When you’re looking to build a custom home, you may wonder whether an architect or an engineer is the better choice for designing it. The truth is you need both. You need an architect to dream up a stunning design that meets your practical needs and aesthetic tastes, and an engineer to ensure that your new custom home is solid, livable, functional, and safe.

Working in tandem, your architect and engineer develop a vision and the files necessary transform it into a beautiful, lasting, and comfortable living space.

Each of these professionals plays a different role and brings specialized knowledge, training, and expertise to your custom homebuilding team. In this post, we clarify the roles and responsibilities of the architect and structural engineer in a custom home build and explain what each of these experts brings to the table.

Looking at the Big Picture: Architect vs. Engineer

On their surface, architects and engineers appear to be very similar. Both are instrumental in designing homes and other buildings. However, their primary focus and the roles they play in the design process differ considerably.

For example:

• Architects design the building with a focus on functionality and appearance. They focus on things like floor plan, flow, aesthetics (such as modern, traditional, or minimalist), functionality, site integration (views, lighting, environmental harmony), client vision, and sustainability. If you’re working with one, your architect will focus on how your custom home looks, feels, and functions.
• Engineers focus more on structural integrity, safety, and code compliance. Specifically, they focus on the following: foundation, framing, and structural supports; material selection; mechanics (electrical, plumbing, heating & cooling); soil conditions and drainage; safety and compliance; energy efficiency; and solving problems that arise from complex designs, unusual site conditions, custom features, and so on. If you’re working with one, your engineer will focus on ensuring that your home is structurally sound, functions as intended and is safe for its occupants.

A draftsman may intern under a licensed architect, gaining valuable on-the-job experience. While draftsmen are usually skilled in design tools like Computer-Aided Design (CAD) or architectural home design software like Chief Architect, they don’t have the formal education or certification needed to become licensed architects.

Architect vs. Engineer: Comparing Educational Pathways

Architects and engineers follow different educational pathways that shape their unique approaches to the work they’re hired to do. Generally, architects focus their studies more on art, whereas engineers focus more on math and science. More specifically:

• An education in architecture emphasizes design theory, spatial planning, history, sustainability, and creative problem-solving. Training is focused on aesthetics, user experience, and visual storytelling, alongside learning building codes and some structural basics.
  • After completing a five-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) program, graduates typically must complete a three-year internship with a licensed architect and then pass the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) to become licensed.
• An education in engineering emphasizes math, physics, and material science. Coursework dives deep into the technical mechanics of how things work and stay standing. Engineering programs typically last four years, resulting in a Bachelor of Science degree.
  • After earning their degree, graduates take and must pass the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying’s Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and, often later, the NCEES’s Professional Engineer (PE) exam.

The difference in education matters because it reflects two complementary disciplines. Architects imagine the possibilities; engineers ensure that the vision can be brought to fruition in a building that’s safe, structurally sound, and efficient and meets its occupants’ needs.

Knowing What to Expect in the Context of Your Custom Build

When you’re building a custom home, you’ll ideally have an architect and an engineer on your team. Your architect is likely to take the lead during the early phase of the design, working closely with you to shape the vision for your new home. Later in the process, your engineer will play a role in analyzing the design and ensuring that it can be executed in a way that produces a safe and stable home that functions the way it should.

During the process, you can expect to encounter differences between your architect and your engineer in the following areas:

Roles

The main distinctions between an architect and an engineer is the focus of their responsibilities:

• Architects focus on design, aesthetics, and livability. They help you formulate the vision for your custom home in terms of its look, feel, and function.
• Engineers focus on safety, structure, and systems. They ensure that the resulting home is safe and structurally sound and that everything functions properly.

Responsibilities

Architects and engineers have distinctly different responsibilities:

Architects:

• Design floor plans and elevations
• Determine spatial relationships and flow
• Select materials and finishes (aesthetically)
• Ensure design meets zoning, building codes, and client needs

Engineers

• Design the foundation, framing, and load-bearing systems
• Calculate structural loads (wind, weight, seismic)
• Coordinate plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems
• Ensure the structure complies with engineering standards and safety codes

Although architects and engineers differ significantly in their roles and responsibilities, they often collaborate closely. For example, your architect may provide you with a preliminary design, and your engineer may say that certain aspects of the design would be impossible or too costly or complicated to implement, leading the architect to make adjustments. During the process, especially if you encourage it, your architect and engineer may be in close communication, adjusting the design in a way that preserves your vision while improving the structural integrity and functionality of the home.

Don’t get too hung up on the differences in architect and engineer roles. Sometimes, they cross over. Although your architect may be more artistic, your engineer may be inspired to offer some creative input. Likewise, your architect may have valuable input regarding materials and supporting structures. The relationship between architect and engineer can be most creative and productive when the lines between them start to blur.

Keeping Your Contractor in the Loop

Custom home design is a team sport that extends beyond your architect and engineer to include your general contractor and subcontractors. Be sure to keep your contractor in the loop during the design and engineering process. That’s because your custom home contractor can provide valuable input on suggested changes (think: what will work and what won’t, how a change might affect the budget or the schedule, and so on). Generally, the more quality input you have, the better the outcome.

Here at Wilmington Building Company, North Carolina’s premiere custom residential home builder, we serve as general contractor, collaborating closely with a carefully chosen network of subcontractors that include architects, engineers, and interior designers to bring our clients’ visions to fruition. Our collective commitment is to deliver exceptional results that surpass your highest expectations.

Every new custom home we build starts with a conversation. Contact us to discuss your dream home and the possibility of working with us to make your dream a reality.