How To Work With An Architect

The prospect of working with an architect can be daunting. What exactly is an architect? Do you really need an architect? How do you find a good architect? What questions should you ask an architect? How do you negotiate a contract with an architect? All of these questions and more are addressed in this indispensable guide for anyone considering remolding an existing home or building a new home.
The remolding and construction process is undoubtedly easier, more enjoyable, and more fruitful when you have the benefit of a professional architect's expertise at your disposal. In How to Work with an Architect, noted architect Gerald Lee Morosco, AIA, reveals the essential criteria for a successful architect/client relationship, describing the benefits of working with an architect and illuminating how an architect adds immeasurable value to a project.
Focusing primarily on single-family residential design, Morosco presents a thorough discussion of the collaboration process. He also offers a brief history of the profession, with features on prominent architects and their philosophies. In addition, there is ancillary information on the American Institute of Architects, NCARB, State Licensing Boards, the Taliesin Fellows Directory, and much more.
With a plethora of color photos and plan drawings, this book is an invaluable resource for first timers considering the advantages of working with an architect as well as those who have already enlisted the services of a seasoned professional. At your fingertips, you'll find sound advice, practical tips, and solid information from a renowned architect who is a frontrunner in the industry.
Gerald Lee Morosco, AIA, is an architect, writer and lecturer of national reputation. Graduating with honors from Washington & Jefferson College, he pursued his education as an architect by way of an apprenticeship at Taliesin where he lived and worked in the Taliesin Fellowship established by Frank Lloyd Wright. He is the founder and president of Gerald Lee Morosco Architects, P. C., a preservation-based architectural firm in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he also makes his home. His projects have been featured in Metropolitan Home, Inspired House, Old House Journal, Old House Interiors, Style 1900, as well as on Home & Garden Television.
Ed Massery has created award-winning photography for more than 15 years. Specializing in architectural interior and exterior photography, his work is recognized for its craft and quality. His photography has been showcased in numerous publications, including Art & Architecture of St. Bernard Church, Architecture of Benno Jannsen, Michael Graves: Buildings and Projects 1995-2003, Light of Louis Poulsen, Architectural Record and Architecture. Massery has completed many notable commissions and exhibits, including photographing a building that incorporated Art Deco design for the Heinz Architectural Center of the Carnegie Museum.


Anyone who has endeavored to remodel or build a home from the ground up knows that the process can be trying at best, infuriating at worst. That process can be made infinitely more enjoyable when you have the benefit of a professional architect's expertise at the ready. In How to Work with an Architect, noted architect and Taliesin Fellow Gerald Lee Morosco, AIA, reveals the essential criteria for a successful architect/client relationship, explaining not only what the benefits of working with an architect are, but also showing how an architect adds immeasurable value to a project.
Focusing mainly on single-family residential design, Morosco presents a thorough discussion of the collaboration process, beginning with what an architect is and how an architect can help you. How to Work with an Architect helps you answer important questions before you hire an architect or start a project, including:
What is an Architect?
Do I Really Need an Architect?
How Do I Find an Architect?
How Do I Negotiate a Contract?
Where do I Build or Buy?
What Zoning and Building Codes Do I Need to Be Aware of?
How Do I Find a Builder?
How to Work with an Architect also offers a brief history of the profession, with features on prominent architects and their philosophies. In addition, there are sidebars featuring the American Institute of Architects, NCARB, state licensing boards, a directory of Taliesin fellows, a step-by-step planning checklist, and much more. With color photos and plan drawings, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone embarking on the process of building a new home.