Chapter 2 of 12Part I: Before You Hire
Key takeaways
- Only someone licensed by the California Architects Board may call themselves an architect.
- Structural engineers may design any building; civil engineers most buildings except hospitals and public schools.
- Designers and drafters are limited to exempt buildings and nonstructural work.
- Design-build puts design and construction under one contract; ask who is licensed for each part.
Owners often hear four or five job titles in the first week of planning a project and assume they overlap. They do, a little, but California law draws clear lines between them. Knowing those lines helps you decide whom to call first and what to ask them. This chapter sets out who can design what, then looks at how the roles combine on a typical San Francisco job.
The licensed architect
According to the California Architects Board, an architect may design any building of any type except the structural portion of a hospital. To earn the license, a candidate passes a national examination and a California supplemental examination and completes at least eight years of education and experience, including a structured internship. Only a licensed person may use the title architect or advertise architectural services in the state.
On a residential project the architect usually leads the design: they study the site and zoning, develop the plans, coordinate the engineers, prepare the drawings the city reviews and, if hired for it, observe construction.
Engineers
Structural engineers have no building-type limits under California law and can design any structure. Civil engineers may design any building except hospitals and public schools. On most San Francisco homes the engineer’s job is narrower than that: they calculate the structure, the foundation and the lateral system that resists earthquakes, and they stamp those sheets. The architect’s drawings and the engineer’s drawings go to the city as one set.
Tip: If your project is mainly structural, such as a foundation replacement or a seismic retrofit, the engineer may be the right first call, with an architect brought in only if the work changes how the building looks or is used.
Designers and drafters
People without an architect’s license can still prepare plans, within the exemptions described in Do You Need an Architect for Your San Francisco Project?: small wood-frame dwellings of up to two stories and a basement, their garages, and nonstructural interior work. Many are skilled and experienced. What they cannot do is design structural or seismic components, or use the word architect to describe themselves.
If a designer prepares your drawings and part of the work goes beyond conventional framing, that part has to come from a licensed architect or engineer. Ask any designer how they handle that, and who they bring in.
Design-build firms
In design-build, one company designs and builds the project under a single contract. Owners like having one point of contact and a price that is known earlier. The trade-off is that the designer no longer works only for you: the same company that draws the project also profits from building it.
California law does not let a contractor’s license stand in for design authority. A licensed contractor may design within the limits of the exemptions and their own trade, but anything beyond that must be done by or under the supervision of a licensed architect or engineer. When you talk to a design-build firm, ask whether the architect is on staff or hired per job, and whose license and stamp will be on the drawings.
How the roles compare
| Role | May design | Typical part in a SF home project |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed architect | Any building except the structural part of a hospital | Leads design, coordinates consultants, prepares permit drawings |
| Structural engineer | Any building | Structure, foundations, seismic system |
| Civil engineer | Most buildings except hospitals and public schools | Grading, drainage, sometimes structure |
| Designer or drafter | Exempt small wood-frame buildings, nonstructural work | Remodels and small additions within the limits |
| Design-build firm | Depends on the licenses inside the firm | Design and construction under one contract |
Other people you may meet
- A land surveyor, to map the lot lines and existing building, which Planning often needs for additions.
- A geotechnical engineer, for soils reports on hillside lots or new foundations.
- An interior designer or landscape architect for finishes or outdoor work.
- A permit expediter, who manages submittals and follow-ups with the city; they do not design.
Choosing the first call
For most projects that add space, change a facade or touch the structure, the architect is the natural first hire, because they will assemble the rest of the team. For purely interior work, a designer or design-build firm may be simpler. For purely structural work, start with the engineer. Before any of those calls, it helps to write down what you want and what you can spend, which is the subject of Setting Your Scope and Budget Before the First Call.