At a fist impression hiring one person or company to do design and construction sounds economically efficient, but the loose in quality and control might be extremely expensive. When you contract an Architect that is completely independent to the construction company, you assure that the architect will be on your side in a point of discussion or the need to fix or change anything. On the other hand, when the same company is designing and building, you are not sure if the materials been used are of the best quality, are the specified or simply the cheapest-convenient that the builder found. Who will protect your investment at that point?

It has come to our attention the big differences between construction companies, there is always an strong and weak side in all of them, the important is to qualify this elements depending on the project and client and to know as much a possible of this in advance. Having the architect, civil engineer, electrical engineer and mechanical engineer inspecting the work of the builder foreman, electrician and mechanical installer is the correct way to go and the healthiest for your investment. It is not an invention, it is not new, this is how all the big and successful companies work.

This is my recommendation, when you are about to select your architecture company, look for one that have worked with many different construction companies, they will be able to tell you the difference between one or the other, they will be more updated in technology and innovation, they will know the good and weak areas of the builders and will help you select the right one for your project. The more connections your Architect has with different contractors, the more information he has to take decisions that will benefit your investment.

The same recommendation goes when you select the construction company, select one that works with different architecture companies, this gives them as well, much more information and connections.