Residential architecture has become more prolific over the past several decades due to strong consumerism and interest in cocooning in our nests. Whereas architects used to work on both commercial and residential projects, the demand for residential design has made it possible for a great number of architects to specialize in residential work.

The level of documentation between residential and commercial work should be similar, but today’s housing demands, along with lower architectural fees, have exceeded the ability of residential architects to meet those needs. We have neither the time nor the manpower to produce well-developed construction drawings and specifications. Instead, documents have become reduced to a skeleton version known as “the builder set.”

Builder sets represent the status quo in an industry which has become complacent with mediocre plans meeting minimum requirements. We have lost the sense of what comprises a full set of drawings and specifications. It has reshaped our architectural landscape and shifted architecture away from the art form it once was.

Builder sets are caricatures of a house as opposed to a portrait. The plans are void of detail and require little time to execute, and are relatively inexpensive. End users of builder sets may be a small custom builder, midsize production builder or the actual homeowner. Demand for low-cost and expedient plans has led to a laissez-faire acceptance of a lower standard in architecture.

Due to the weakened set of drawings and specifications, the burden of design development, selections and specifications has moved from the architect to the builder. Builders are happy enough to be relegated the control, but the results ultimately are unsatisfactory for all.

Similarly, allowances are left up to the builder or other third party whose expertise will differ from the architect’s. The probability of achieving a well-integrated project, as originally defined by the architect, is much weakened.

Ultimately, it’s the homeowner that loses. Quality suffers as builders, interior designers and others assume the role of architect, making decisions on the fly during construction. Costs run rampant, as do change orders, and valuable energy is needlessly expended.

All of us in the chain of command need to emphasize to our clients that spending a little more money upfront on a well-developed set of plans ultimately will produce a much better product, as opposed to an ill-conceived project that resembles more of a construction remodeling than a new project.