r/askarchitects

I’ve been thinking about something that seems to be overlooked in architecture.

An architect completes a project, hands over the drawings, construction begins, and eventually the project becomes another item in the portfolio. After that, most of the value from that project is essentially finished.

But a completed project contains much more than just a few portfolio images.

It could include a well-planned floor layout, plot dimensions, elevation ideas, space-planning solutions, material selections and practical design decisions that could be useful to other homeowners with similar requirements.

With homeowners increasingly searching online for house plans, floor plans and home design ideas before approaching an architect, I wonder if architects should be treating their portfolios as more than just a showcase of previous work.

Could selected completed projects be turned into ready-made house designs or digital design assets, while architects continue offering customised design services for clients who need something more specific?

It could potentially help architects:

• Reach homeowners beyond their local area
• Get more visibility for their existing work
• Create an additional revenue stream
• Make better use of years of completed projects
• Connect with potential clients earlier in their home-building journey

I'm curious what other architects think about this.

Do you see your completed projects as assets that could continue creating value after the original project is finished, or do you think architecture will always remain primarily a project-to-project business?

For context: I’m involved with YellowAntNest, a platform exploring this idea by connecting architects with homeowners looking for ready-made house designs. If you're interested in the concept, you can learn more here:

read more

Ever since I posted about VR, I’ve been getting a lot of responses, so I just wanted to share one more thing. I genuinely feel homeowners should be able to visualise their interiors and make changes in real time, instead of waiting until execution to realise something doesn’t work.
Here’s a video showing how you can change colours, textures, paint finishes and even furniture alignment in real time and see how it looks for yourself.
Being able to experience the space before it’s actually built can completely change the way you make design decisions.

Nagpagawa Ang kapitbahay namin ng 3 floors na bahay ng walang building permit. Ang pinaka Grabeng nagawa nila ay nagkaroon kami ng malakas na Agos sa kisame sa kasagsagan ng ulan at bumaha sa buong second floor namin. Nabasa bed frame, cabinet, at mga damit. Gusto namin ipa shoulder Ang pintura, kisame, ganun na Rin sana Ang nababad na bed frame kasi nabasa na ito. Pero nag commit lang sila sa pintura, paano naman kami baka lumundo na Ang aming kisame dahil nabasa na. Napaka unfair kasi namomomroblema kami sa pagapapgawa nila ng bahay dahil kami Ang napeperwisyo. Nananakot pa sila na may background sila sa law firm kaya kaya nila paikutin Ang Batas sa kanilang advantage. Anu po pwede naming gawin?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. when you’re designing a room or a whole home for a client, how do you actually get them to *see* what you’re proposing before anything is built?

Like, a floor plan makes total sense to us, but I’ve heard so many designers say clients just… nod along and don’t really picture it. Then reveal day comes and there’s a “wait, this isn’t what I imagined” moment.

Curious how people here handle this:

\*\*•\*\* Do you use 3D rendering software? Which one, and is it actually worth the learning curve?    
\*\*•\*\* Do you just walk clients through verbally / with mood boards and hope for the best?    
\*\*•\*\* Has anyone had a client completely misunderstand a floor plan until it was too late to change cheaply?

I ask because I’ve been quietly building a tool (RoomSketch) to solve exactly this — sketch a 2D floor plan and it turns into a walkable 3D space instantly, so clients can actually see their room/home before committing. Not trying to pitch it hard here, genuinely just want to know if this is a real pain point for people doing this professionally, or if I’m solving a problem that doesn’t actually exist. If it’s useful to anyone, happy to share more or add people to an early access list.

Dm me or comment if you want to get early access

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some professional advice on a detail involving a steel balustrade and drainage at a balcony with a projecting slab.
The main issue is that I would like to avoid using a conventional floor drain, mainly because the balcony has a relatively shallow depth. I’ve attached a schematic section showing the proposed assembly.
The balustrade needs to penetrate the final floor finish (stone or porcelain tiles), which is designed to project beyond the edge of the concrete slab and form a drip edge on the outside.
My initial idea is to use intermittent steel L-brackets anchored into the reinforced-concrete slab. These brackets would serve two purposes:
provide support for the floor build-up at the balcony edge, and
provide a vertical steel element to which the vertical balustrade profiles could be welded.
I’m intentionally using the vertical part of the L-profile so that I can achieve a longer weld between the balustrade and the support, while keeping the balustrade itself as visually minimal as possible and using the fewest steel profiles possible.
The concrete slab would be thermally insulated on all sides, which I believe is relatively straightforward.
The part I’m struggling with is the drainage and waterproofing of the balcony surface, particularly how to deal with the steel penetrations.
My current idea is to use a liquid-applied waterproofing membrane, such as Mapei Mapelastic or a similar system, applied over a cement screed and underneath the final stone/porcelain finish. This seems like a good solution because it should allow the waterproofing to be properly detailed around the points where the steel penetrates the floor.
There are quite a few similar examples online, for instance in projects by David Chipperfield, so I assume this type of detail is technically feasible. One thing I’ve noticed is that in many of those examples the balustrade is set slightly back from the edge of the slab, which probably makes the waterproofing detail somewhat easier.
Another complication is the dimensioning of the floor finish. Ideally, the width of each stone/tile would correspond to the centre-to-centre spacing of the balustrade profiles, meaning that the pieces would need to be notched around the vertical steel penetrations.
Has anyone here actually dealt with a detail like this, or would you recommend a completely different approach?
I’d be particularly interested in advice on waterproofing, drainage, and how to properly detail the penetrations through the finished floor, rather than just the structural aspect of the balustrade.
Thanks in advance!

Any suggestions? I'm trying to get ahead of buyer's remorse. Many thanks for your comments.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some help with the front elevation/facade of my house. I have 2–3 designs that are almost finalized based on my floor plan, but I’m having a hard time deciding which one looks best.

If you have experience with house facades, architecture, or simply a good eye for design, I’d really appreciate your opinion on which option works best and why. I’ll share the designs and floor plan below.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone!

Hoping to just get some thoughts on some of the flow. I am doing an addition that includes a new kitchen/breakfast area. The first photo shows the plans. The orange oval is a breakfast table. I am wondering if I should have a freestanding round breakfast table floating more in the middle of that space, rather than right up against the window with the bench. I am worried that there is just too much dead open space between the breakfast table and the island. (the set of doors to the top of the table leads outside, where the open doorway at the bottom side flows to the living room. Also attached some elevations in case that helps you get your bearings. Thanks!

Doing an addition on a home and really stuck on how to portray the front design elements to the architect we’re working with. I know nothing about architectural work and this is my first dive into this sort of thing.

Photo 1 is the current front of house, which I suppose is a mid-century style ranch home, and photo 2 is kind of the vision I am hoping for. Photo 3 is the first draft I received which I don’t think reflects what I’m going for.

Just for insight that front left addition is going to be a bathroom against that street facing exterior wall, and windows we’d like to be on each side of the interior sink/mirror.

From an architects viewpoint, what’s best way to convey these design elements aside from just sending them the AI photo?

Also, any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[removed]