There are three doors you can knock on when you decide to change your house: an architect’s, a contractor’s, or a design-build company’s. People often pick the first one a friend recommends. It is worth understanding what each arrangement is before you do, because it decides who is working for whom.
First, what the law requires
As of November 2026, you do not always need an architect in California. The California Architects Board says so itself in its Consumer’s Guide to Hiring an Architect: it generally recommends hiring one, but not every building project requires an architect’s services.
According to the guide, a person who is not a licensed architect or registered engineer may design, among other things:
- Single-family dwellings of wood-frame construction, not more than two stories and a basement in height.
- Garages and other structures that belong to those buildings, with the same wood-frame and two-story limits.
- Nonstructural interior alterations, cabinetwork and fixtures.
The same guide sets the limit: an unlicensed person may not design any component that changes or affects the safety of a building, including structural or seismic components. It suggests asking your local building department whether your project needs a licensed architect or engineer, because the building official weighs local conditions such as earthquake activity, flood hazard zones and soils.
In the Bay Area those conditions are rarely trivial. A remodel that moves walls on a hillside lot is a structural project whether or not it looks like one.
The three arrangements
Architect first, then a contractor
You hire an architect to design the project and prepare the drawings. Contractors then bid on those drawings, and you hire one of them under a separate contract. The architect stays on during construction as your representative.
This is how we work. Our services include pre-qualifying contractors, issuing bidding documents, helping you compare the bids, and then observing construction through weekly site visits.
Design-build
One company designs and builds under a single contract. You have one party to deal with, and the designer and the builder work together from the start. The trade-off is that the designer works for the builder, so no independent party is checking the builder’s work or pricing on your behalf.
Contractor first
You go straight to a builder, who may draw the plans or hire a drafter. For work within the limits the law allows, and where little is being redesigned, this can be the simplest route. It leaves the design to whoever is available.
What changes when the architect is independent
- The drawings come before the price. Construction documents allow a general contractor to formulate a firm bid, and they let you compare bids for the same building.
- You choose the builder with help. One San Francisco client wrote: “His contacts in the contracting community were instrumental in helping us to find a contractor we were comfortable working with.” (Becky T.)
- Someone watches the work for you. Another wrote: “Phil’s heavy engagement during construction helped immensely in getting the best quality out of the contractor.” (Frank G.)
- The city is handled. We prepare the planning and building department submissions and act as the liaison with city officials and neighbors.
When you probably do not need us
If you are replacing finishes, fixtures or cabinets in the same places, and nothing structural or exterior is changing, a good contractor may be all you need.
The projects that benefit from an architect are the ones where the question is still open: what the house could be, how much to change, how to get it approved, and how to be sure it is built as drawn.
How to choose an architect, according to the state
The Architects Board’s guide suggests asking, among other things:
- Do you have a valid California architect’s license, and what is the number?
- What share of your practice involves the type of building I intend to build?
- May I see examples of similar projects, and speak to those clients?
- Will you use consultants, and who?
You can check any architect’s license with the Board. Phil Rossington’s California license number is C25251.
Questions and answers
Do I need an architect for a remodel in California?
Not always. State law lets unlicensed persons design certain wood-frame single-family work, but not anything that affects the safety of the building, including structural or seismic components. Your local building department can tell you what your project requires.
What is the difference between an architect and design-build?
With an architect, design and construction are separate contracts and the architect represents you during construction. In design-build, one company does both under one contract.
Should I hire the architect or the contractor first?
If the design is still to be worked out, the architect. The drawings are what let contractors give firm, comparable bids.
Read about our services, or ask us whether your project needs an architect at all.
