When Mark Seely and his wife decided to build an addition on their 1910 farmhouse in Parkton, Seely sought professional help.

Though Seely is an architect, he wanted someone skilled in residential design who would meld old and new. And with his full- time job as senior director of capital planning and facilities at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, he felt he didn't have the time.

"But it's also the fact that I'm not a residential architect," said Seely.

Seely and his wife, Mary Beth, turned to Baltimore architect Kathleen M. Lechleiter to make sure they got a floor plan that would be functional. Equally important was Lechleiter's ability to "respect the past and scale of the house and not overwhelm it by building a McMansion," Mark Seely said.

Deciding whether to hire an architect to design a home, addition or renovation should be based on a number of considerations, specialists in residential design say.

The type and scope of the project, budget, the architect's style and experience and a homeowner's taste and preferences all have to be factored into that equation.

But as a rule, advised Lechleiter, who works on residential as well as commercial projects, clients shouldn't rely on builders to solve complex design issues.

"If the flow or the use of the room is changing, you want to hire an architect," she said.

"If you're redoing finishes, it might not be necessary. But if you're changing partitions and if there are any structural implications, like taking out stairs, it is."

In addition, Lechleiter said, architects are instrumental in helping a client achieve a design that not only works but fits them, something most clients can't do on their own and many contractors aren't trained to do.

"Quality of design is the greatest benefit an architect offers. Typically it's hard for owners to visualize what they want for themselves. The architect can represent that for them and give them the exact flow and look they want," she said.

What's more, said Seely and other architects, good upfront planning reduces or eliminates the need for change orders during construction, occurrences that not only increase a project's bottom line but may also delay its completion.

None of this comes cheaply. An architect's fees are typically 7 percent to 15 percent of a project's total construction cost, depending on the scope of the services.

On a new home, that fee represents an additional out-of-pocket expense for a homeowner, because unlike using existing plans from a builder, design is not included in the cost of the home or the mortgage.

Cost is one of the reasons that, on average, single-family homes account for only 5 percent of architecture firms' revenues, according to a 2003 survey by the American Institute of Architects in Washington.

Tried-and-true

Ninety-eight percent of homeowners use tried-and-true plans for new homes or, for renovations and additions, rely primarily on the contractor for design.

Austin Childs, a licensed architect with a residential practice in Monkton, thinks the decision not to hire an architect is often a financial one.

That can be shortsighted, he said, because working with an architect can save homeowners money by tailoring a design to a homeowner's specifications, not someone else's.

"I'm a proponent of not building spaces that you don't need," Childs said. "You don't have to have the same atrium and 4,000 square feet as your neighbor."

Tom Moore, vice president of marketing and sales at Gaylord Brooks Realty in Phoenix and one of Childs' clients, agreed.

"Many of the homes that I see being built are multigable homes and they're expensive. An architect and a builder working together may be able to advise a client that you don't need that and that it adds a lot of money to the process," he said.

Design that fit

In his own case, Moore said, after several conversations Childs designed a home that fit his and his wife's desire for a rustic house with timber beams and stone, but that also had "some foundation in traditional architecture." A set of purchased plans, he argued, would never have given them that.

Others argue that you don't always need an architect to achieve a custom design.

Howard Saslow, a Sykesville builder and pioneer of the design- build concept in the Baltimore area, said that firms such as his give clients the best of both worlds. Saslow designs custom homes for clients, relying on outside engineers and architects when needed, and then builds them.

Saslow conceded that a good architect's design will always stand out more, but maintained that high-quality design is readily available through experienced design-build companies.

"You do not need to have an architect to have a quality, well- built product," he asserted.

Further, Saslow said that while working with an architect has advantages, it can also have drawbacks.

"It depends on the architect. Unless [he or she] has a lot of field training and has been on job sites working with the trades, sometimes the designs don't represent what's realistically possible," he said. "I see a lot of plans that I could not build from."

Certain risk

Moore agreed that working with an architect on a unique design carries a certain risk. "If the architect is designing a house based on your input and you choose to have a door located somewhere odd or a room configured another way, it may not work well."

But, he added, clear communication between the client and architect usually solves that problem.

Another potential problem is architects who ignore practical realities, like a client's budget constraints, says Saslow.

"Trim work can add $30,000-$40,000 to a home's cost, which clients typically balk at," Saslow said. "We've had people blown away by the price and the fact that the architect didn't design for their budget."

To ensure the best possible outcome, design professionals and clients alike say it's critical to form a collaborative relationship with all parties involved on the project.

Builder part of team

"The builder offers something valuable, and we recommend that you work with them early because they know what things cost and what's available," said Lechleiter.

"The architect, the builder and the owner should all be members of the team, trying to work toward the same goal."

Childs concurred, pointing out that: "The drawings are just a tool to create a successful project. Communication is essential because you can't always convey all the nuances of the project through the drawings, no matter how detailed."

Childs not only designs projects for his clients, he works on them until they're completed, including helping clients select fixtures and flooring, and acting as the intermediary between the clients and the builder when questions or disputes arise.

Unique design

In the opinion of some clients, if all other things are equal, the decision to hire an architect hinges on the desire to create something unlike anything else, a skill that architects are uniquely trained to do.

"If it's somebody who doesn't have an appreciation for anything but a roof over their heads, then why bother?" said Seely.

"But if it's somebody who can appreciate quality things and their surroundings, they're the people who can appreciate the value of an architect. They can just blow away anything you'll get from a builder."

Jenny Realo of Phoenix attests to that. In 2003 she and her husband, Jeff, hired Childs to design an addition to their house. In Realo's opinion, Childs' $15,000 fee, roughly 5 percent of the total cost, was money well spent.

"I didn't even think to go straight to a builder," she said. "I wanted someone who knew what he was doing and had creative ideas about how to use our space effectively. I don't think a builder would have done that."

Drew raves

Realo said that the quality of Childs' design became more obvious when they recently consulted a real estate agent about selling the house.

The graceful way that Childs married the old and new parts of the house with complementary accents and the "wonderful cozy kitchen that is the center point of the home and opens to the garden" drew raves from the agent.

"I didn't realize how important uniqueness was until the Realtor came and pointed out all the special things she noticed. I can tell you that all of the parts of the home that she pointed out were not my ideas."

What to ask

Here are some questions to consider in deciding whether to hire an architect:

What activities do you expect to house in the project? Do you have specific ideas how to translate these activities into specific spaces and square-footage areas?

Does the project involve a lot of structural design?

What are your design aspirations? What thought have you given to the design message and amenities you are seeking in this project?

Have you and those with whom you are talking fixed a construction schedule and budget?

Where will the resources come from to create and operate this project?

What are your overall expectations for the project? What are your motivations, both basic and high--minded, and what role does the project play in achieving your overall goals?

How much experience do you have in design and construction? Have you done this before? If so, where have you been most successful, and where were you disappointed?

Source: "You and Your Architect," published by the American Institute of Architects

Credit: SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Photo(s); 1. [Jenny Realo] and Jeff Realo were pleased that they paid an architect $15,000 to design the addition to their Phoenix home. Joining Jenny Realo on the front lawn are sons (from left) Jack, 11, Mac, 6, Will, 8, and dog Abby. 2. Architect [Austin Childs] converted a closet into a bathroom in the Phoenix home of Jenny and Jeff Realo. The Realos wanted a designer who could use the space in their home more creatively. 3. "Quality of design is the greatest benefit an architect offers," says Baltimore architect [Kathleen M. Lechleiter]. 4. Architect Kathleen Lechleiter designed this model of the [Mark Seely] farmhouse project.; Credit: 1. & 2. KARL MERTON FERRON : SUN STAFF 3. & 4. BARBARA HADDOCK TAYLOR : SUN STAFF