▪ If you have an architect designing your house, be aware that some architects do not have a sense of what really works in the world of construction. Be aware that studs (2x4's) come in standard sizes.

Your architect may want to use an unusual ceiling height in an effort to have the exterior appear a certain way. For example, if you are in a historic district, your architect may try to design the exterior so that it looks like it has 8.5' ceilings so that the facade of the house doesn't look to tall. The problem can be a serious one if you get historic preservation commission approval (if you are in a historic district) only to realize too late that your architect has done this.

Carpenters want to work with standard stud sizes. They do not want to have to cut every single stud to a non-standard height just because your home remodeling architect called for it to be that way. It may be too time consuming to change the design if you have already gotten the historic preservation approval.

The lesson: make sure your architect is using standard pre-cut stud sizes for the walls!

▪Are you sure that you want brick on all four sides and all the way up to the roof of your house? Your architect may draw this, but before you accept it, consider that you could save a lot of money by using cedar shakes or shingles or lap wood siding at the gables or on the rear/sides of your home.

Former builder and instructor of "Save Time and Money in Home Remodeling" cont. ed. course at Emory University