An architect will consult with you and give you some ideas and should do it without cost. They will spend an hour talking with you and walking through your home. We talked to several architects before making the decision to go forward with one.

We have a small 3 bedroom ranch that we put on the market in the spring and it didn't sell. We've decided to stay put for a while, but would love to add some more space somehow. We're just not at all sure where/how. Our kids share a room and we'd like to perhaps build a small office off of our bedroom (so we can give an existing bedroom to one kid), or do something else. Who do we call to give this kind of advice? Architect? Builder? And do you have to pay to get ideas?