Photo by: The Waterbury Republican-American
In May of 2005, David and Nancy Stein lost their 1930s cape when a fire that began on the back porch ravaged their house in about seven minutes. Within weeks of the fire, the couple and their two teenage boys began turning tragedy into opportunity by envisioning the thoughtfully designed home they would build on the foundation of the old one. But a vision is one thing; actually realizing that vision on a tight budget dependent on an insurance policy is quite another.
Because the Steins refused to believe their budget precluded them from working with an architect, they did two things: They hired Madison, Conn., architect Duo Dickinson, and they took on most of the responsibility for creating their new home, enough to whittle the design costs down to a mere 5% of the total construction budget.
Anyone considering hiring an architect (especially if you think you can't afford one) can benefit from the Steins' experience. David and Nancy sat down with FineHomebuilding.com to explain how they applied Duo's "10 steps to reduce an architect's fees" to achieve their custom home. What follows is a conversation that could save you a bundle.