Architects San Francisco

Handbook Contents

Twelve chapters in four parts, in the order most projects meet them. Read from the start or jump to the chapter you need.

Part I

Before You Hire

Whether your project needs an architect, who else designs buildings and what to settle before the first call.

  1. 01Do You Need an Architect for Your San Francisco Project?What California law requires, what it leaves to you and how San Francisco projects usually answer the question.
  2. 02Architect, Designer, Engineer or Design-Build: Who Does WhatThe people who can design a San Francisco project, what each may legally do and how they work together.
  3. 03Setting Your Scope and Budget Before the First CallThe short project brief that makes every architect conversation more useful, and the costs owners forget.

Part II

Choosing an Architect

Finding candidates, checking a license and running interviews that show who fits your project.

  1. 04Building a Shortlist of San Francisco ArchitectsWhere to find candidates, how to read a portfolio and how to narrow the list to three or four interviews.
  2. 05Checking an Architect’s License and What It Tells YouHow to verify a California architect’s license, what the record shows and what else to confirm before you hire.
  3. 06Interview Questions That Separate Good Fits From Good PortfoliosThe questions to ask, the answers to listen for and how to compare three or four architects fairly.

Part III

Contract and Design

How fees work, what California requires in the contract and how the design grows from sketch to permit set.

  1. 07How Architects Charge: Fee Models, Phases and ExtrasPercentage, hourly and fixed fees compared, how payments follow the design phases and where extra costs come from.
  2. 08The Written Contract: What California Requires and What to AddThe eight items state law requires in every architect’s contract, the recommended extras and how to review a draft.
  3. 09From Sketch to Permit Set: The Design PhasesWhat happens in each phase of design, the decisions you make along the way and where San Francisco review fits in.

Part IV

Approvals and Permits

San Francisco Planning review, neighborhood notice, DBI permits and the special cases of ADUs and older buildings.

  1. 10San Francisco Planning Review and the 30-Day Neighborhood NoticeHow Planning reviews a residential project, when Section 311 notice applies and what Discretionary Review means.
  2. 11Building Permits at DBI: Over-the-Counter, In-House and Site PermitsThe three ways San Francisco reviews a building permit, which forms apply and what triggers in-house Planning review.
  3. 12ADUs and Older Buildings: Two San Francisco Special CasesHow the state and local ADU programs differ, and how a building’s age and historic status change design review.