I have worked and continue to work with many talented local architects on Long Beach Island and the surrounding mainland areas. You need to be very careful these days with whom you contract and align yourself with concerning architects, now more than ever! I have in fact, disassociated myself recently from one local firm in particular due to what I would deem unethical practices. I have heard of several disturbing trends, one being an architect working within a larger architectural firm on the Island who downloaded huge amounts of completed plans that were the property of that firm. He then proceeded to open his own business on the Island and kept possession of the plans taken from the other firm.  Another developer on the Island basically stole the design of a very popular spec home from a small architectural firm on LBI whom I have dealt with extensively over the years. This design has and continues to be in high demand as I have personally built many versions of this particular home over the years. This developer used his own in house architect to make subtle changes to the design and tried to pass it off as his own. He has been put on notice to cease and desist from building this home by the other architects since their work is legally protected against being duplicated. The developer has never attempted to compensate the other firm for these plans as they have many hours and hard work invested in this design. I'm sure this situation will eventually wind up in litigation at some point and time as this developer continues to build this specific home with alterations. I make it a point to discuss at length all of the details concerning  a clients particular situation since no two builds are ever alike. It is time well invested. Whether it is building a new home or renovating an existing one I find that I gain valuable insight as to a clients priorities, goals and desires during these discussions. Choosing the right architect is critical to say the least. They need to be able to fully communicate with a client in depth and at length regarding their lifelong dream of building their vacation or year round home at the shore. This includes being able to visualize and interpret the clients concept from beginning to end as well as being able to adapt throughout the process. The architect needs to be accessible to the client as well as the builder. Believe it or not I know of architects that once a plan is completed and paid for in full they are difficult if not impossible to reach and rarely if at all make an appearance at the job site. There is nothing I love more than working with a detail oriented and hands on architect. I would be more than happy to recommend an architect in the area which would be best suited for your situation and who would fulfill your particular needs. Contact me today and lets get started.