Is hiring an architect worth it?

tl:dr - Yes. For every $1 spent on architectural fees, the home owner gains $11.40 [in capital gain]. That means, for the median Melbourne house price of$1,200,000, after 10 years the home owner that employed an architect is $256,000 better off than the home owner that didn’t.

Architects talk a LOT about making dream homes and forever homes and beauty and joy and the wonderful experience of sitting by a perfectly placed window.

You get the idea. It's gorgeous.

Moving from the right-brain to the left-brain, architects talk a lot more these days about the powerful role design plays in reducing your energy use and lowering power bills. We do this with passive solar design, excellent insulation, as well as designing for electricity to be produces and consumed on-site.

Ok, good. That's measurable and tangible.

The clincher, however, is when it comes to sell. Every forever home will eventually be someone else's. The good news is that the research shows that for every $1 an owner spends on architectural fees they gain $11.40 in capital growth, over and above market changes.

This research was conducted in 2019 by RAsP (Research for Architects in Small Practice) commissioned by ArchiTeam Cooperative Ltd and can be read in full here, and in summary here.

Domain and RealEstate.com agree! It is more than putting the words "architect designed" on the sale board though. The words “architect designed” are often used to imply luxury and high-end design. But in reality, an architect can help you no matter your budget.

ArchiCentre was once the gateway for many Australian to approach an architect for the first time. And there are some great resources still available, including the annually updated Cost Guide for construction. The catch for time-poor decision makers is that to engage an architect through ArchiCentre requires a phone call, a brief and a quotation process.

Architect GP removes that barrier in the process and allows you to make a very low-cost connection with a local architect. All architects on the platform are personally invited by the founder, Sarah Hobday-North, based on their communication skills, local industry knowledge, and design skill. You then make better and more informed decisions about how to proceed and hiw much support you need based on your real experience and interactions, in addition to the personal design and construction advice you receive.

Extrapolating the statistics, when you spend just $79 on a call with Architect GP, you will add $900.60 to the value of your home.

Is hiring an architect worth it? Absolutely.