Getting Started with KTA

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Why do I need to hire an architect?

You don’t! But working with our team will make your project better in every way: it will save you time, money, and hassle. Working with our team ensures that you get the very best design possible, the smartest custom solutions for low-impact living, and the satisfaction of knowing that your investment in your home is beautiful, sustainable, on budget, and built to last for your lifetime.

We’ve been committed to making gorgeous design attainable since our firm was founded, and we’d love to talk with you about the many ways we can help make sure your project makes it off paper and into the space you’ve dreamed about. Working with us means you’ll get a sustainable building that offers savings in energy costs year after year, and your project will be built to suit you exactly—eliminating the worry and risk that comes with DIY solutions or short cuts. You don’t have to work with an architect, but you’ll be glad you did.

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What types of projects do you work on?

We thrive on complex problems and love to work with people who are open to figuring out new ways of building high-quality, low-impact buildings on time and on budget. If you have a site that is tricky to build on, a commercial project with complex needs, or if you’re not sure how to reconfigure your house so it fits into your family’s changing lifestyles and interests, we have a proven track record of solving the toughest problems in ways that will make you smile.

We work on new and renovated single family homes, multi-family buildings, educational facilities, and restaurants. We believe in the “Not So Big Ego,” which means that our most important ambition as designers is to make sure that your project is yours. We will work with you every step of the way to end up with a project that is tailored specifically to your needs and wants.

If you have an idea, big or small, let’s talk about what’s possible.

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How far away do you work?

Until we’re able to get wifi (and atmosphere) on Jupiter, the sky’s the limit. We absolutely love designing projects in our beautiful home state of Maine, but we also work on projects out of state on a daily basis. Our skills in sustainable architecture are rare, and in demand, in many parts of the country, and our rates are very competitive compared to many other national firms. After mastering low-energy building design in Maine’s freezing winters, anything south of us is a breeze!

Typically, we limit travel times to four hours because we like to be readily available during construction. We are proficient at working far from home thanks to communications systems that allow us to stay close to the action at all times. We’re experts at hosting seamless, high quality web conferences, including live fly-throughs of your design.

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Who will work on my project?

As a team, we count on each other to be honest, talented, and efficient. We are a group with diverse skill sets, and we use those skills to their fullest. Every project gets the team it needs to get the work done on time and on budget. We have longstanding relationships with engineers, landscape architects, and other consultants, and we’ll manage their roles intelligently and efficiently.

A Principal plays a role in the project from beginning to end. The size of your team depends on the project’s size, pace, and scope—a typical residential project has two people on the team; a commercial or more complex project might have more. We’ll connect you with people who are a fit for your personality, energy, and style. If there’s someone you think you’d work well with, let us know, and we’ll do our best to make them available.

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Do I need to know my budget or have a clear timeline?

You don’t need to have a detailed budget or a full-fledged project plan before you meet with us. We’re here to help you navigate the process of matching your hopes and desires to your practical considerations.

It certainly helps to have an idea of what you’re hoping to invest in your project, to have some sense of what kind of finished product you’d like to achieve, and by when you’d like to have it completed. Locking down these decisions helps us to think about creative ways to manage your program so you stay within budget. Every project faces tough choices, so we work with you to identify those decision points as early as possible.

We have years of experience finding clever solutions that allow our clients to enjoy great design without losing sight of the bottom line. We bring in builders early so you’re able to price the project at the outset and move forward with a partner you trust. Our years of experience working with builders of all styles and sizes means that we know the tricks of their trade, which allows us to design within budget parameters so you don’t waste time or money at the construction stage.

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Does it have to be a sustainable, or “green” building?

What if we told you that our office can give you a green building—for free? Our greatest passion is figuring out how to make sustainable design attainable, and we pride ourselves on making green architecture just another word for high quality design.

Here’s how it works: the key is careful cost offsetting, which means that we give you a building with such a high-quality enclosure that the building no longer needs a traditional, expensive, polluting, hard-to-maintain monster of mechanical system for heating, cooling, and energy. Cutting that machinery out of the equation allows us to afford a better enclosure, giving you a building that is efficient, comfortable, and affordable for years to come.

We’d be happy to talk about your project in detail and how we can deliver innovative sustainable design, including high-performance passive house and zero net energy homes, that exceed your expectations for comfort, value, and exceptional design.