The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.
A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.
This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design share advice and tips for clients with a project that is small and/or has a tight budget. The two discuss the things to look out for when hiring an architect/designer, a contractor, and engineer; material and design constraints; client involvement; workflows; and more.
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Highlights & Timestamps
(00:00) Introduction: What is a small project?
(02:55) Architect or designer.
(29:48) Contractor and engineer.
The challenge with residential construction and architecture and design is that the spectrum of how people practice is large. There's an ocean of different ways of doing things. So in the residential space, it's tough. If you're a client who wants the absolute most cost-effective route, and that's your top priority, then it's easy to find your people. If you're a client who wants the very best of the best, it's also easy to find your people. If you're a client who's operating in the middle, or if you have a tighter budget, but you want something a little bit nicer, that's where it gets super tricky. The key takeaway with this point, is whether or not the contractor actually and sincerely is interested in working with an architect and a designer to help them achieve and construct the architect's vision.
An oversized structural design costs way more to build. In that case, what the client's doing is paying less for an engineer, but in the end paying way more for this oversized structure which they did not need. What you would rather do is spend more on the engineer to save big on construction. Because the engineer's fee is very small compared to the architect's fee, the contractor's fee, and the construction costs. Everyone's always concerned about the total project cost. The mistake that clients make is they try to squeeze the professionals.
(53:20) Materials and design
(59:51) Client involvement
