Some thoughts on hourly. I work hourly all the time with my AV work and the client always comes out ahead. In my experience people work hard regardless of hourly or fixed. In fact I tend to make more money on fixed bid jobs because I pad them well. I have worked with a few shops that refuse to do hourly as they don't make enough money. Just giving you an alternate perspective.

Change orders/job creep are a killer unless you are ultra organized and ultra ruthless about it.

The best projects I've been involved with are the ones where the Architect is hands on with the project the whole way through. I'm not talking about the jackass that just shows up at the job site to gloat about his awesome design here and there but the guy that knows construction and is there ready, willing and able to quickly touch up drawings as the project evolves. That guy with a good GC are worth every penny.

The real problem with hiring an Arky-tek is that they are liable to design an unlivable piece of Art for you to "inhabit."

There is a reason why they called it "Falling Water" you know.

You sir obviously have never dealt with a real architect. Building a piece of sculpture that does not meet a client's needs is malpractice and can quickly get you sued, certainly replaced.

Are you saying that 'real architects' are the ones who aren't famous?

Floyd made himself a lot of money making chairs people can't sit in and houses that leak water.

And present day architects will never live down the legend of this man.

We are by association of profession all guilty of the same, right?

Any of you actually an architect? Any of you worked with a client who "knew exactly what they wanted, just draw it?" Any of you actually know how long it takes to make a set of plans that respect the client's needs and meet the local codes?

Based on what I have read, you guys think an architect just dreams stuff up that has nothing to do with the client's needs/wants and charges a boat load of cash for artsy fartsy crap.

If you want a basic structure, go to a contractor, who by the way is now not bound by any plans or specs and can charge what he likes.

Do any of you actually know how a structure gets put together so it works, passes code, does not fall down and all of the systems work?

The last client I had that actually "knew what he wanted" cost me 500 hours in changes, because either they didn't know what they wanted or watched tv shows that had them thinking differently or they just changed their minds. Frankly most architects just want to please their clients and give them what they want. Trouble is, most folks have no idea what they want and have no clue to the value of having a full set of coordinated plans that a builder can bid from. Change orders don't occur because the architect has changed his mind, they happen because the client would just like to make one teensy weensy change.

You get the value you pay form

You may well get the value you pay form or even pay for, but for a residence I have to wonder if the value added over a builder or 'off der internet' design always justifies the added cost. Or, maybe at what price level does it justify the added cost...

I'm not trying to come down on your profession but it seems that CAD and the internet have changed things.

OTOH, an Architect insulates the owner from tricks that _some_ builders will pull...

"Little" changes aren't.

Ever.

And as a corollary, there really isn't any such thing as a "simple" project. They all have quirks and potential pitfalls and at least one thing that'll be a headache at some point in design or construction (or both).

Having a good contractor and a good architect who can both respect and deal well with each other is the single most important thing to job smoothness and ultimately, success.