Many architects and custom builders are doing remodeling work to fill the new-construction void. Remodeling brings with it different challenges than new construction. Last week, a builder/remodeler explained to me a specific challenge he is facing thanks to the local zoning board.

This contractor is converting empty second-story space above a dining room to a fourth bedroom in a single-family home. Now the owners and this remodeler are about to face off for the third time with the local zoning board to persuade them to allow a variance. If denied again, they will be forced to lower the ceiling in the new bedroom to 6-ft. Yes, you heard me, 6-ft. in a bedroom.

The issue at hand is maximum livable space. There’s too much of it as a result of the new bedroom space, the board contends. Nevermind the fact that the building envelope wasn’t touched in any way. It wasn’t expanded one inch.

As a former newspaper reporter covering planning and zoning board meetings, I suspect there’s a lot of inter-board politics at play here. The taxpayer’s interests are not the priority in this situation, and it’s unfortunate. And while I understand rules and regulations are written for reasons, I also know that common sense must prevail in situations like this one.

I don’t know how you put up with it, but pat yourself on the back; You deserve some appreciation.

A custom builder recently told me he believes the only way to truly protect a client’s budget is by letting one firm handle the design and a separate firm handle the construction. Only then, he asserts, can checks and balances truly ensure that costs are effectively controlled and that design integrity is preserved. The business model that supports the single-source design/build approach protects a design/builder’s profit more than it protects a client’s budget; There are no two ways about it, he told me. This was the first time I had heard someone verbalize this perspective on the design/build process.

On one hand, I understand the builder’s point. He’s implying that the fox is watching the hen house. I supopose this is true in theory, but I know many trustworthy foxes. Unfortunately, as is true in all aspects of life, there are those who always have their own interests at heart, and I believe these people eventually get what’s coming to them.

On the other hand, such generalizations are unfair to those one-stop-shop design/build firms that serve their clients with integrity every day. The world is not a black and white place; there are many shades of gray and it’s silly to think otherwise.

Above all, the collaborative design/build approach to delivering custom homes is the superior process, regardless of who handles design and who handles build. There are no two ways about this. Ultimately, responsibility falls on clients to enforce their limits on their budgets and to make sure the architect and builder know that no means no, and it’s your job to respect their wishes.

I got a speeding ticket a few months ago for doing 25 in a 15 zone. When was the last time you tried driving 15 mph for more than five seconds? Hard to imagine, right? Do this; The next time you leave your neighborhood, drive 15 mph until you hit the first main road and see how long you last can put up with 15 mph. It’s maddening.

Since that day in July, I have been in tune with posted speed limits and have been doing my best to stay no more than two or three mph above the limit. I’ve noticed two things as a result: 1) I speed more than I realize; 2) Other drivers have no patience for speed-limit followers like me. I hear a lot of revving engines as people speed around me with one hand on their wheel and the other hand flipping me off.

It takes an incident such as receiving a speeding ticket in a forest preserve at 7:30 a.m. the day of a big family reunion you’ve spent months organizing to change one’s perspective on life, even if it’s in a tiny, relatively insignificant way like becoming aware of speed limits. Collectively, we’ve all received a speeding ticket in the form of this recession. It has forced us all to slow down and evaluate our business habits, and I’m sure for many of us it has forced behavioral changes. I’m guessing some of you might have a new appreciation for the phrase, “Slow and steady wins the race.”

How has the recession changed your business behavior?
Will you control your growth when things turn around?
Have you changed direction?
Are you rewriting your business plan?
Will your pricing structure and profit margin change?
Are your expectations different?

Share your new perspective by scrolling to the first paragraph of this blog entry, click on the right where you see, “Leave a comment” or “Post or view comments.”

Or you can send me your thoughts in an e-mail.

I’ve noticed a common belief among some readers of Residential Design & Build that homeowners don’t appreciate the value of good design, and therefore they don’t value an architect’s services or taking time to immerse themselves in the design evolution process. The people who share this opinion are upset about it, and don’t want to take it anymore.

One builder told me he can’t stand clients who use $50 home design software then bring in their plans and ask him to ask his architect to “draw it up.” The people have no idea about the value an architect and good design principles can add to their home. They’re missing out on the process of design evolution which involves the back and forth between builder, designer and client. THey can have so much more if they only understood what they’re missing.

Of course we can’t paint with a broad brush here because it’s clear a number of clients get it. If they didn’t, you wouldn’t see the magnificent homes, for example, that are featured in our annual Excellence Awards program.

What do you do with clients who don’t get it, who want value but don’t want to pay for it? Do you tell them to take a hike down the road to someone else who also doesn’t care about good design? Do you try to educate them and invest time in building or salvaging a relationship and possibly a project? Does your answer to these questions change depending on the market conditions? Is there a time when it’s OK to compromise on design in the spirit of self preservation?

I say yes there is, because compromising doesn’t mean giving up. Those of you in healthy personal relationships know yours was built by compromising, not by abandoning your beliefs and selling out in the pursuit of happiness. The same approach applies to the design process. Of course some people give up and give in, but they’re not happy, and their relationships aren’t built to last. But I’m getting off track here…

Who’s responsibility is it to educate clients who don’t understand the value of good design? I take a small portion of that responsibility, and do my best through Residential Design & Build to provide examples from all over the country that illustrate not only the value of architect, builder and client working together from day one, but also the value of good design and how an architect’s involvement can solve any challenge a project might present. Then you can take these examples, learn from them and hopefully share your knowledge with clients.

Thanks to media networks such as HGTV, home design has permeated the collective consciousness of U.S. homeowners. Let’s not get into the quality of home design TV shows and if they’re actually helping or harming our efforts. Instead, take advantage of the opportunity these shows provide to start a conversation about the value of good design. Make comparisons between what clients see on TV and what you can do. Point out where you see the value, and where you don’t.

You’re on the front lines; fight the good fight. Make clients care about good design.