Should You Hire an Architect Before Buying a Building?
ESP INSIGHT 01
The short answer: Yes—before you buy the wrong building.
A building can look like an opportunity and still be the wrong investment.
The purchase price may work. The location may be right. The building may even look like it can accommodate exactly what you want to do.
But before you buy it, there is a more important question:
Can this building actually serve the purpose you are buying it for?
That is where involving an architect before the purchase can become valuable.
The Purchase Price Isn't the Project Cost
When evaluating an existing building, it is easy to focus on the number attached to the real estate.
But the purchase price is only one part of the investment.
A building may need accessibility improvements, additional exits, fire protection, structural modifications, mechanical upgrades, electrical service improvements, additional plumbing, exterior work, or significant interior renovation before it can support its intended use.
There may also be zoning, parking, occupancy, or site limitations that have very little to do with the condition of the building itself.
A property that looks inexpensive can become very expensive once those requirements are understood.
The earlier those questions are asked, the more options an owner has.
What Should Be Evaluated Before You Buy?
Every property and project is different, but an early architectural feasibility review may consider:
Zoning and whether the intended use is permitted
Existing and required parking
Building occupancy and potential changes of use
Building code and life-safety requirements
Accessibility
Existing structure
Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems
Fire protection requirements
Building envelope and general existing conditions
Site access and circulation
Available space compared with the actual program
Opportunities for expansion or future growth
The purpose isn't to design the entire project before you buy the building.
The purpose is to identify the decisions, limitations, opportunities, and potential costs that could materially affect whether buying the property makes sense.
“Can We Make It Work?” Isn't Always the Right Question
Given enough time and money, a lot of buildings can be made to work.
That doesn't mean they should be.
The better question is:
Does making this building work serve the purpose of the project and make sense as an investment?
That distinction matters.
If a building requires significant investment simply to overcome limitations that another property doesn't have, the question shouldn't only be whether the work is technically possible.
The question should be whether that money is creating value.
Every decision either creates or destroys value.
That is why architecture should begin before the drawings.
The Existing Building May Also Have Value You Don't Immediately See
Existing buildings aren't automatically liabilities.
Sometimes the opposite is true.
A building may have characteristics that would be difficult—or even impossible—to recreate under current zoning or development requirements. Its size, location on the property, setbacks, parking arrangement, density, height, or existing use may create opportunities that aren't obvious during a typical property tour.
The question isn't simply whether the building is old or new.
The question is what the existing building allows you to do with the property.
Understanding that can completely change how an owner evaluates an acquisition.
Architecture Should Start With the Decision
At ESP Architects, we believe:
Every line on paper represents a decision.
That means the work shouldn't begin by asking where the walls go.
It should begin by understanding the purpose of the project, the people the building needs to serve, the requirements of the property, and the investment necessary to make it successful.
Sometimes the answer is to buy the building.
Sometimes it is to renegotiate the deal.
Sometimes it is to change the strategy.
And sometimes the best architectural advice is to walk away before the project ever becomes an architectural project.
Before You Own the Problem
The best time to discover a property's limitations is while you still have choices.
Before closing.
Before committing significant design dollars.
Before construction costs begin accumulating.
And, ideally, before a problem becomes yours to solve.
If you're considering purchasing an existing building or property for a new project, an early conversation can help determine what needs to be understood before you commit.
Strategy First. Design Second. Success Always.
Considering a property or existing building?
Start by understanding what you're actually buying.