Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Architect

Most Indian families build a house once in a lifetime, and the person who draws it decides more about how that house will feel, cost and age than anyone else involved. Yet the architect is often chosen in a single meeting — a relative's recommendation, a few renders on a phone, a fee that sounds reasonable — with no written scope and no clear idea of what the family is actually buying. Months later the disputes start: drawings arrive late, the structure was never coordinated with the plumbing, the approval plan does not match the construction plan, or nobody from the office has visited the site since the slab was cast.

These problems are rarely about talent. They come from questions that were never asked at the start. An architect's service in India can mean anything from a single approval drawing to complete design, working drawings, coordination with engineers and regular supervision until handover. The fee, the timeline and the responsibility change completely between those versions. On top of that, Indian projects carry their own layers: local development control regulations, setbacks and FSI, municipal approvals, soil conditions, seismic zones, monsoon detailing, Vastu preferences, joint-family planning and the habit of changing the design once the walls are up.

This article is a structured set of questions for anyone hiring an architect for a house, a bungalow, a row house, a small commercial building or a major renovation. It explains what each question is really testing, what a good answer sounds like, how fees are usually structured, which drawings and site visits to expect at each stage, and which clauses belong in the agreement. It complements this site's checklist on hiring an interior designer; the architect's brief is wider, because it includes the structure, the plot and the law.

What an architect actually does — and who else is involved

In India the word architect is protected by law. The Architects Act, 1972 set up the Council of Architecture (COA) and made it an offence for a person who is not registered with the Council to use the title architect. The Act protects the title, not every design activity: in many cities, licensed engineers and other registered technical persons are also permitted by the local bye-laws to prepare and submit building plans for certain categories of buildings. That is why plot owners meet a confusing mix of professionals offering to draw a house, and why the first question is always who exactly is being hired and for what.

A full architectural service covers six broad things: understanding the brief and the site; developing the design from concept to detailed plans, sections and elevations; preparing drawings for municipal approval; producing working drawings that a contractor can build from; coordinating with the structural engineer and the services consultants; and visiting the site to check that the building matches the drawings. The structure itself is designed and certified by a structural engineer, who may be part of the architect's team or appointed separately. The contractor builds. An interior designer, if one is appointed, details the joinery, ceilings, lighting and finishes inside. Each of these roles has a different responsibility, and the hiring conversation should make the boundaries explicit.

A short history: how the profession took shape in India

The master builder — the sthapati of the Shilpa Shastra tradition and the mistri of the Mughal and colonial periods — combined design and construction in one person for most of Indian history. The separation of the architect as a professional who draws but does not build arrived with the public works departments of the nineteenth century and the first schools of architecture. The Sir J. J. School of Art in Bombay began teaching architecture in the early twentieth century, and the Indian Institute of Architects was formed as a professional body in 1917. After Independence, the profession grew with the new institutions, the planned city of Chandigarh and a generation of Indian architects trained at home and abroad.

The Architects Act of 1972 gave the profession its legal frame: a national register, minimum standards of architectural education, and a code of professional conduct, later set out in the Architects (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 1989. The Council has also published conditions of engagement and a recommended scale of charges, which describe the stages of a project and how fees relate to them. Today the register holds architects working in every kind of practice, from one-person studios in tier-2 cities to large multidisciplinary firms — and the questions in this article apply to all of them.

Before the first meeting: what to prepare

A good architect asks many questions; a well-prepared client answers them quickly and saves weeks. Before meeting anyone, collect the documents and decisions that every architect will need. The plot documents come first: the sale deed or title documents, the 7/12 extract or property card where applicable, the measured plot dimensions and the town-planning scheme or development plan details that give the zone, road width and permissible FSI. A recent survey of the plot, with levels, existing trees, neighbouring buildings and the positions of drains and electricity poles, is worth commissioning early if one does not exist.

The family brief is the second document. Write down who will live in the house now and in ten years, which rooms are needed and roughly how large, how the family cooks, prays, hosts guests and works from home, whether elders need a ground-floor bedroom, whether parking is for one car or three, and what the Vastu priorities are, if any. Add a realistic budget for construction separately from interiors and land, with a contingency of 10–15 per cent, and the date by which the family wants to move in. Indicative October 2026 construction costs for an independent house in tier-2 Gujarat cities run about ₹1,800–2,200 per sq ft of built-up area for basic construction, ₹2,200–2,800 for standard and ₹2,800–3,800 and above for premium, excluding land, approvals, interiors and furniture — the figures used across this site's planning guides.

Forty questions to ask, and what good answers sound like

The questions below are grouped in the order a conversation usually runs. Not every question needs to be asked in the first meeting; the credentials and approach questions belong there, while the scope, money and contract questions belong in the second meeting, once the architect has seen the plot and the brief. The column on good answers is the important one: it describes what a confident, organised practice says without hesitation. Vague answers are not proof of a bad architect, but they are a reason to ask again in writing.

Credentials and experience

Design approach

The second group of questions tests whether the architect listens. Ask how they begin a design: a good architect describes studying the site, the sun path and the brief before sketching, and presents more than one option at concept stage. Ask how they handle climate in the city — in Surat, Ahmedabad or Vadodara that means deep shading on the west and south, cross-ventilation, roof insulation and monsoon detailing at parapets, chhajjas and window sills. Ask how they approach Vastu: a balanced answer accepts the family's priorities, explains where a preference conflicts with light, ventilation or the plot, and offers practical alternatives rather than dismissing the subject or treating every rule as non-negotiable. Ask whether they will show the design in 3D, and whether the 3D views will be produced from the same model as the drawings, so that what the family sees is what gets built.

Scope, stages and the drawing set

Most disputes between clients and architects are disputes about scope. The cleanest way to fix scope is to agree the stages of work and the deliverables at each stage. The Council of Architecture's conditions of engagement describe a sequence of stages from concept to completion, and most practices follow a version of it. The stage names vary, but the logic does not: each stage produces drawings the client approves before the next stage begins, and each approval releases a share of the fee. Fig. 2 shows a typical sequence for an independent house, with indicative durations and an illustrative fee split.

The single most valuable document in the hiring process is the drawing list — a schedule of every drawing the architect will deliver, stage by stage. Ask for it before signing. A house of 2,000–3,500 sq ft built from a thin set of plans and elevations leaves the contractor to decide hundreds of details on site, usually in favour of speed rather than quality. A proper working-drawing set answers those questions in advance.

Money: fees, payment stages and what is not included

Architects in India charge in three main ways. The first is a percentage of the construction cost — the traditional method, and the one the Council of Architecture's scale of charges is built on. For an independent house with a full service from concept to completion, fees are commonly quoted in a range of roughly 4–10 per cent of construction cost, depending on the city, the complexity, the size of the practice and how much supervision is included; very small projects and complex renovations often sit at the top of the range or above it. The second is a rate per square foot of built-up area. The third is a lump sum for a defined scope. As with interior design fees, none of the models is better in itself; what matters is the deliverables, visits and revisions behind the number, and the basis on which it is calculated.

Fig. 4 works the arithmetic for a 2,500 sq ft built-up house at a construction cost of ₹2,500 per sq ft — about ₹62.5 lakh. The ranges are wide because the services behind them differ; a lower figure usually means fewer drawings, fewer visits or no involvement after approval. Always ask what the fee includes and what is billed separately: GST on architectural services (currently charged at 18 per cent), structural and services consultants, municipal and approval fees, soil investigation, surveys, printing, travel to out-of-town sites, and interior design if it is wanted.

Site supervision: the question most clients forget

A design is only as good as its execution, and execution is where Indian houses most often go wrong: reinforcement laid without cover blocks, shuttering out of level, waterproofing skipped at a sunken toilet, a window opening shifted 300 mm because the mason found it easier, a staircase built with uneven risers. Architects are not on site every day, and the contract should not pretend they are; daily supervision is the contractor's and the site engineer's job. What the architect provides is periodic supervision — visits at critical stages to check that the building matches the drawings and to resolve questions before they become mistakes.

Ask how many visits are included, and at which stages. A reasonable schedule for a house includes visits at excavation and foundation setting-out, plinth, before each slab is cast (to check reinforcement with the structural engineer's drawings), at brickwork to check openings and levels, at plumbing and electrical rough-in, at waterproofing, at flooring and at the final snag. Each visit should end with a short written report and photos, shared on email or a messaging group, listing what was checked, what needs correction and who is responsible. Ask what happens if the contractor ignores a correction, and ask whether the architect will certify the contractor's bills against completed work.

The contract: clauses that protect both sides

A professional engagement should be written down, however friendly the relationship. The agreement does not need to be long, but it should describe the project, list the scope by stage, attach the drawing list, state the fee and its basis, set the payment schedule by stage, fix the number of revisions and site visits included, and describe how extra work is charged. It should state who appoints and pays the structural engineer and other consultants, and who submits for approvals. It should also cover what happens if the project is paused or cancelled: what the client owes for work done, and which drawings are handed over.

Two clauses deserve particular care. The first is copyright. Under Indian copyright law, architectural drawings and the design of a building are treated as works of the architect, and agreements commonly say that the client receives the right to build the design once, on that plot, while copyright stays with the architect. That is normal, but the agreement should state clearly that the client may complete the building with another architect if the engagement ends, after paying for work done. The second is change. Families change designs; that is human. A fair agreement explains how changes after an approved stage are priced, and how they affect the timeline, so that neither side feels cheated.

Red flags and green flags

Most architects are honest professionals working hard on tight fees. But a few warning signs appear often enough to be worth naming, and a few positive signs separate an organised practice from a disorganised one. Treat any one red flag as a reason to ask more questions; treat two or three together as a reason to keep looking.

Where architectural practice is heading

Three shifts are changing what clients can expect from an architect. The first is the building information model. More practices now draw in three dimensions from the start, so that plans, sections, elevations, quantities and 3D views come from one model rather than separate drawings that can contradict each other. For a client this means more reliable quantities and fewer clashes between beams, ducts and pipes — and a fair question at hiring is whether the practice works this way. The second is digital approval. Several Indian cities and states have moved building-plan submission and scrutiny online, which can shorten approval times when the drawings comply first time and makes compliance with the bye-law more important than ever.

The third shift is performance. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency's Eco-Niwas Samhita sets an energy code for residential buildings, and green-building rating systems such as IGBC and GRIHA give a framework for daylight, ventilation, water and materials. Even when a house is not formally rated, a good architect can explain how the design reduces heat gain through walls, roofs and windows, how it ventilates naturally, and how it collects rainwater. Ask the question. The answer reveals whether the architect thinks about the building the family will live in for thirty years, or only the drawings needed to get it approved. In Aaditya Interior's experience on residential and hospitality projects, the strongest results come when the architect, the structural engineer and the interior designer sit at the same table early — before the electrical points and the beams are fixed.

Ten rules for hiring an architect

• Verify the COA registration number against the Council's online register before the second meeting.
• Prepare a written brief — family, rooms, budget for construction only, contingency of 10–15 per cent and target date.
• Shortlist three architects and visit at least one finished and one running site for each.
• Ask who will design and who will visit the site, by name, and how often visits will happen.
• Get a drawing list stage by stage, including structure, services, details and schedules.
• Agree the fee basis in writing: percentage of which cost, or rate per sq ft of which area, with GST and consultants shown.
• Tie every payment to an approved deliverable; avoid paying most of the fee before design is frozen.
• Fix the number of revisions per stage and the rate for further changes.
• Make sure a structural engineer is appointed from the start, and that slabs are checked before casting.
• Keep every revision dated, every visit reported in writing, and every change agreed before it is built.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check if an architect is registered in India?

Ask for the Council of Architecture registration number and search it on the Council's online register, which lists registered architects by name and number. The number should also appear on the architect's letterhead and on the title block of approval drawings. Under the Architects Act, 1972, only registered persons may use the title architect.

How much does an architect charge for a house in India?

Fees vary widely with city, practice and scope. For a full service from concept to completion on an independent house, they are commonly quoted at about 4–10 per cent of construction cost, or as a rate per square foot of built-up area, or as a lump sum. Approval-only drawings cost much less but leave the contractor without working drawings. GST, consultants and approval fees are usually extra. Treat any figure as indicative and compare quotes on the same scope.

Do I need an architect or is a civil engineer enough?

A structural or civil engineer is essential for the structure of every building. Whether an architect is legally required for approvals depends on the local bye-law; many cities allow licensed engineers to submit plans for smaller buildings. The architect's value lies in planning, light, ventilation, proportion, detailing and coordination — the qualities that decide how the house feels to live in.

How long does it take an architect to design a house?

For a typical independent house, allow roughly 3–6 months from brief to working drawings, including approval, which depends heavily on the city. Construction usually takes 10–14 months after that. Changing the plan after design is frozen is the most common cause of delay.

Who owns the drawings — the architect or the client?

Agreements commonly give the client the right to build the design once on the given plot while copyright in the drawings stays with the architect, which is normal practice. The agreement should also say what happens if the engagement ends early, including payment for work done and the handover of drawings needed to complete the building.

Should the architect also do the interiors?

It can work well when the practice has interior experience, because the building and the interiors are planned together. If a separate interior designer is appointed, bring them in before the electrical, plumbing and ceiling levels are fixed — usually at working-drawing stage — so that points, beams and window positions suit the furniture.