Hello ArCHmembers,  I think I’ve seen this position advertised several times in the past.  Check it out if you’re looking:

ArCHjobmart

As I recall, I do believe this job is Not what you might call a normal architectural position.  I believe it is a diagnostic and technical problem solving position in the Atlanta area, where you would visit high-rises and other buildings (including sitting in a bosun’s chair and going up and down the exterior face of those buildings) to understand building envelope failures and create solutions for solving those problems.  So if you have no fear of heights, enjoy getting into the nitty gritty of how to keep water out of structures, and aren’t passionate about designing high profile designery projects, this could be some steady & dependable employment.

During this last week, Nick Peckham, ArCH/FAIA joined ArCH.  Nick prides his firm on a deep respect for sustainable architecture, hence his coined practice description of “Deep Green.”  He is licensed in multiple states and has his main practice in Missouri.  It speaks well of both ArCH and the AIA that some of the wisest and most honored members of each organization also belong to the other.

Nick is likely going to be chairing one of our ArCH Focus Groups on Green Architecture, when he feels the timing is right for him.  When that happens, no doubt he will address all of ArCH through the ArCHforum, seeking possible other Focus Team members. He also is the proud owner of ArCHsuite™, the largest bundle of ArCHstore products that presently exists.

Nick’s mentor was Buckminster Fuller and he also had direct training from Louis Kahn.

Happy Halloween to all our ArCHmembers.

Starting 10/1/2017 and continuing throughout the remainder of 2017, ArCH will be running a banner ad on Mark LePage’s EntreArchitect website.  This was done to increase ArCH’s exposure to a similar demographic as many ArCHmembers.  Be watching Entrepreneur Architect for the ad.  There will also be a hotlink in the ad to a page on the ArCHwebsite listing many reasons to become an ArCHmember.  Thanks to Mark LePage for working with us on this.

When you are a member of ArCH, you are able to access experienced peers, who are also Licensed Architects.  About what?  Just about anything you can imagine as an important issue involving the business, marketing, design or documentation of residential architecture.

For instance: this last week, there was a lively series of email discussions about the best software for architectural invoicing and time-keeping.  James Spencer, ArCH, Arlington, VA and Amy Patterson, ArCH, Arden, NC exchanged valuable experience with other members: Bennett Sabatier, ArCH, Lafayette, LA, Rod Kazenske, ArCH, Denver, CO.  Members reviewed various benefits of QuickBooks, BillQuick, QBProContractor, ArCH’s own ArCHbill (under development), Preasto and others.  This benefit alone, makes the low yearly membership fee of ArCH (currently $159/year) an amazing bargain. Where else can you receive such pointed counsel, strictly focused on residential architecture?

Join ArCH here.  Enjoy peer counsel.

Important advice here: backup all the work you do during a day, at the end of that day (at the very least).  And require that any staff you may have do the same.

Why: because the amount of work you can lose when you are working on AutoCad or Revit or SoftPlan or ArchiCad can be enormous.  If you have ever had a file become corrupt or a hard drive go bad while you’re working on a project (haven’t we all?) you’ll understand the subject of this online article.  The sinking feeling is devastating: the sense of loss is immeasurable.

How to do this: suggest that you have multiple backup locations:
1.  Your main hard drive, of course.  Save your file by naming/numbering it slightly differently every 10 minutes to 30 minutes.  For instance, you may call your project: 7-17-2016-Smith-156 (for the date, the project name and the iteration of the file.  The SaveAs name in about 15 minutes might be: 7-17-2016-Smith-157.  And the next day: 7-18-2016-Smith-158.  In this manner, you are constantly replacing the current file with a new file.  So: if your current file becomes corrupt, you will have the file immediately preceding it to use.

2.  A flash drive.  You can obtain “thumb drives” or “flash drives” that fit easily in your pocket that can hold 256GB and more, for not much cash, and you can take this with you whenever you leave your office, home or other location. In other words: if your house or office burn down or other disaster occurs, you will have that little flash drive in your pocket with your last 10 year’s worth of projects. What a relief you will feel to have that!

3.  External hard drive.  This is a hard drive that is external to your main computer, about the size of a thick paperback novel.  It can hold as much as your main computer hard drive, perhaps more, depending on how large an external drive you purchase.

Therefore: you should have, at a minimum: your latest files in at least 3 different locations.  If the file you are working on right now goes bad, you have all of those others to fall back on.  The worst case should be you would lose the work you’ve been developing during the present day, if your file goes bad during any given day.  This scenario would happen if your computer’s main hard drive went bad during any normal work day, before you have backed up for the evening.  If you want to become even more obsessive, you can perform your end of day backup at noon as well.

If you adhere to the above, and have your staff do the same, your catastrophic losses due to crashed hard drives should be minimized.  This policy has been in effect with the Home Architects for the last decade, and the most lost has been a single day’s work in that time.

Now then, if you want to get really concerned and have the financial capability, you might want to also consider obtaining a backup server and/or backup computer for your main computer(s) that you and your critical staff use.  Treat the secondary machines like additional drives on your main machine.  In that way, if your main computer(s) crash, you should hopefully have the backup computer(s) still functional.

One last thing: if you don’t use a sine-wave UPS (Uninterruptible Power System) device for  your main computer(s), you are playing with fire.  A quality UPS for each important computer in your office will save you not only lost time rebooting when there are power failures, you just might save your computers themselves from frying in the event of severe storms in your vicinity.  However, if you enjoy replacing damaged computers frequently, you may ignore this advice.

Happy computing!

4 new Architect job positions just posted 7-1-2016.  Check out the ArCHjobmart:

ArCHjobmart

Hello ArCHmembers who are proud licensees of ArCHspec™.  ArCHspec™ has had both a conventional HWH (Hot Water Heater) specification and a multiple tankless HWH specification in Division 15p.  The multiple tankless spec is section 15400-1212.  The conventional HWH (but high efficiency) is 15400-1300.  It is recommended that the 15400-1212 multiple tankless HWH (either gas or electric) NOT be used.  Instead, it is suggested that the 15400-1300 high efficiency conventional electric HWH be used.

Why: the multiple tankless HWHs could result in your project needing many more amps and possibly even a higher MDP (Main Distribution Panel) and larger main disconnect and larger cables feeding the project.  These increases in electrical power infrastructure are sure to offset any energy performance enhancements.

Therefore, it is suggested that the conventional HWH (but high-efficiency) henceforth be specified, rather than the multiple tankless approach.

Hello ArCHmembers: just a reminder to all those of you earning an income (which is hopefully all of you): 2nd quarter 2016 tax estimate payments are due 6-15-2016 Wednesday.

If you haven’t yet calculated your estimated total income projects for the year, then estimated your taxes for the year, then subtracted your 1st quarter payment, then divided the remainder by 3, ask your Accountant, or at the very least, take your best informed guess and take care of that before the deadline.  Your envelopes to State and Federal governments must typically have the US Postage stamp on them indicating that they were put in the mail by 6-15.  Verify with your financial counsel.

Have a healthy, happy and productive 2nd half of the year.

Managing Client Expectations is what this post is about.  Your ArCHexComm (Executive Committee) identified as the “next thing to tackle” during this last Wednesday’s global ArCHexComm Skype meeting.

Specifically, your ExComm identified the following disconnects:
Managing Client Expectations for:
1.  Architect’s FEES.
2.  Architect’s TIME.
3.  Client’s CONSTRUCTION COSTS.

Thorny issues for any Architect to handle, particularly with all the variables on every project: Client changes, various Contractors either promising or bidding different prices along with unrealistic Client budget goals, Client review times and your time to complete complex projects.

Well, your ArCHexComm has solved the issue of Managing Client Expectations.  How is this possible?  And how to document that the Client actual understands and agrees to these expectation scenarios?  Sounds difficult to achieve.

Actual it’s not.  What?  How could this become simple?  Doesn’t seem realistic.

Here’s how:  your ExComm has added a new paragraph #285 EXPECTATIONS to the ArCH AOA (Architect-Owner Agreement).  In other words your Client, once they sign this updated AOA form of agreement with you HAS agreed that they DO understand what their expectations for these aspects will be.  It seemed like the most expedient method to handle this Client Expectations issue.  And it does.  How?

This new version of the ArCH AOA (with paragraph 285) specifically is entitled:
285. EXPECTATIONS: Expectation for our fees, time and your construction costs.

Under architectural fees, there is a blank where Architects can insert a link to whatever 3rd party website they might wish to link, indicating typical Architectural fees for homes of various sizes, and for renovations., and for additional services.  Each Architect can reference whatever website they wish.  It is recommend that a 3rd party website be linked as a disinterested 3rd party source of public information.  For time, you may insert whatever you wish, with the basic text declaring it will probably be several months.  For construction cost expectations, once again, any Architect can insert whatever 3rd party website reference they wish to help Clients understand the realities of today’s construction costs for nice houses.  In this manner, neither ArCH nor any individual Architect is declaring what estimated fees might be (especially if you are hourly) or construction costs.  Rather: 3rd party references are taking care of that expectation for you.  Seems simple.  Should have been done long ago.

See the newly updated ArCH AOA here: ArCH AOA.