Hiring an architect in Florida
Drawing plans is unregulated. Sealing them for a permit is not. Anyone can produce drawings, but plans that must be sealed for permitting require a licensed architect or engineer — and most people discover which category they are in when a permit application is refused rather than before.
Ask the building department what they will accept for your specific project, before you engage anyone. Some work needs sealed architectural drawings, some needs engineered drawings, some needs neither, and some needs a structural engineer rather than an architect. Paying an architect for a job that needed a drafter is a common and entirely avoidable expense.
Who does what
| Role | Can they seal plans? | Typically used for |
|---|---|---|
| Drafter or designer | No | Layouts, concept drawings, simple permit sets where the department accepts them |
| Architect | Yes | Design work, additions, anything where the building form is the problem |
| Structural engineer | Yes, for structural | Load paths, foundations, removing bearing walls, wind loading |
| Contractor | No | Building it — some produce their own simple permit drawings |
The overlap between the middle two rows confuses people. An architect solves the spatial and design problem; an engineer certifies that it will stand up. On a small structural job you may need only the engineer, and on a large aesthetic one you may need only the architect. Plenty of projects need both.
Do you even need an architect?
- A kitchen or bathroom refit with no structural change. Usually not — a designer and a licensed contractor will do.
- Removing a wall. Probably an engineer rather than an architect, unless the layout question is the hard part.
- An addition or a second storey. Yes, and an engineer as well.
- A new build. Yes.
- Enclosing a porch or converting a garage. Frequently yes, because you are changing conditioned space and the envelope — and in a wind-borne debris area, the Wind-Borne Debris Region and the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone† bring their own requirements.
- Anything in a historic district or a design-controlled community. Yes, and early.
What it costs, and how it is charged
Architects charge in three broad ways and it is worth knowing which you are agreeing to: a percentage of construction cost, an hourly rate, or a fixed fee for a defined scope. The percentage model is common on larger work and has an obvious tension — the fee rises with the cost of the building. That is not a reason to avoid it, but it is a reason to agree the scope and the estimate carefully.
- Ask what the fee covers: concept only, permit set, construction documents, or administration during the build.
- Ask whether the engineer is included or separate. It is frequently separate.
- Ask who pays for revisions requested by the building department.
- Ask what happens if the project stops after design.
How to choose one
- Verify the licence. Florida licences architects through its own board and the record is public. Confirm it is active and in the name on your agreement.
- Ask for built work in your county, not renderings. Ask whether you can see one, and whether you can speak to that owner.
- Ask about the local building department specifically. Permitting practice varies between Florida jurisdictions and someone who has worked with yours saves real time.
- Ask how they handle wind loading and opening protection. The answer tells you quickly whether they design in Florida or design generally.
- Agree the deliverable in writing. “Plans” is not a deliverable — a sealed permit set is.
Warning signs
- Offering to seal drawings they did not prepare or supervise. That is a licence problem and it becomes your problem when it is discovered.
- Vagueness about whether an engineer is needed.
- No written scope, or a scope that stops at concept without saying so.
- Recommending a contractor with an undisclosed relationship. Not automatically wrong, but you should be told.
How this sits with your contractor
The architect designs and the contractor builds, and the boundary between them is where projects go wrong. Work over $2,500† or requiring a permit needs a licensed contractor regardless of who drew it, and the contractor should pull the permit. If your architect suggests you pull it as owner-builder to save time, that moves liability to you and is worth resisting.
Related
Common questions
Do I need an architect in Florida, or will a drafter do?
It depends on whether your plans must be sealed. Drawing plans is unregulated; sealing them for permitting requires a licensed architect or engineer. Ask the building department what they will accept for your specific project before engaging anyone.
What is the difference between an architect and a structural engineer?
An architect solves the design and spatial problem; an engineer certifies that it will stand up and handle wind loading. Small structural jobs may need only the engineer, and many projects need both.
How do architects charge in Florida?
A percentage of construction cost, an hourly rate, or a fixed fee for a defined scope. Establish whether the fee covers concept only, a permit set, full construction documents, or administration during the build.
Do I need an architect to enclose a porch or convert a garage?
Frequently yes, because you are changing conditioned space and the building envelope — and in a wind-borne debris area that brings opening protection requirements with it.
Can an architect seal plans someone else drew?
Not plans they neither prepared nor supervised. An offer to do so is a licensing problem, and it becomes your problem when the permit is reviewed.
Architecture is licensed by the Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design. What a particular project requires — sealed architectural drawings, engineered drawings, or neither — is determined by your local building department. Ask them first.