ARCHITECTS | FORAGING THROUGH FEES

money, money, money…

This will be our final article on architectural professionals (AP’s)!  Phew…

We have learnt a tremendous amount through or dealings with different architects and through publishing these articles for you.  We hope that they will be beneficial in arming you with the right information to improve your overall building experiences.  Remember, if you have any suggestions, check out our Facebook page or leave your comments on our blog.

Here are the previous three articles:
Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3

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PROFESSIONAL FEES
Money is always a touchy subject; if you’re paying, it’s too much; if you’re earning, it’s not enough.  Human nature is to always want more and the love of money can become an insatiable desire!  That’s why it’s good to have some kind of benchmark from which to discern value.  In professional, regulated industries, one will generally find that there are guidelines set out for fee structures and the accepted value of a service.  The architectural industry is no different and on SACAP’s site one will find links to give more insight into standard charges for professional architectural services.  Our consultant, Craig Canter from Parallax, advises that in South Africa, most AP’s charge around 40% of the recommended rate, because it has become such a competitive industry.

ARCHITECTS | IDENTIFICATION OF WORK

know what your architect is certified to do



For this installment in our four-article series on Architectural Professionals (AP’s) (this is part III), we will focus on IDoW: Identification of Work.  In our last article, we spoke about the legitimacy of registration for AP’s  and gave advice on how to check the credentials and registered category of your architect.  Remember, you can lookup any AP's details on the SACAP website to see if they are in fact registered and legally able to practice.

What you can also view is the IDoW framework that specifically defines what type of project each AP may undertake; this is determined by their registered capacity (see this article for more details).  The matter of IDoW was recently announced in the October 2011 Government Gazette due to the controversial position of an old rule, that only allowed architects to work on projects larger than 500sqm, being removed.  Since 2007 the IDoW framework has been under evaluation and there is currently an interim document in place.

Interim Identification of Work (IDoW) Interim Policy - Board Notice 154 of 2011 (Part 1 of 2)
Interim Identification of Work (IDoW) Interim Policy - Board Notice 154 of 2011 (Part 2 of 2)

An overview of the document, and how it applies to you as a client, is summarized as follows on the SACAP website.

ARCHITECTS | TRUST & RELATIONSHIP

trust is built on knowledge

Everyday, people entrust our Vexiflex team to build their dreams.  Building a house or making renovations is no small matter.  Apart from the financial investment, there exists a much greater emotional investment and sense of self-worth that is mixed into the plaster and mortar.  As we mentioned in our first article in this series on architectural professionals, it is crucial that your planning stage is done correctly and executed by professionals.  Not just those that profess to be professional, but by those that have been accredited by a registered body, and are registered to that body.

When it comes to Architects, anyone claiming to be a professional (AP) should be registered with SACAP – The South African Council for the Architectural Profession.  We outlined the four main categories of registered professionals in our previous article.

So, before you meet with your potential architect, be sure to check out www.sacapsa.com and see if they are indeed registered as an Architectural Professional (AP).  You can further build on your knowledge base by asking the following questions – these were given to us by a registered AP; Craig Canter of Parallax.

ARCHITECTS | IS YOUR'S A PROFESSIONAL?

are you working with a professional?

Our fervour and determination to build the reputation of our industry is founded in our ability to educate and communicate with our clients.  Countless clients have told us of the doldrums in which they find themselves after dealing with fly-by-night architects and draftsmen who have promised them great results and never delivered.

A little bit of research, and a lot of wet shoulders later, we have started to communicate with the architects that have contracted us to ask them their opinions.  The big flag that is raised is this:

“Is your architectural professional (AP) registered and licensed to practice?”

Craig Cantar | PARALLAX

The next question should be: How do I find out?

Check out SACAP – The South African Council for the Architectural Profession. According to the ARCHITECTURAL PROFESSION ACT (44 of 2000), registered members are held accountable to the standards as set out in the act and may face disciplinary action in the event of any contravention.  SACAP is the council that endeavours to make sure that this happens!