A client intake form for architects
An architect’s first inquiry is often “we want to extend the house.” Whether that is a project worth a meeting depends on the site, the type of work, the budget for construction and how far the client has got. The intake gets those answers before the first visit.
What should architects ask first?
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What kind of project is it: a new building, an extension, a renovation, or a change of use? | Each one is a different scope of service and a different fee. |
| Where is the site, and do you own it already? | Location decides the local rules; a site not yet bought is an earlier, smaller job. |
| Is it a home or a commercial building? | Commercial work brings different codes, consultants and clients. |
| What budget have you set for construction, separate from design fees? | It tells you whether the brief and the budget can meet. |
| How far have you got: just an idea, a survey or drawings, or approvals already applied for? | It decides which stage of the work you would be starting at. |
| Is there a date you need to be building or finished by? | Approvals take time, and a fixed date may rule out some designs. |
| Who else is involved: a partner, investors, a builder you already have? | Everyone who decides should be at the first meeting. |
If an answer would not change what you do next, leave the question out. Each extra question is one more reason for someone to stop before they finish.
Do not tell anyone in the intake or its replies whether their project will get approval. That is the work, not the inquiry.
Which answers come back too vague to use, and what do you ask next?
The answers that cause a phone call are rarely missing. They are present and too loose to act on. A narrower follow-up, asked straight away while the person is still there, usually settles them. Offering likely answers shows the person the level of detail you need.
| What comes back | The follow-up that settles it |
|---|---|
| “We want an extension.” | Roughly how much more space, and is it one story or two? |
| “Budget is flexible.” | For construction alone, which is closest: under $250,000, $250,000 to $750,000, or more? |
| “We’ve started the process.” | Do you have a survey of the site, drawings from someone else, or an application already submitted? |
Follow up once per gap, then move on. If an answer is still unclear after one follow-up, flag it for whoever picks the request up rather than pressing.
When is a call or a visit still the right move?
Nearly every project starts with a meeting and a visit to the site. The intake decides which meetings to take and what to bring to them: the right precedents, a sense of fees for that type of work, and a frank view of whether the budget matches the brief.
How do you set this up from the Client intake template?
Acquainto has a Client intake template to start from. After you sign up, open Browse templates, pick Client intake, and it lands in the editor as a draft you can change before anything is published.
The template asks for a name and email, branches on the service the person is interested in, and asks one follow-up question per service. Its starting choices are consulting, design and development. Rename them to your project types, such as new build, extension and renovation, put the site, construction budget, stage and date on every branch, and use each branch’s own question for what that type needs first.
To see it from the other side, answer a demo built from the questions on this page. It is a demo: your answers come to Acquainto, not to a business, so leave out real names and contact details.
Acquainto runs it as a short written conversation instead of a form. It:
- asks a follow-up when an answer is incomplete, and asks for clarification when one is vague;
- uses a structured choice where precision matters and open conversation where detail matters;
- shows the person every answer before it is sent, so they correct their own mistakes;
- hands back one clean value per question, delivered to your own systems by webhook.
The person answering needs no account, and nothing has to be scheduled. Start free trial, see how it works, or compare plans.