Small Firm Exchange

Hello Everyone!

I had a recent experience that I'm sure is not unique to me. However, it is one that's been bugging me, and I was hoping to hear some other opinions.

On one of my residential additions, the contractor texted me about 30 minutes before I was heading into a very important client meeting, asking to move a door. Simple, right? However, the image they texted me was of a jack and jill bathroom that was not part of the original plans. Somewhere in the midst of framing, the decision was made to redesign the lavatory/bath/closet layout between two bedrooms. To make this work required moving one of the bedroom doors.

The layout change was not something that was brought to me. Zero idea if this came from the client or the contractor or a family friend. What I do know was I was furious that this was brought to me in this manner and had to be addressed immediately as the framer was on site.

Granted, the owner is more than welcome to make these types of changes. It's their project and they have to make things work for them. However, as the architect, this hit me in an unexpected way. I can't figure out if I'm upset with the way this was handled, or if there's a feeling of disrespect given the amount of time spent with the client previously, or if it's just ego.

Not helping the situation is the client opted at the last moment to swap out the contractor from one I've worked with on multiple projects to one I've never heard of because they assured the client they could work within their budget. Which terrifies me on a whole other level. It also did not help that this was dropped in my lap at a time when I couldn't stop and give it thought.

Any thoughts? I've been chewing on this for the last week.

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Larry Paschall AIA
Spotted Dog Architecture
Dallas TX
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Larry,

I thought I was being petty in ruminating over a similar situation, so hearing your internal strife actually makes me feel better. I think your frustration is well placed, but as you realized, at the end of the day, the owner will do whatever is best for their pocket, even if they spent all this time with you, going over meticulous details of the design, only to throw it all away for the cheapest bidder.

The way I handled it was to reframe my response. I am also learning, so my way of handling may not be ideal either, but atleast wanted to share what I did and that you are not alone in this experience.

• I reminded myself, its not personal. The owner is just looking out for themselves and the contractor is obviously just looking to save money any way they can.
• I stepped back a bit from going above and beyond after a few incidents.
• I introduced a bit more formality into the process when dealing with the owner and contractor, as clearly I became the third wheel once they selected the cheapest contractor against our recommendations.
• While there was no compromise on the quality of work, I was more watchful for scope creep introduced by the contractor.

My view is  that as frustrating as they get at time, every client is a good client as they help us grow ourselves and our business!

Curious to hear other thoughts as well.

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Ashish Agrawal AIA
RARA Designz (www.raradesignz.com)
Chantilly VA
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Original Message:
Sent: 7/6/2026 10:55:00 PM
From: Ashish Agrawal, AIA
Subject: RE: Project Ownership

Larry,

I thought I was being petty in ruminating over a similar situation, so hearing your internal strife actually makes me feel better. I think your frustration is well placed, but as you realized, at the end of the day, the owner will do whatever is best for their pocket, even if they spent all this time with you, going over meticulous details of the design, only to throw it all away for the cheapest bidder.

The way I handled it was to reframe my response. I am also learning, so my way of handling may not be ideal either, but atleast wanted to share what I did and that you are not alone in this experience.

• I reminded myself, its not personal. The owner is just looking out for themselves and the contractor is obviously just looking to save money any way they can.
• I stepped back a bit from going above and beyond after a few incidents.
• I introduced a bit more formality into the process when dealing with the owner and contractor, as clearly I became the third wheel once they selected the cheapest contractor against our recommendations.
• While there was no compromise on the quality of work, I was more watchful for scope creep introduced by the contractor.

My view is  that as frustrating as they get at time, every client is a good client as they help us grow ourselves and our business!

Curious to hear other thoughts as well.

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Ashish Agrawal AIA
RARA Designz (www.raradesignz.com)
Chantilly VA
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This bothers me also ...very much.  Our Contract Documents are Copywrited.  You can explain this to the owner, remove your seal and signature from the project at the Inspector's office, or do nothing.  The owner won't care and will probably do nothing.  It's a difference in owners.  I started doing Residential recently (down from Commercial).  

Give me a Board of Directors any day..!!

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Nelson B. Nave AIA
Nelson Breech Nave, AIA Architect
Kalamazoo MI
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Larry:

With respect to the original situation, just because you received a text does not mean you are obligated to respond immediately. As you said, you were walking into an important client meeting. Don't allow the contractor's or owner's lack of planning and foresight to become your problem. You might be out of cell range, or in a doctor's appointment. That said, time is money and reasonably prompt responses are important. Where a prompt response before the age of smart phones and computers was several days, today those technologies chain us to our work and "demand" responses withing minutes. Set limits. Provide for an RFI process with a minimum of 3 days allowed to provide a response, although respond more promptly when feasible.

With respect to the topic of the question, if it is not a part of the scope of the project you designed and sealed, do NOT provide direction. By doing so, you have immediately expanded your responsibilities and liability. If the client wishes your input, speak with your client to gain a full understanding of the issue at hand. You might need require clarification on the scope change, you may need to visit the project site, and/or you many need to amend your services and fee. Alternatively, if uncomfortable with the situation, you might decline to provide direction.

Make good decisions!

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Mark I. Baum, Architect, AIA
Mark I. Baum Architect LLC
New Orleans, LA
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"Lawrence"? I'm not sure I can take you seriously in that shirt and tie. It's disturbing. 

But on the topic at hand, I do think you're justified in having a certain amount of angst and properly directed at the contractor. Whether the owner initiated the change or not the contractor is now asking you to take design responsibility for a significant change that you were not consulted on nor compensated for. That's a big red flag. If it were me I would have sent a text reply to the contractor and copied the client directing them not to take any action until I could visit the site, review the changes made, and make a presentation to the client on their best options given the constraints of the space. And I would have made it clear that any work done without my input, direction, consultation, etc would be at the contractor's sole risk and responsibility and that any and all deviations from the approved construction documents absolve me of any liability and responsibility moving forward. 

It's a common thread especially in residential practice. I have found that most clients are unable to properly visualize a space, no matter how many 3D renderings you put in front of them, and once things get built they start making changes because suddenly something clicks and here we go with the scope creep. Ashish also said it well that it's important to take a step back and remove the ego from the process. But....it will definitely happen again, so. Brace yourself. 

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Jeremiah Russell, AIA, NCARB
Principal/Architect
Jeremiah S. Russell, Architect
Little Rock, Arkansas
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Hi Larry - I think we have talked before and I agree that working on residential projects is challenging because at the end of the day, the homeowner is the major stakeholder and decision maker and it's difficult to control the outcome when the client is on site and has direct contact with the builder. Everyone likes to think they are a designer...

The way I have managed it is to take the lead for design and space planning through DD and bidding. Once a homeowner has an agreement with a builder to build, we switch to a subcontracted service role and only help on an hourly "as needed" basis during construction.  

The majority of my projects are not big enough to require an architect and many homeowners resort to DIY design or let the builder 'design' their addition. The clients who end up working with us appreciate a chance to explore options and develop a design before hiring a builder. We empower homeowners to understand their priorities and what they want to build and we give them tools to communicate with their builder but we don't guarantee or control the outcome. 

At the end of the day, most residential clients can't afford to have us on-site regularly overseeing the project and they need to make decisions for materials and finishes that fit their limited budgets but maybe aren't the ones I would recommend. Sometimes they switch up the space plans too, but setting priorities through SD usually minimizes plan changes. 

By offering CA as a subcontracted 'as needed' service, I don't get phone calls on my way to another meeting asking me to approve, endorse or be happy about some weird decision the homeowners and builder made on site - they can just make their decisions and live with the results and I don't have to feel that marginalized, disrespected feeling you described (which sucks) .... Basically we plan the menu but leave the 'sausage making' to the client and builder ... Admittedly the outcomes are not exceptional, but clients are happy, I know the design disasters that were averted, and it preserves relationships and my peace of mind (and if we decide to get photos taken, we can skip the client designed parts). 

It sounds like you might be stuck with this one (my favorite quote for these types of situations is "Decisions were made..." 🤷🏽‍♀️) I hope it helped to vent and wish you the best ... good luck!

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Brenda Skeel AIA
B-Squared Design Studio
Shepherd MI
www.b-squaredstudio.com
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