by J. D. Stone

Created on: November 14, 2008   Last Updated: September 01, 2010

What is the first thing you want your mother (or wife, or best friend, or boss) to say when she walks through the door of your new home? As she breathes in the fresh hewn pine scent of your hand carved balustrades? As she steps through the stained glass door into your sunken living room? As she runs her fingers over the delicate filigree gracing the archway to your dining room? Don't you hold your breath in anticipation waiting for her breathless exclamation of delight?

What about you? What sort of feelings do you want your home to invoke in yourself? Your wife? Your children? Your best friend? You need to ask yourself these questions before you make your choice of which architect you will permit to design your home. Your home is a big time investment with a potentially life long commitment. Would you risk your home on an architect who raises more questions in your mind then answers them?

To get the most out of your home in the future you need to choose wisely today. There are many items that need to be discussed and decided upon before you choose your architect. However, you may be surprised to find though that money is not your first concern. What is?

Here's where the answers to those oddball questions come in. You have to live or vacation in your home for a long time, unless you choose to sell of course, so you want your home to reflect your and your family's personality as much as possible. A good architect, chosen wisely and experienced in your areas of concern, can help you with this. Figure out what it is that you really want in your home. Ask yourself the following questions:

What sort of medical needs does my family have or expect to have? If you have diabetes and are overweight you may want to incorporate a small exercise area or if your wife has fibromyalgia you may wish to include a large garden tub to ease the aches and pains or keep you home on a single level for an aging parent. These necessities should be decided before choosing an architect so that you can evaluate your potential choices in context to these accommodations.

What sort of building supplies do you wish to use? An environmentalist may prefer to use green building materials whereas someone less concerned with the environment may not care what sort of materials are used. Some architects specialize in the design of "green" buildings and may offer valuable insight to your options that would not be available should you choose a non-specialized or traditional architect.

What type of home

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