HOW TO CHOOSE A HOME DESIGNER IN B.C.

Before comparing designers, write down what you need: new home, addition or renovation; approximate size; whether you need structure, renderings or interior design; and your timeline. A clear brief makes proposals comparable.

A good proposal states the scope of work, the deliverables, what is expected from you, the timeline, the cost and how changes are handled. Be careful with any quote that is only a verbal number, or a flat price given before anyone has asked about your property.

Ask each designer which professional bodies they belong to and what they are qualified to design. Architects are registered with the Architectural Institute of B.C. (AIBC), engineers with Engineers and Geoscientists B.C. (EGBC), and many building designers belong to the Building Designers Association of B.C. (BCABD). Check the public registers yourself rather than relying on a website logo. Ask whether your project needs an architect or engineer, and ask who will coordinate them.

Ask to see completed projects similar to yours, and speak to the builders who built them if you can. Read Google reviews in full, including how the firm replied to critical ones.

Ask whether the firm carries professional liability insurance, who owns the drawings, how revisions are handled and what happens if the project stops. Get the answers in the contract.

A designer who will not tell you what they are and are not qualified to do, who pressures you to sign quickly, who avoids written scope, or who claims a title they cannot show on a public register, is a reason to keep looking.

We provide a written proposal before work begins, we tell you at the proposal stage whether your project needs other registered professionals, our reviews are public, and our projects are listed with their clients. See our professional standards.