Hiring an architect for a custom courtyard house in CDMX or Denver is a decision that determines the quality of the house you will live in for decades. The right process starts before the design. It starts with a conversation about site, program, and how design decisions get made.
In MÉTODO, we work on four projects per year. That limit is intentional. An authored residential project — a casa de autor — requires sustained attention from the principal architect through every phase of design and construction. It cannot be delegated to a team of junior staff and reviewed occasionally.
What to Look for Before Hiring
A courtyard house is a specific typology with specific technical demands. Not every architect who designs residential projects has built a courtyard house. Before hiring, ask:
- Can you see a built courtyard project, not a rendering? Walk it if possible. The quality of light, the proportions of the patio, the threshold between inside and outside — these are things that photographs cannot fully convey.
- How does the architect handle asoleamiento and climate analysis? If the answer is vague, the design will be driven by appearance rather than performance.
- What is the construction documentation process? A minimalist courtyard house requires precise documents. The architect should be able to describe how they coordinate between structural, MEP, and finish specifications.
- What is the architect's role during construction? Weekly site visits minimum, with written field reports, are standard for an authored project.
The Design Process: Phase by Phase
Phase 1 — Site and Program Analysis (4 to 6 weeks)
We begin every project with a site visit and a documented site analysis: orientation, topography, adjacent buildings and their heights, prevailing winds, view axes worth preserving, and view axes that need to be blocked. The program is developed jointly with the client — not handed over as a brief to be fulfilled, but built through a series of conversations about how the family lives and what the house needs to do.
Phase 2 — Schematic Design (6 to 8 weeks)
We develop three spatial alternatives. These are not three renderings of the same idea with different surface treatments. They are three fundamentally different spatial strategies — different courtyard positions, different relationships between program elements, different structural and material approaches. The matrix of options: each alternative is evaluated on the same criteria so the client can decide by comparing, not by guessing.
Phase 3 — Design Development (8 to 10 weeks)
The selected alternative is developed in detail: structural system, material palette, mechanical strategy, envelope performance. Every room is studied in section. The matrix of options continues at a smaller scale — window proportions, threshold details, courtyard floor material.
Phase 4 — Construction Documents (8 to 12 weeks)
A full set of construction documents covering architecture, structure, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and landscape. In Mexico City, these go to SEDUVI for review. In Denver, to Denver Community Planning and Development or the applicable county authority. Permit timelines vary significantly: CDMX can take 2 to 4 months; Denver 4 to 8 weeks for a typical residential project.
Phase 5 — Construction Administration
Weekly site visits, written field reports, shop drawing review, and resolution of conditions that arise during construction. This phase is not optional. An authored house requires the architect's presence during construction — decisions that seem minor on site can have significant design consequences.
Working Across Two Jurisdictions
MÉTODO is based in CDMX and Denver. Working in both cities means understanding two building code systems, two seismic and structural environments, two contractor markets, and two permit processes.
Mexico City requires seismic design for Zone III, one of the highest seismic risk classifications in North America. Structural engineering is a central part of every project, not an afterthought. The structural approach — post-tensioned slabs, reinforced concrete frames, base isolation in some cases — is coordinated with the architectural design from the first sketch.
Denver and Colorado require snow load design, energy code compliance (IECC), and attention to high-altitude UV conditions in material selection. The contractor market is different: local stone, regional timber, and craftsmen experienced with heavy masonry are available and less expensive than importing materials from elsewhere.
The First Conversation
If you are considering a custom courtyard house and want to understand whether MÉTODO is the right fit, the first conversation is not a sales meeting. It is a diagnostic: we want to understand your site, your program, your timeline, and the decision-making process within your family or partnership. A good project starts with that clarity.
Próximos pasos
The decision to hire an architect for an authored courtyard house is a commitment to a process that takes 18 to 36 months from first meeting through move-in. That process produces a house that cannot be built any other way.
Conoce el método de MÉTODO to see how we approach each phase of a courtyard residential project in CDMX and Denver.