What exactly is a Residential Architect?

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Residential Architect vs. Licensed Architect Who Has Experience in Residential Architecture

First, to be clear, there is technically no such thing as a special “Residential Architecture” degree or license. Architects are trained to design buildings, and houses are buildings; therefore, any licensed architect should be able to design a house. Some do it better than others, just as some doctors or lawyers or musicians are more skilled than their peers.

Residential Architect or Residential Architecture?

So, when people talk about a residential architect, they are really referring to a licensed architect whose area of expertise is designing buildings for humans to live in—single family homes, townhouses, condominiums and apartments. It is more accurate to refer to the type of architecture as residential architecture, rather than the type of architect as a residential architect.

Residential architecture includes new construction projects, as well as additions and alterations to existing structures, and these projects usually follow roughly the same progression of steps. Typically, they go through these six phases: programming, schematics, design development, construction documents, hiring a contractor and construction phase services or construction administration.

Every project is unique

Of course, not all projects are the same—in some cases, several of these steps may be combined, or there may be additional ones depending on the complexity of the site or design. For more information about the design process, click here.

We’re here to help

If you are looking for help on your own residential design project, click here to contact Jonathan Lee Architects. We have the experience and the expertise and we are here to help. Check out some of our residential work here.

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