AA+I News & Insights
The General Notes
Design thinking, process notes, and market insights from the AA+I team.
Why the Lowest Bid Is Rarely the Cheapest
A builder who underbids by a wide margin has to recover it somewhere, usually through change orders or corners that surface years later.
Where the Industry's Money Actually Leaks
U.S. construction loses about $177 billion a year to labor spent on avoidable problems, and 48% of all rework traces to poor project information and miscommunication.
The Mistake Allowance the Federal Government Wrote Down
The National Research Council treats change orders from architect and engineer errors of up to 5% of construction cost as normal. On a $2M home that is $100,000 of surprises, and a complete drawing set exists to beat that yardstick.
Why the Architect Should Be There Until the End
Drawings are half the job, and making sure the building matches them is the other half. An attorney who defends architects explains why construction administration is the wrong place to cut costs.
Three Things Worth Knowing Before You Build
Planning a custom home? Learn the critical factors, including industry cost-loss stats and mistake allowances, to protect your building investment today.
How to Actually Compare Architecture Proposals
Learn how to compare architecture proposals by looking beyond fees. Discover why document quality is the most critical factor in controlling project costs.
What a Florida House Should Be Built to Survive, and What It Saves You
Wind-resistant design lowers Florida insurance premiums and protects the house, but only the features documented in the drawings earn credit at inspection.
Nine out of ten early projects came from people who already knew me
I had no capital to advertise. Nobody was going to find me. If those people hadn't known what I was doing, there wouldn't have been a firm.
Read This Before You Buy the Lot
Buying land for a custom home? Avoid costly mistakes by checking flood zones, wetlands, and soil conditions before you close on your Florida property.
I held the stamp and none of the decisions
The liability sat with me and the control didn't. That is a genuinely uncomfortable place to sit, and it doesn't get more comfortable with time.
My second hire wasn't a drafter
I am never going to be the uber-communicator who answers a client text at one in the morning. But I can find someone who is.
What it actually costs to add a licensed architect
It's entirely possible to end up with more revenue and a worse margin than you had before, doing more work under more pressure and feeling less profitable, because you are.
I don't compete on dollars per square foot
People don't build their dream home three or four times. Most of them haven't done it once. The value of a trusted adviser is concentrated entirely in the one shot you get.
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