Architect
 

Considering putting an attached garage on our house. Looking for recommendations of an architect in the area that members have had a good experience with.

My neighbors have used Ames & Associates in Meredith. I have no idea about the details.

We used North Wing Design and Permit in Meredith. Very happy.
https://www.northwingdesign.com/contact

They do suggest getting started asap since permiys for some projects may take time.

If you haven’t selected a contractor yet, it would be worth looking for one that has an architect on staff or one they work with exclusively. You could save some money this way.

We had a garage built with an apartment / kitchenette on the upper floor. I contracted with Bellawoods Builders in Meredith who had an architect he worked with. We were more than pleased with the final results…

Good luck with your project!

Dan

Curious as to why you want an architect. Will this be a special custom design as opposed to a more standard garage design?

Thanks for the replies, The project might have to be a custom design as we want to attach it to our existing house.

Agree with Bobkatfly. Any good builder can do that without a need for an architect.

Partial agree about a garage being relatively simple. Building permits often require site plan info relative to various setbacks and some level of drawings. Not to diminish architects, but for simple projects, my son learned CAD/CAM as his "shop" classes in school. I had a 24 x 30 garage added to one house, simple. Builder did all the plans/permits, but I don't recall ever seeing any of them. We added a 24 x 28 garage (different house) that had entrances from the house to the garage at basement level, again on main floor and a Jack and Jill bathroom connecting on the loft level. Builder was a civil engineer who did whatever was needed for the permit process. He consulted with a structural engineer due to large spans with no interior support walls or posts. Regret: Should have done 24 x 40 for a third car/tractor.

I did my own addition. Designed and constructed.

With 2 bedrooms. Bath. Kitchen. And small TV room.
I am not a builder. Nor any architect training. Just a floor plan on paper.

If a novice such as myself can do it.
Any good builder/carpenter can do it without paying for some architect.

It is not rocket science for a simple addition.

Chris Canfield
 

I highly recommend Chris Canfield from Sandwich. He designed our storage building with an ADU. Great plans, rendered drawings and no issues with town on permitting! We are framing now.

He was very reasonable https://www.canfieldcustomhomeplans.com/contact

The towns are looking for plans now- a napkin drawing does not pass muster in Moultonborough any longer.

I should have been more specific in my post above….Before I had my garage built I went online and found a company that literally has hundreds of different garage designs, attached and detached. They offer a full set of detailed plans, copies of the CAD files and a complete material list. I believe the cost of these plans was around $500.00 but I don’t remember the exact price.

I then took these detailed drawings and CAD files and had the architect working for Bellawoods Builders make the revisions I wanted such as larger OH doors, moved a stairway, removed support post and used trusses instead and made some minor modifications to the exterior. The final drawings were all done and stamped by a Professional Enginner.

By doing it this way I basically ended up with a custom size and designed garage that I wanted for very cheap architectural and engineering costs. I’m going to guess around a couple thousand dollars…

Dan

Yes. But some simple drawings/renderings is all that is required.

And to back up this. I just obtained a building permit with such. No fancy architect renderings.

Again. If I can do it not being an architect. Then any competent builder/carpenter can.

And no. I did not use any napkins.

We all have different skill sets. I can take engines apart and put them back together, my father doesn't know which end of a screwdriver to hold.

A carpenter or builder is going to charge to design an addition. Pay an architect or designer for buildable plans that can be bid out. My plans cost .52% of the building cost.

Aside from the costs and permit requirements, architects are trained in making things look and perform better.

There's a house near me that just added an addition the owner designed himself. It looks awful—the lines between the house and addition don't match, the access is weird, and there's a lot of wasted space.

When talking about it with an architect friend, she pointed out a few changes that would've made it significantly better and, she thinks—because the roof lines of her design would've been cleaner—probably cheaper to build.

If it makes permitting and building simpler in the process, that's a win-win. Good luck!

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While the OP was asking about a garage addition, when we demolished our camp and built a new house we used an architect and it was money well spent. His preliminary drawings nailed it in terms of what we wanted and he came up with some great ideas. We sent his construction drawings to 3 well known local builders for a bid. Told the 3 not to change a thing in the drawings so we could compare apples to apples. 12 years in the house and we still love it. The builder we chose had some good ideas of his own.

This is an attached garage. Not a fancy home or fancy home addition.
Basically doors and windows. The siding can match the house. The windows, if chosen, can match the house.

Come on now.

An architect certainly can make/draw some pretty colored CAD renderings.

But really. A garage. With one, two, or three doors. Ain't no rocket science.

A half hour of builders/carpenter time for drawing/renderings or $3,000 plus/minus of pretty architect renderings.

The choice is the homeowners. If they have the funds and colored pretty CAD drawings would make them happier. Well . . . then hire an architect.

I tend to agree with you. We have built with architects and without and I feel they are not necessary, sometimes doing odd things. It probably depends on the builder, but many can do a wonderful job without an architect or have an architect on staff.

All I'm saying is that I know people who have added on to their homes and made mistakes that an architect almost certainly would have prevented.

Given the costs to build today, and given the long-term impact on use, maintenance, and resale, I think it makes absolute sense to consider consulting an architect*.

*The assumption here, of course, is that the OP has a home that's worth going this route. If we're taking about a circa 1970's split level that only needs a matched roofline and similar siding/trim/doors/windows, that's different. Since the OP is asking, I assume that there's a style, application, usage needs, etc. to match/meet that an architect would add value to.

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Once this mistake is made, it's hard to undo. The amortized cost of an architect over time is cheap compared to having to look at your mistake forever.

Architect
 

When I had some construction done to my existing house, and I needed to increase my insurance coverage, one of the first questions the insurance company asked was whether or not I had used a registered architect to draw the plans. The answer was "yes", and the insurance company was happy. And, by using a registered architect, all the local Codes were totally in compliance. These are two points to take into consideration when you are considering whether or not to use an architect.

Everyone's expectations of real estate are different. I consider my real estate purchases as an investment. I never put more into a property than I think I can get back in a sale because I never know what the future has in store for me.
This way, if I find something I like better I can pull the trigger without feeling like I've lost money.
I don't look at my housing as forever, even though I've owned most of my properties for 10 years or more.
Others just make a lot of money, and they want what they want, regardless of the cost!
They don't care if they lose money when they sell. They just move on to the next indulgence.

I think all plans have to be stamped by an engineer so all codes should be correct.

Achitect
 

...all plans "should" be correct, "should" is a very fluid word in the field of town government. No further comment.

Agreed! Many plans are drawn on the spot at the building officials' front counter or perhaps the front fender. Still happy with the work provided by North Wing at reasonable cost.

Guess it depends on builder. Built my garage in 2011 and house in 2016. No additional charge.