finding an architect- my heart says yes, my head hurts.

[mopinko]

so, i want to replace a decrepit 2 story enclosed porch with a visually stunning energy producing statement of an addition.
i am going to meet this guy next week. i am already in love with the style that he has. i found him by way of a guy who was a self taught, crazy visionary architect. (now dead, but still remembered by followers) i will be talking to one of his clients tonight. i have emailed a couple, and driven by one house that is on the website.
i can see that he does not get a lot of work. his references are thin. but they are beautiful. he is the vp of the illinois solar energy association, tho.
i probably won't have him build, just design. i figure the worst that can happen is i end up paying another architect to design something that can actually be built. it's only drawings. right?


http://www.howardalanarchitects.com/

[NMDemDist2]

1. he looks great to me! but expensive...

:scared:

[Warpy]

2. You can run his drawings by a structural engineer

something that probably won't break the bank. Anyone with a degree in architecture knows how to design stuff that doesn't fall down, so if he's not self taught like his mentor, you're probably safe.

The fact that only one built project has been demolished is a good sign.

He probably has a thin portfolio because he is a visionary. A lot of us recognize the artistry of Prairie Style buildings but wouldn't want to live in them, myself included.

[mopinko]

3. i think he is out there. which is why i like him.

if you are interested, his mentor- brucegoff
this site is in german, but they have some of the best pictures on the web of his houses. look at the ruth ford house, from 1947.
this is one of those six degrees of kevin bacon kind of things.
i grew up in the house that she built before she built the famous house

if i was starting from scratch, i would want that house. i have never been in it. but fortunately it has stood the test of time, and the current owners show it off occasionally, and took down the stone wall that used to surround it.

[mopinko]

4. well, i talked to one of his references.

she said she had checked him out, and that was well know for his solar energy work. she has not built the 2 story greenhouse that he designed for her, because she couldn't afford it. but she said his bid to build was the best one she got, and the subs he sent out were very meticulous. and she really liked him.
i will talk to him next week.