Top 35 Questions Architects Should Ask Clients

What Questions Architects Should Ask Clients?

This article highlights the top questions every architect should ask their client before starting to work on a project. This architect client questionnaire will help in effective planning and communication, besides enabling creation of a design that will build value for your client.

If you’re looking for new clients, you can find New Architectural Projects posted by clients looking for architects on Archicheq. A lot of time clients also approach architects directly by studying Architect profiles on the website.

Once you’re ready to work with a client, use this architecture questionnaire sample to clarify expectations and create a clear path for architect-client conversation.

Download the E-book with top questions to ask a client.

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If you’re a client, then here’re  top questions to ask an architect during an interview or your first meeting with the architect.

High-level questions architects should ask clients

Start with these basic, yet high-level questions to get a general direction for the project. Pair them with the Deeper questions mentioned at the end.

1. What kind of project do you want to design?

Ask about the kind of project your client wants to work on—building a house, multi-storey, or office, renovating a house or a section of the house, room additions, landscaping designing, and remodelling.

This question will help define the rest of the questionnaire. Questions to ask remodeling clients will be different than an interior design client interview questions.

If your client found you on Archicheq or if you found architectural projects posted by clients on Archicheq, then their project details will answer this and many other questions here.

2. What’s your short and long-term plan for this place?

Check if the client plans to use the place for themselves or sell it off after sometime or immediately. Ask questions about the present and future users of the property. If they are a growing family, then they might have specific future needs to consider. Propose using materials and design that will create value for them in short and long-term.

3. Do you have any sustainability or energy goals for the project?

Understand the goals of the client in terms of sustainability and energy efficiency. Propose materials and energy-saving design features and show the expected contribution of those features to the client’s goal. Create a plan for how and when the goals of the client can be achieved.

The basic questions

You can ask these questions in the beginning or later, depending on your understanding of the client’s general requirement.

4. What’s your budget?

Ask your client what budget they have for the designing and construction of the project. Clarify what deviation from the estimated budget may occur. Be realistic and ensure that both you and the client are prepared for the actual spend.

5. What’s your timeline?

Ask the client about their expected timeline for the project. Discuss all their requirements with the client and estimate the time the project may require. Talk about some delays that may occur, so that the client is aware of the time required from the start.

Utility based questions to ask a client when designing a building

Who will use the space? How do they wish to use it? These are important questions to ask a client when designing a building, as they help create a canvas for your design. 

6. Who will use the facility?

Ask your client about the people who will use the space—family of adults or adults and children, office staff, or public. This information will help you plan the right features and rooms.

7. How do you plan to use indoor and outdoor spaces?

Ask the client about how they plan to use different rooms and sections of their house. Ask about the activities they undertake. Design a house or office to enable those activities, both outdoor and indoor.

8. How much time do you spend on indoor and outdoor activities?

The time spent in different sections of the house will guide you on who much space and budget you can allot to each room and area. Your client will have to truthfully reflect on this question to help you plan better.

9. Will the space be used for entertaining?

Ask if the place will be used to entertain people, and if the client would want to include a game room, bar, guest room, outdoor sitting, living room, dining room, kitchen, etc. Check about the capacity of each room and see if there is scope to accommodate that.

10. What level of privacy do you desire?

Ask about the number of people who will use the facility and the privacy requirement of each person. Design the space so that the users get the desired privacy and common areas, ensuring the functionality of each place isn’t compromised.

11. Will anyone with any disability use this place?

If a person with a disability will be using the place on a regular basis, then it will be ideal for you to incorporate accessible design features. Ask the client about this in advance to create effective designs.

Project management and communication

Answers to these questions will save you a lot of time during the project. Management of an architectural project becomes easy when the client and architect are able to effectively communicate.

12. How much time can you contribute during the designing and construction phase?

Check with the client how much time they are willing to spend on approving the designs and coordinating about the various questions you might have during the construction of the project. Clarifying their availability will help plan communication better.

13. What level of involvement do you want the designing and construction of the project?

Check the type of updates the client might need, the type of involvement they wish to have in different design and construction decisions. They will help you understand when to contact them and when to take a call on your own. 

14. Do you want you to procure the material?

Ask the client if they want to procure the material or if they would need your assistance. In the latter case, how would they like to be involved in the process of choosing and paying for the materials? Share your design inputs and material preference in either case.

15. Do you want you to hire and manage the contractors?

Also, ask the client if they want you to take the responsibility of choosing and hiring contractors or if they’d like to do their own recruitment. In case they recruit the contractors, do they want you to coordinate with them during construction or not?

16. What design formats do you prefer?

Share the design format you generally work with—Drawings, Digital 2d or 3d designs, or Physical 3d models. Check which format your client will be able to understand better and visualize the structure better with.

17. Do you need assistance in getting design permits?

Check if your design needs any special permits in the area, and if so, check if the client would be able to help obtain those permits, if needed.

18. How would you like to pay?

Some clients prefer paying in predetermined installments or a lump sum amount. Also, share with the client your fee structure—a percentage of the project’s cost or a fixed fee. Clarify if the client would like to keep a credit card on file or make a direct deposit.

Access Archicheq’s payment features that enable clients to deposit money in an Escrow account at the start of the project. The fee gets released to architects on the completion of the project.

19. What’s the best way to communicate with you?

To ensure that the communication between you and your client goes smoothly throughout the project, check what their preferred mode of communication is—email, call, or text messages. Check what’s the best time or day to contact them in a week, and how often would they like to connect to get updates and share thoughts on the progress of the project. 

A conversation between architects and clients becomes easy when you pay heed to each other’s time and meet each other’s need to get information to keep the project going.

Related post: Maintaining a Healthy Architect-Client Relationship.

Design questions to ask clients

These Design questions to ask clients will give your project an outline. Ask what your client wants and communicate what can be achieved with the given space and budget.

20. What kind of architecture do you prefer?

One of the first Architecture design interview questions should be about the type of architecture that appeals to your client. Show them various design styles or samples to choose from, so that you understand what direction to take with your design.

21. Do you have any design and material ideas to share?

Ask your client if they’d like to share any pictures from Pinterest, magazines, etc. that they might have saved as reference for this property. Ask them to point out the features they like the most in each picture and why.

22. Are any design features important to you?

Ask if your client has any preference to include or exclude certain features. These can be related to the aesthetics, a certain room, functionality of the place, energy efficiency, interaction with the environment, etc.

23. Do you have landscaping requirements?

Ask your client if they want you to design the landscape surrounding their house. Landscape design client interview questions help you include such designs in your drawings to begin with. In case you need to hire a landscape artist, you can include that cost in the budget.

24. What kind of rooms/spaces do you want--bedrooms, dining, family, drawing, kitchen, garage, etc?

Ask the client about the kind of rooms and spaces they’d like to have. If it’s a house, then besides bedrooms, kitchen, dining and living rooms, do they have space and requirements for other rooms like a study, family room, rec room, and indoor pool.

25. How many bedrooms do you want?

For designing a house, ask about the number of bedrooms they want and who they will be used by, so that you can design appropriate sizes and functional features.

26. How many bathrooms do you want?

Ask about the number of bathrooms your client requires. Do they want all full bathrooms or do they wish to have a powder room near the living room and recreation room. 

27. What kind of kitchen do you like?

Different clients have different cooking and entertainment needs and habits. Ask your client if they like a big,open, airy, and lit kitchen, if they want a wood burning oven, or if they prefer a small kitchen as they hardly cook.

28. Do you want a loft or upper floors?

Different clients have different needs and budget for the present and future. Ask if your client needs a loft or a second floor with rooms. Discuss with them the long-term usability of the upper floor.

29. Do you want a study or work-from-home space?

If your client works from home, check if they’d like you to design a study or work corner. Such consideration for their lifestyle will help them see that you care.

30. What storage needs do you have?

Some people prefer a lot of storage space for clothes, kitchen items, tools, and other items. Discuss the type of storage need your client has, also asking about the space they’d like to dedicate to storage areas.

31. How many covered parking spaces do you need?

Your client may have a specific requirement for covered parking spaces. Confirm their need to be able to plan the design better.

32. Do you need a fireplace?

Check with the client if they need a working fireplace in the house--electric or live. Discuss with them the most practical and feasible option which they can use for a long time.

33. How much natural light do you prefer?

Different people prefer different amounts of light in various rooms of the house. Ask your client about what they prefer, so that you can design features that allow in desirable amounts of light.

Dig deeper

These are important client analysis architecture questions that will help you create a strong base for the planning stage.

34. Are there any known challenges for the site?

Check with the client if they are aware of any known challenges of the terrain and the existing structure. The client can also put you in touch with previous owners or local property builders to get more information.

35. What’s your Vision for the project?

The vision represents the paradigms you want the house or property to stand for and represent. Understand your client’s vision or help them develop one, no matter how deep, simple or straightforward it is. If they want to sell the property, the vision might be as simple as making the place Efficient or Aesthetically pleasing. Knowing their vision will help you step into your client’s shoes while making all the design decisions.

Once the project is complete, you can ask the client if they’d like to write a review for your architectural services on Archicheq. This will help you build your architect profile to attract new clients.