Though designing a house may seem very straight forward, especially when compared to a technically complex building type like a hospital, to do it well requires at least five years of experience in a practice that specializes in residential work. 

Such a person and firm will have taken a design from a quick sketch to a finished house many times and will be familiar with local residential construction costs and local residential building code intricacies. Even more importantly, they will know qualified home-building contractors in your area.   

Since virtually no two architects work in exactly the same way or charge exactly the same fees, be prepared to shop around and talk with several to find the one that's right for you. You should get the names of at least three residential architects, either from friends, realtors or other related professionals. 

On your first phone call to each one, don't hesitate to ask about fees. You'll quickly learn how differently every architect calculates this. For residential work, many architects charge an hourly rate but will estimate their fee as a percentage of the total construction cost. The fees can vary anywhere from 5 to 15 per cent, depending on the complexity of the design you want, and the total cost of the project. For the same job, some firms charge more than others.

Some architects charge an hourly fee but will cap it at a specified percentage of the estimated construction cost. For example, if your construction budget is $300,000 and the architect charges 15 per cent, his fee would not exceed $45,000.

At this juncture, you might well ask, “What does the architect do and why does it cost so much to hire one?”

The biggest part of the architect's traditional full-service package is not the creation of a design concept but its elaboration (called design development) and the preparation of extremely detailed construction documents. These instruct a builder how to build what the architect has designed. They specify the materials to be used and form the basis for competitive bidding to get a firm construction price.

After the contract is awarded and construction has begun, the construction documents serve as an outside check on the builder's performance. The full-service architect also supervises the bidding process, helps the homeowners select a builder, and on the homeowners’ behalf, monitors construction. If there is a dispute with the builder, the architect acts as the owner's advocate in resolving it.

In addition, an architect may spend many hours developing a design that is expressly tailored to both the client and the site. During the initial design phase, the architect is likely to meet frequently with the homeowners and explore different design options if the clients are not sure what they want. To help clients visualize the project, the architect may build a scale model or painstakingly transfer the design to a CAD (computer-aided design) program that allows a client to view a three-dimensional rendering of the design from many different vantage points.

The design development phase, when the initial concept is further refined and customized and the preparation of construction documents is completed, is even more labour intensive. Supervising the bidding, helping to select a builder and monitoring construction also demand time.

To keep the design fees down, some architects offer a limited contract rather than a full service one. For example, the architect will carry the project through the bidding process but won't monitor it during construction.

If your design tastes are simple this may be a sensible course. But if you want anything unusual, you're better served by having the architect on board for the entire project.

Back to that first phone call: Be sure that you also ask about liability insurance. Some architects “go bare” and don't have it because the premiums can be very expensive. But even the most experienced architects can make mistakes and you are engaging one to design a never-before-built-house, so you should make sure that your architect has both liability and errors-and-omissions coverage. In addition, ask if all designs are routinely reviewed by a structural engineer, another safety check that protects both the client and the architect.

The next step is meeting face-to-face. While you're talking, assess the personality mix. You will be working together closely for at least 12 months, so it's important that you get along. The architect who did a great job for your best friend or your neighbours down the street might not be the one for you.

Another point to consider: How interested is the architect in your project? How soon can he start? If the firm has a lot of work, will they be able to devote enough time to the kind of residential project you are contemplating?

Has the architect worked with a variety of site conditions? This is especially important if you're considering a site that has a funny shape, a steep slope or problematic soils. If you want something really unusual such as curving walls, steel post and beam construction, or walls made of straw bales, look for an architect with experience in this particular type of house.

If things still seem promising, go to look at several of the architect's completed jobs and talk with the owners. Although the architect may want to take you, the owners will be more candid if you go by yourself. Don't worry about intrusive questions -- most people are eager to talk about their home-building adventures and will be forthcoming on matters such as how well they got along with the architect, cost overruns, and if they felt that what they paid him was sufficient for what they got. Since the architect is supposed to resolve any disputes between the owners and the builder, ask how well the architect handled this aspect of the job.

Next, talk to the builders the architect has worked with, especially the ones who built the houses that you saw. Ask each one how many houses they’ve built with this architect. If they've done a number of jobs together and know each other's working style, there's less chance for miscommunication and errors.

Other builder questions: Were the architect's drawings and written specifications useful and informative, useless and confusing or somewhere in between? During construction, was the architect responsive to field questions? How often did the architect visit the site? How well did the architect handle client-builder disputes?

Once you've selected an architect, established a construction budget and are ready to go, don't lose sight of the three factors that constrain all projects, whether you use an architect or not: Budget, quality, and quantity.

You can have any two of these but not all three. If you want a 4,000-square-foot house and Brazilian cherry hardwood floors throughout, the budget must be very large. If you still want the cherry hardwood floors but can only spend $100,000, be prepared for a very small house.