Determining the best layout, making sure everything fits, designing the right overall look, selecting and coordinating all the finishes, furnishings and colours….

• If you hire an architectural designer . . .   

you get a skilled professional to work with you to conceive a personalized solution that satisfies your needs and desires. Taking the time to consider all the options and to work through and be comfortable with all the decisions BEFORE you have a crew waiting to build, saves time and money during construction.  Hiring a designer gives you the peace of mind that everything is being taken care of.  

• Maybe the contractor can just take care of it ?  

A project that requires the contractor to figure everything out before starting to build does not cost the same as one that is already designed and ready for construction.  You will pay for the contractor's time to work out the design, which they may not have the aptitude or quantity of time to do to any great extent.  A contractor must be concerned with keeping their crew building, meaning they often have limited time to spend with you exploring options and selecting finishes.  

• You plan to save money and work it out yourself ? 

Depending on your personal talents, that may be possible.  But how much time do you have and how much is that time worth?  The amount of time required to figure out all of the necessary design decisions is time taken away from doing other things in your life, and there are a lot of decisions to make.   If your project has already started construction, with a contractor waiting for your decisions, your time is very pressed. Late or wrong decisions translate into lost time and money.  

A designer possesses a large breadth of knowledge.  Working with a designer before beginning the construction gives you access to that information, to help you consider various solutions early in the process and anticipate and deal with any issues that arise, to get exactly what you want and more.