In my more than 20 years as an architect in Long Beach, California, I have worked with all types of clients. I have worked with super creative types who come to our architecture firm with all kinds of ideas for their upcoming project. In contrast, I have also worked with clients who have very little idea of what they want. And then there is the majority of people, who fall somewhere in the middle. They come to our Long Beach architecture firm with some idea of what they want but are largely looking to us to lead the design process.
Every architecture firm in Long Beach is different in the type of client they prefer. At Grisafe Architecture, our preference is to work with clients who have some ideas of their own, but who are also open to our design ideas and trust our expertise. We never discourage client input—we actually welcome it! However, we also will work with clients who come to us saying, “We need help! We have no idea what to do with this space, but we know it isn’t working for us!”
In a typical remodeling project for an existing home or commercial space, our clients will have thoughts on what they don’t like about their current setup. This is especially true if we’re remodeling a home in which our client has been living for some time or a commercial space in which they’ve already been working. These clients will often have very specific gripes, such as, “The kitchen is too dark and small.” “The only way to get to the backyard is through a small door in the laundry room.” “There’s not enough storage.” “We need more spaces where our employees can collaborate on projects.”
Issues like these can be great jumping off points for residential or commercial remodels. Sometimes, these clients will have specific ideas about how to fix these problems, but most of the time, they are relying on our team to solve them. And that is exactly what an architecture firm in Long Beach should be able to do!
When we do an initial walkthrough with a new client looking for us to design their residential or commercial remodel, our clients will point out those things they don’t like about the space, but we will always see things that we think can be improved as well. Sometimes, they are things that the client never even considered or issues that they thought were unfixable. It’s so great when we see the clients’ eyes light up and respond, “Wait, you can do that?!?”
A Good Architecture Firm Will Know the Right Questions to Ask
If you’re worried that your architecture firm will ask you what it is you are looking for in a remodel and you won’t have a good response, don’t be concerned! A good architect will know the right questions to ask to get the design process started.
You aren’t expected to have all the ideas or answers. If you did, you wouldn’t need an architect. You could just hire a talented drafter to draw up the plans for you. But then you might miss out on some great ideas that you hadn’t considered that could truly transform your space!
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