Hiring an architect or a designer: what is the difference between these specialists and what services do they provide during the construction of property?

When building property for any purpose, be it a house, a garage or a bathhouse, future owners expect to receive a multifunctional structure that will meet its technical purpose. Special attention is also paid to design: the constructed building must successfully fit into the existing landscape, in perfect harmony with the surrounding buildings.Since the tasks listed above are inextricably linked with each other, their implementation requires the efforts of architects and designers who have a fine artistic taste and are well versed in building and finishing materials.

It can be extremely difficult to draw a clear line between the work of these specialists. As true construction artists, they accomplish many of the same tasks. The difference is that the architect, when creating a future object from walls and roofs, correlates it with the existing environment. The main task of the designer is to fill the new space with a charge of positive energy with the help of furniture, colors and finishing materials.

Architect

The appearance of the building depends on the professionalism and artistic imagination of this specialist: it will look like a medieval castle, it will be similar to a house from a fairy tale, or it will acquire the features of an object from the distant future.

The architect also defines:

• the number of floors in the future structure;
• the exact location of the rooms;
• the shape of the roof;
• the functional purpose of the basement and under-roof space;
• When designing buildings, the architect attaches great importance to their functionality.

Only then do they move on to decorating, for example, by using a load-bearing column as a decorative element. Additionally, the architect makes calculations regarding the access roads and the view that will open onto the building itself and the surrounding area.

Interior designer

A specialist of this profile gets down to business after the layout of the rooms inside the building and its appearance is designed by the architect. It is the designer who decides in what style the entrance hall, kitchen and bedroom will be made, and with what materials the staircase will be finished. Should one adhere to a single design throughout the building or is it better to make the entrance hall in the Chinese style, and decorate your study with high-tech?

The interior decorator also advises the homeowner regarding:

• the appearance of the chandeliers and their location;
• the selection of furniture and flooring;
• the selection of materials for wall decoration.

Technical Designer

While working on the design of property, the aforementioned specialists work closely with the technical designer. It is the responsibility of this professional to design communications.

First, the interior decorator describes what the living room, kitchen and bathroom will be like, and after that, the technical designer proceeds to perform all the other procedures:

• designing piping for mixers;
• making calculations on the number of electrical outlets in different rooms;
• determining the most convenient way to supply electricity to lighting fixtures;
• calculating the opening direction of doors.

The work of a technical designer is always hidden under the finishing materials, but it is this specialist who often influences the functionality of the premises. If the technical equipment of the building is correctly executed, this helps to make it more convenient to use: the owner will not have to use extension cords, plug three devices into one outlet, or lay an Internet cable through the entire apartment to connect the router to the computer.

Landscape designer

Engaging this specialist allows you to:

• correctly design a flower garden or court;
• correctly place paths and small sculptural forms in the local area;
• organically arrange the gazebo and barbecue area on the site;
• equip an outdoor pool near the house;
• place a playground on the site.

Due to their wide range of responsibilities, the profession of a landscape designer is considered one of the most multifaceted. Specialists of this profile can work in several narrow areas.

Who to call for work

When building an object from scratch, the services of all the above specialists are required. In the case of home renovation, only the involvement of interior decorators is required. Architects are needed in case of significant redevelopment of a building, when the owner needs to add an additional extension or floor.

The most cost-effective service is to contact an architectural or design bureau. Whole teams work in them that carry out all the turnkey procedures. If the object being built is not particularly large, you can use the services of private architects and designers. Most of them have personal repair teams, which include many related professionals like engineers, designers and technical designers.