architect vs contractor vs painter etc

Just let the painter do all of it. He can even do the crown mouldings in trompe l'oeil.

actually you're better off with a good contractor who has all the necessary and qualified trades on payroll. contact me @ rmaletta@nyc.rr.com if you need any pricing.

I probably the biggest proponent of hiring architects for renovations. But for what you outline I don't see what an architect would add. Get a contractor that comes highly recommended.

My reccomendation is if you want your moldings to look good without spending a fortune, don't rely on a contractor to specify mill or wood work, that is what a good architect or designer can do.

5thGen, I really have to disagree. I selected my mouldings myself and there is no science to it--just aesthetic taste. You go to Dyke's Lumber on the Westside. You pick a crown moulding made out of MDF (not wood) because MDF will not expand and contract with humidity changes thus causing cracks at the seams. You can even look on line at some of the choices, but some people may have a hard time visualizing designs without seeing them in person. Next, you select base boards. If you are easy on a place and have no kids and don't smash into the bases, then MDF can work fine to those mouldings, too. If you are rougher on a place, wood will be a better choice because it chips less easily. Then a very small piece of moulding called a "foot" goes where the base meets the floor--I used a concave 1/4 round (not sure what the real name is) but you can use a convex 1/4 round, too. That's it. What would an architect do? Unless you are talking about installing custom period mouldings in a Dakota restoration, I don't think a typical apartment owner needs much more.

The only trick to mouldings is good installation. Walls, ceilings and floors rarely sit at exactly 90 degree angles and there is a lot of minute adjusting to be done so nothing gaps. that is why the labor is more than the mouldings themselves which are relatively inexpensive.

"Just let the painter do all of it. He can even do the crown mouldings in trompe l'oeil."
Exactly

If I may zagat your selection;
architect $$$
contractor $$
painter $

Kylewest- i know from your previous posts that you seem to have had a great success with your renovation and you seem to know a lot more than the average.

My point more (and i think it came out unclear) is that from what i've seen is that contractors are great at building what architects and/or designers draw/specify.

Finding crown mouldings is certainly not a difficult thing to do- but from an aesthetic point of view when a contractor goes ahead and tries to specify the mouldings you usually get something where the proportions are off, the chair rail is too high, etc- basically the job can and often does end up looking clumsy. Additionally i have seen that since its not typically what the contractor does, it ends up costing more than it has to in addition to looking off. Again, not 100% of the time, as it seems to be in your case, but very often thats what i've seen.