There are many professions involved in the housing industry, from real estate agents to contractors and lenders. All these people work at different stages of your purchasing process, making it possible for you to have a new home. However, the majority of people forget about the person who makes all of this possible, the residential architect. In this article, we will tell you the tasks they perform and, according to that, how much does a residential architect make.
In the construction industry, you will find that there are several types of pf architects, and each one of them specializes in different structural designs. For instance, industrial architects focus on the structure of warehouses and factories. While urban architects are responsible for the design of a whole area. In the same way, as its name explains, residential architects work on houses and other buildings where people will live.
We’re going to go over the assignments they perform every day and look into the average residential architect salary. You also need to understand which type of education is required for this role and how the overall career works.
What is a residential architect?
As we explained before a residential architect is a person who focuses on developing constructions that will later turn into homes. But what does that mean exactly? To understand it better, think about all the types of homes you know: townhouses, condominiums, detached homes, etc. The person who created the design and structure of all those houses was a residential architect.
Overall a residential architect will meet with the client and understand which concept they want to achieve. After that, they will start drafting potential designs until the clients are satisfied with the result. In the end, they will input that blueprint into special software. That way, the contractors will have a clear idea of how they should approach the project.
Residential architects work the majority of the time from their offices, where they will receive updates regarding the project. From time to time, they could go to the worksite to make sure everything is going as planned and ensure that they will be able to meet the deadline.
The great thing about residential architects is that they can also come up with new design concepts, such as urban townhouses, which offer larger open spaces. To learn more about these properties, go to Paradise Developments.
What kind of academic requirements should I have?
If you want to pursue this profession because you are passionate about design and you also feel comfortable with the residential architect salary, there are some requirements you must meet to be part of the industry.
As you know, this career is just one of the specializations you can pursue once you are certified as an architect. That means that the first requirement to be a residential architect is having a bachelor’s degree in architecture. Your goal here should be obtaining a license otherwise you won’t be able to work.
Depending on your location, the board in charge of the license might only ask you for a degree, while others will require a master’s or even a doctorate. Before you get the license, you will have to do an internship and pass an exam to prove your knowledge.
Are there any extra requirements?
This is one of the most important questions that most professionals forget to ask. The reason why you should enquire about extra requirements is that usually, those are the ones that will help you advance your career.
According to the board that granted you the license, you might be required to keep up to date. This means taking some courses from time to time or assisting with seminars. But there are also extra things you can do to further your knowledge, such as going to workshops, registering for short-term certifications and looking for specialized classes.
How much does a residential architect make?
An average residential architect's salary in Canada is $103,017 yearly. Now, if you do some quick math, this means that a residential architect's salary per hour will be about $50. However, as happens in many professions, residential architects can get a bonus. The average bonus they will receive can be around $2,895.
Remember that the residential architect salary that we are stating above is average. This means that if you have more experience in the industry, you’ll likely earn more, but if you are just getting started, you should expect less.
If you are an entry-level residential architect, which means you have been working in the industry for three years or less, your salary would be close to $72,417. On the other end, if you have lots of experience (more than eight years), you can ask for an average salary of around $127,857.
The great thing about working as a residential architect right now is that by 2025, their average salary will have a 12% increase. Then, in five years, the residential architect salary in Canada will increase to $115,704.
How much does a residential architect make in the U.S?
If you are located in the United States, the salary range for residential architects is going to be a little bit higher compared to the Canadian one, taking into account the exchange rate. In the US the average residential architect salary is $93,218 (CAN$ 118,773). When we convert this yearly salary into hours, we will get a rate of $45 (CAN$57.34).
Even when there is just a couple of dollars of difference in the hourly payment, this rate has a great impact on the entry-level, average and senior salary. In the US entry-level residential architects are earning $65,529 (CAN$83,493), and in a senior position, the salary increases to $115,696 (CAN$147,417).
Final Thoughts
In this article, we have presented an overview of what exactly is a residential architect, the tasks they perform and the requirements they have to meet. Also, we have analysed the residential architect salary in Canada and compared it to the one in the United States. Keep in mind that all the average salaries above are calculated for the whole country. But there are some cases in which depending on the province or state, your salary could reduce or increase.
