Design Integration - Most people want the addition's exterior to be indistinguishable from the original house. Our solutions always consider the whole.

Cost and Schedule Overruns - Our staff provides preliminary cost estimates to help you make good design decisions early. Our bids always come in on budget after preliminary costing, and our schedules are realistic.

When the contractor and architect are separate, it is not unusual for the contractor to be at odds with the architect, creating an adversarial environment with negative effects on the project. That does not happen when Sinnott & Company performs both architecture and construction. When problems arise--as they often do--they are solved internally between members of the same company, who know each other and have experience working together. There is much less stress. It's in everyone's best interest (architect, contractor, and client) to solve problems this way.

Another advantage is that because we have been doing both architecture and construction for many years, our construction cost estimates are much more accurate. Most contractors are not equipped to provide detailed preliminary estimates. The client doesn't know what the project will cost until the bids come in. Cost estimation is done before the documents are ready to bid.

Bidding occurs only after construction documents are complete. Sinnott & Company provides all clients with a bid at the end of the design process, and we are often the lowest.

Architecture is a puzzle. No two projects are the same. Clients need the flexibility to change their minds and architects need to be able to suggest new ideas. Fixed fee agreements discourage that.

The drawings and documents prepared by the architect determine how much construction will cost. Design work should never be treated as a line item in a project budget like framing or tile work.

It is nearly impossible to predict accurately how much time solving an architectural problem takes. Architecture on a fixed fee means someone is either paid more than it costs to prepare the work or they cut service to meet their own budget. Design service reduction compromises the beauty of the project and/or has costly implications in the construction phase.

Hourly billing is fair to both the client and the architect.

Also, design fees are a very good value. On a typical project, the architecture, structural engineering, landscape design, interior design, geotechnical engineering, and civil engineering are about equal to the overhead and profit paid to the contractor in addition to their costs.

Sinnott & Company bills design fees on an hourly basis. We believe this is the fairest approach to design billing.
‍
To give clients an idea of how much they may end up paying for our design services, estimates of design fees, as a percentage of construction cost, appear in the table below:

Note that these are not to be interpreted as a cap or estimate of your fee. The fee you pay will depend on the scope and complexity of your project. These percentages are for basic services and do not include verification of existing conditions, cost estimating, material specification, engineering, consultants, or agency fees.

We are happy to discuss your project and our fees with you--please contact us.

Agency approvals are getting more and more complicated. It is very important to research and anticipate which agencies and reviews are required in advance of designing your project. Prior to performing design work, we prepare an approval strategy and schedule, including code and zoning ordinance 'landmines' that can harm your project.