Last night, Joel and I attended a two hour class presented by the AIA Seattle Custom Residential Architects Network entitled “Home Design 101” and the course description was as follows:

“Dreaming about a project and not sure where to start? Trying to figure out how to make the most of your budget? Curious about green design or how to plan for your family’s changing needs?

Whether your project is a small remodel or new construction — or if you are just curious about the design process — AIA architects can help. Join us for an information-packed seminar on an overview of the design and construction process including budget advice, tips for hiring the right contractor, what to expect, and how you and your designer can work together to make the most of any project. This will be an   interactive workshop so be sure to bring your “napkin sketch!”

It sounds great, right?  I thought so too.  I signed up for the class immediately when I saw the email.  Boy was I wrong!  This class was the BIGGEST waste of time!  It felt like we were sitting there for two hours while two architects gabbed about how great they were at everything and why you should hire them to be your Architect.  I of course love home design so I sat through the entire presentation with ease, Joel on the other hand wanted to get out of there as soon as it began.  He said that it reminded him of what he thought a timeshare presentation must feel like.

The gist of the presentation went through the design process which includes the following steps:

1. Pre Design/Programming

2. Schematic Design

3. Design Development

4. Construction Documents

5. Bidding & Negotiations

6. Construction Administration

Granted, it’s good to learn about those steps, but when each step is basically the two presenting architects discussing why they are so great at each step and how they’re fabulous at everything it really doesn’t give you much detail about the design process.  Even worse, when I asked a couple of questions they completely skirted around the answer.

Needless to say that is the last time we’ll be attending a presentation put on by AIA Seattle!

The only good thing that we got out of the presentation is realizing that we’re so extremely lucky to have found Mike Blondino and to be working with him.  I can’t imagine working with an arrogant, conceited architect like the two that we spoke to last night.  It’s amazing to me that people hire them to design their homes.  I’m sure glad that we didn’t!

If you are interested in learning more about the design process, there are fantastic books and websites available.  One of my favorite books is “Designing Your Perfect House: Lessons from an Architect” by William J. Hirsch Jr AIA.  It covers the entire design process and gives great tips and ideas for designing a home.  I would highly recommend reading that book instead of attending a seminar like we did.