Frequently Asked Questions

Ideally, before you commit to a property, construction scope, or budget. Early architectural input can help you understand a property’s potential, identify constraints, and make informed decisions before investing in detailed plans.

We can discuss an initial study of your property, goals, and applicable zoning requirements. Depending on the scope, this can help identify opportunities and limitations before moving into design. Some questions may also require a survey, engineering input, or discussions with the local permitting authority.

Our work spans civic, hospitality, workplace, retail, commercial, and residential projects, from interior renovations and tenant improvements to new buildings. The studio is based in West Palm Beach and serves clients throughout South Florida. Eric Dempsey is a licensed architect in Florida, New York, Washington, D.C., and Arkansas, so we can also take on projects in those jurisdictions.

Our first conversation is a chance to understand your project, goals, budget, and timeline, and to discuss whether we are the right fit. If you need focused professional guidance before committing to a larger scope, such as a feasibility review, test-fit, or site assessment, we can provide that as a defined consultation with its scope and fee agreed in advance.

Bring the property address, a brief description of your goals, your anticipated construction budget, and your preferred timeline. Existing drawings, surveys, photographs, and inspiration images are helpful if you have them. You do not need to have everything figured out before starting the conversation.

Architectural fees depend on the project’s size, complexity, existing conditions, and level of service. After discussing your needs, we prepare a proposal outlining the scope, deliverables, fee, and payment schedule so you know what to expect before work begins.

Each proposal lists the services and deliverables included in our work, along with any exclusions and potential additional services. Items such as surveys, engineering, permit fees, and specialty consultants should be reviewed separately when establishing the overall project budget.

Your budget is an important starting point for design. We work with you to align the scope, size, materials, and complexity with your priorities. Construction costs ultimately depend on contractor pricing, site conditions, and market conditions, so early pricing is an important part of testing whether the design and budget are aligned.

Early design allows for preliminary pricing, while more developed drawings support more detailed estimates. Involving a qualified contractor at appropriate milestones helps test assumptions before further design work proceeds. Final pricing depends on the agreed scope, selections, and contractor proposal.

We review the pricing with you and discuss the main cost drivers. Options may include simplifying details, changing materials, adjusting the scope, or phasing the work. Before undertaking revisions, we agree on the direction and clarify any effect on architectural fees and schedule.

A project generally moves from understanding your goals and evaluating the property to developing a design and preparing drawings for permitting and construction. The phases we provide, and our level of involvement during bidding and construction, are tailored to each project and agreed before work begins.

Timing depends on the project’s complexity, the information available, client decisions, consultant coordination, and local review requirements. We discuss an anticipated schedule at the outset and update it as the project develops. Municipal review times and contractor availability can also affect the overall timeline.

We review the design with you using drawings and, where included in the scope, three-dimensional views or renderings. These tools help explain the layout, scale, and character of the proposal so you can make informed decisions as the design develops.

Design is a collaborative process, with opportunities for feedback at agreed milestones. The scope of design work, including the number of revision rounds, is agreed at the outset. Changes to an approved direction, project requirements, or budget may require additional services. We discuss any resulting fee or schedule adjustments before proceeding.

Zoning review, permit drawings, and assistance with submissions can be included in our scope. At the outset, we clarify which tasks we handle and which require other professionals. Permit approval rests with the reviewing authorities, and some projects require additional applications or approvals.

Permit drawings focus on the information required for regulatory review. Construction documents provide the additional detail, coordination, and specifications needed to communicate how the project is to be built. The two can overlap, but permit approval alone does not mean every construction detail or selection has been resolved.

Contractor selection and assistance with comparing proposals can be included in our services. Comparing bids means looking beyond the total price to understand scope, allowances, exclusions, experience, and schedule. You enter into a separate construction agreement with your chosen contractor.

When construction-phase services are included, our role may involve scheduled site visits, answering contractor questions, reviewing submittals, and clarifying the drawings. The contractor remains responsible for construction methods, site safety, scheduling, and the work of subcontractors. The exact extent of our role is set out in our agreement.