Before your first meeting with an architect

What to decide before you book

AIA's consumer page sets out 20 questions to answer before you start (AIA, Before you begin your project, 18 December 2024). We will not repeat the list; the page is linked below and worth twenty minutes. The questions fall into four groups.

• The house as it is. What you like and dislike about it now, and why you want to renovate or add rather than move.
• How you live. Whether anyone works from home, how often you entertain, who lives there now and who might later, what spaces you need and how many.
• Money and time. How much you can realistically afford, when the work has to be done by, how much disruption you can tolerate, and whether you plan to do any of it yourself.
• Taste and decisions. Style preferences, which one person will speak for the household, and how much time you can give the project.

The California Architects Board's list of basic project criteria is shorter and more practical: the size, appearance and functions you want; the services you expect from the architect; a total budget that includes fees, permits, construction costs and contingencies; who is financing the work; and your start and completion dates (CAB Consumer's Guide, read 10 October 2026).

What to bring

The CAB notes that property information a client may supply includes legal descriptions, boundary and topographic surveys and soils reports (CAB Consumer's Guide). You may not have these, and not every project needs them. What you can almost always bring is below.

• Photos of every room and of the outside from each side, taken on a phone, not styled.
• Any drawings you have: the plans from when the house was bought, a survey, a previous permit set, or nothing at all. Say so if it is nothing; measuring the house is a normal first task.
• Title or deed documents, and anything that mentions easements, setbacks or homeowners' association rules.
• Inspiration images with a note on each saying what you like about it. The note matters more than the image.
• A list of what does not work in the house today, in your own words.
• Your total budget, written down, and your dates.
• Your answers to the questions above, even as rough notes.

What to ask the architect

AIA's consumer page also gives questions to ask an architect before you hire (AIA, Before you begin your project, 18 December 2024). Paraphrased, they cover who in the firm will actually design your project, how busy the firm is, how fees are set and what fee to expect, the steps in the process and what you will be shown at each, the firm's record on cost estimating, what happens to the fee if the scope changes, what services they provide during construction, how long it will take and how disruptive it will be, and which past clients you can talk to.

The California Architects Board's interview questions overlap and add the licensing detail: years in business, firm size, the licence number, which consultants they use and whether those consultants are insured, what share of their work is in your type of project, what insurance they carry and at what limits, examples and references, how actual construction costs compared with budgets on past projects, what counts as basic services and what is extra, how often they will be on site during construction, and how they handle cost estimates, schedules and disputes (CAB Consumer's Guide).

AIA's main consumer page adds a filter for choosing whom to interview at all: look at portfolios, ask for references and follow them up, and treat a lack of experience in your kind of project as a sign of poor fit (AIA, How to work with an architect, read 10 October 2026).

What to ask the references

The CAB suggests four questions for past clients: were schedules and budgets kept, how was the relationship with the contractor, what problems came up and how were they resolved, and would you hire the architect again (CAB Consumer's Guide).

What should worry you

The California Architects Board's guide is written for a state with strict rules, but its warning signs travel (CAB Consumer's Guide, read 10 October 2026).

• No licence, or a disciplinary record. The Board tells homeowners to check both before hiring. Every state board publishes a licence lookup.
• A large advance. The Board's words: be wary of excessive advances or retainer fees to begin services.
• No written contract. California has required one since 1996. Everywhere else it is still the only protection you have.
• Pressure for the final payment before the services are finished.
• Nothing in writing after meetings. The Board advises keeping written records and confirming meetings by email.
• The title without the licence. In Texas, someone working under the single-family exemption may not call themselves an architect or an architectural designer (Occupations Code 1051.606).
• No experience in your kind of project (AIA, How to work with an architect).

What happens after the meeting

A good first meeting ends with the architect telling you what they think the project is, roughly what it might cost to build and to design, and how they would run it. The next things you should see are a written proposal with a scope, a fee and a schedule, and then a contract. Our guide to architect contracts explains what should be in that document, and our cost guide explains the fee structures you are likely to be offered.

The checklist

Print this, or copy it into your notes.

• Decide why you are renovating, and what you like and dislike about the house now.
• Decide what spaces you need, how you live in them, and who the project is for.
• Set the total budget: construction, fees, permits, consultants, contingency.
• Set your dates and your tolerance for disruption.
• Choose one person to speak for the household.
• Gather photos of every room and every side of the house.
• Gather any drawings, surveys, title documents and association rules.
• Collect inspiration images, each with a note on why.
• Write a list of what does not work today.
• Ask: who will design it, how busy are you, how are fees set and what should I expect?
• Ask: what are the steps, what will I see at each, and what is your record on cost estimates?
• Ask: what happens to the fee if the scope changes, and what do you do during construction?
• Ask: licence number, insurance, consultants, and the share of your work in projects like mine.
• Ask for references, and call them.
• After the meeting, confirm what was said by email.