FAQ

Design
Architects possess a blend of artistic and technical skills that make them uniquely qualified to transform ideas for a building into a form that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Construction Documents
An architect is trained to prepare drawings and specifications that will clearly communicate the design to a contractor so it can be built as intended. By virtue of his or her status as a licensed professional their stamp on the drawings is usually required by local authorities to receive a building permit.

Construction Administration
The involvement of the architect during the construction is essential to ensure that the project is built in conformance with the construction documents.

Like many other architectural firms ours has extensive experience with a wide variety of building types, so why select us?

Work directly with a Partner
We are a relatively small firm and prefer to stay that way. The partners enjoy being fully engaged in their projects and not simply managing them after delegating most of the work to less experienced personnel. We are convinced that our clients appreciate the fact that one or both of us are involved every step of the way from initial contact to end of construction. The benefits are obvious with the assurance that every project will receive the maximum level of attention we can offer.

Decades of Experience
There is hardly a building type we have not worked on. While extensive experience is not unusual, ours goes well beyond that of most architects. Rod Etzel has also worked as a structural and mechanical engineer developing skills that often allow us to minimize the use of expensive consultants and consequently offer significant savings to our clients. Erkki Alestalo worked as a home builder before becoming an architect and has considerable construction administration experience which gives him an understanding of the construction process that can only be gained through field experience.

Consulting
We can provide valuable information regarding construction costs, codes, zoning, sustainability, accessibility, working with contractors and many other factors that can help make the decision to proceed with the project or not.

Design
Most of our clients learn about our design capabilities and reputation for cost consciousness by word of mouth. We are known for the efficient production of quality construction documents in a timely manner.

Construction
Once the drawings are complete, the process of finding a contractor can be handled by the client or we can assist. When construction starts it is our policy to remain involved through final completion.

We have worked on projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic States and are licensed in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. We are also nationally certified which allows us to obtain additional licenses anywhere in the United States.

Our fees are usually established on either an hourly basis or a specified sum depending on what is most appropriate. Hourly fees are usually reserved for those occasions when the extent of our participation is temporarily unclear.

We make every effort to divide our services into phases ranging from establishing project requirements (programming) to construction administration with a proportion of our fee (specified sum) associated with each. In the event circumstances are such that our services are no longer required our client’s obligation extends only to the work completed. A small retainer is usually required when an agreement is negotiated.