Architect Insurance?

The GC and subs won't carry the liability for a professional failing on her part (for example, insufficient design of a load-bearing support that replaces another load bearing component). What level of risk on your project do you want her to be insured against? Moving walls, picking the wrong paint color?

I guess I thought that Architects are supposed to have some sort of insurance that insures their design in case it's bad. I'm reading that about 70% of sole proprietor architects are not carrying their own "errors and omissions" insurance because it's too costly.
Found a good architect but she just doesn't have the errors and omission insurance. She only has liability insurance on her LLC.

Architects are required to carry Professional Liability Insurance in New York City. Good luck! Richard Garey, Manhatta Architecture, P.C. www.manhatta.net

@SEasy56479 - tread very carefully. I recently had a bad experience with an architect who lacked the relevant qualifications to complete the job, thereby wasting considerable time and money.

She also happened to be a one woman show, I'd be fascinated to hear if it's the same individual. Perhaps we could compare notes? kovanroad@gmail.com

Thank you for the heads up and info everyone. From what I understand, it's common, even in big firms for maybe 1-2 of the principals to be "licensed" (meaning they can stamp the designs). As with sole proprietors, they often partner up with licensed architects who review their work and stamp it. That is the case here. I'm going that route as this solo architect came recommended and I've also had them include their stamping partner in the contract stating they are liable for the design. It's so interesting to learn these things during the process of renovation

I'd really suggest you think again about this.

http://www.aialongisland.com/what_s_legal_whats_not.pdf
http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/arch/archbroch.htm

Your "solo architect" is, in fact, not an architect, and can't do anything useful for you when it comes to dealing with the building's architect, or the NYC Department of Buildings. Also, if they mess up, you're not in a position to complain to any professional standards body (i.e., NYS Office of the Professions) about it.

Maybe everything seems great now, early in the project, nice and simple, the "solo architect" has lovely ideas. The problem is, in a month or two, when the building architect wants permits you didn't expect to need, or the actual "stamping partner" finds problems late in the game because they weren't in the loop, or you hit some pipes you weren't expecting in the wall, and now the whole project really does need someone who know's what they're doing to sort out the mess.

Unless this is some massive project, do you really want to be dealing with one "solo architect", and one "licensed architect"? Wouldn't it be easier to deal with exactly one person who can handle the whole thing, start to finish?

Keep in mind that over the course of the project, you'll need to deal with the building management company, the board, the DOB, the general contractor, and suppliers. There are already enough different parties that you can't avoid coordinating with, do you really want to be coordinating with the "solo architect" and a "licensed architect" on top of all that, when they could be one and the same?