona, in Berkeley, and have recommended her to others. We were very happy with her responsiveness and design work. Ann Maria Celona, Custom Homes, 510 420-1128
It's possible they are all busy. Email is probably best
We were pretty happy with Sogno Design Group I think it's called. Maybe make a visit to their offices? Kathy tended to be overcommitted, but once I got her on the phone, we could get our work done (full on kitchen remodel). Thing is, the market's booming, so I'm guessing everyone's super busy; and busiest are the most sought after folks. Good luck! Keep calling is all I can suggest if you aren't able to visit their offices in person.
Yeah, that's normal. Residential architects and contractors are all pretty busy and (especially if your job is a smaller one) they aren't likely to get back to you quickly unless you've been referred by someone important to them. At least that's been my experience. Certainly it doesn't hurt to email as well as call, or vice versa, given that most people are much better at responding to one than the other but there's no predicting who is which!
I had a similar experience with designers when we recently remodeled a bathroom. One even promised to send drawings after looking at our space and taking photographs but never followed through and another disappeared after I sent him the photos he had requested. In our case we just took it as a behavioral sign of someone we would not want to work with and we contacted other people. We just kept moving forward until we found someone we could work with.
Having the same problem - all of whom were recommended.
Thanks everyone! And your collective wisdom was spot on. I did finally hear back from 3 of the 4, but it took about a week. And everyone is super busy right now. So even after setting the initial meeting, and getting the proposal, it could be 4-6 weeks before they would be ready to start designing our project.
Will call and email a few more that are recommended on this thread. Seems like I'll have to interview a lot of architects to find one that we like, who is willing to take on our project, and could start right away!
Yes, the architect/contractor business is booming right now. But we used the responsiveness of architects to make our choice. Even an overworked business should be professional enough to reply, if only to say that they're too busy or won't be available for a year. We actually called 10 architects, then met with those who replied.