Scott Weiss has been practicing architecture for over twenty-five years, with much of his career dedicated to custom homes in both Virginia and the San Francisco area. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1988 with a degree in architecture, and two years later from Arizona State University with his master’s degree. Though U.Va. did not espouse one style over another, there was a strong emphasis on regional styles and designing buildings that are appropriate for their surroundings.
One of the largest hurdles the architecture profession faces is the mistaken belief that its services are either unnecessary or prohibitively expensive. Retaining the service of an architect allows homeowners to decide exactly what they want in a house. The architect takes note of the way the homeowners live, what they consider important, and tailors a design that fits their needs. Often, the advantage of an architect-designed house is a level of detail, a sense of scale and proportion, perhaps a “personalization.” The house can either be designed from scratch or can even be a modified version of an existing plan or schematic idea that the owners provide. The cost is directly related to the scope of the architect’s work; the architect can be hired just to provide a set of drawings for the contractor to work from, or can be involved the entire duration of the project, ensuring that this all-too-important investment is built exactly to the owners’ specifications.
