Choosing an Architect

    The building restrictions for our area and the shape of our land pretty much dictate the overall plan of our house.  Of course, our needs, like car space and bike storage, and personal tastes come into play, but we're not architects and even though we tried to draw a layout, we did not get very interesting results... 

     When we first met TwoStyle Architects, we told them what we needed and generally explained our preferences in a house layout.  Even though we come from places where space is not an issue, we did not want a huge house, knowing that merely 10 years from now, our kids would be fleeing the nest.  So we were OK with 50m2 on each floor plus a loft, but we insisted on efficient use of space. We were looking to have a small bathroom and only one toilet, to spare us all the cleaning!

     What we didn't know is that we could have an interior terrace, and that's why we were so impressed by our architects’ first presentation.  This terrace would not only add an extra 18m2 usable space on sunny days, but would also give the feeling that the house was much bigger.  At night, special lighting on the terrace would provide a sensation of warmth.

      In addition to the usual kitchen-dining-living areas and bedrooms, we had specified that we needed a studio for my jewelry, a music studio for my husband and a study/work area.  All of our wishes were reflected in this initial plan, and although we knew we would then need to refine the various spaces, we knew that this was solid groundwork.

      So after weighing down our options (2 other firms), we hired TwoStyle Architects and paid their retainer fee.   TwoStyle was recommended by our realtor, and even though we had a good feeling about them, we nonetheless contacted two other firms to compare and decide which one was best suited for us.  We were completely clueless as to the home building process in Japan, and I believe we pretty much read everything related on the internet. Nonetheless, we failed to grasp the differences in approach and cost among architects, house makers and house builders.  We knew we wanted to have a good handle on spending and a lot of ideas on design. 

As we move along into the project, we are very satisfied with TwoStyle's approach and commitment toward our goal.  We are even surprised to see that communication is even better than expected - all e-mails are in English only and most of our conversation also.  So we feel confident that we have made the right choice.  Fingers crossed until we move into our new home next May.