No, but I plan to for my remodel. I reached out to one last year before COVID hit and she was going to do a "feasibility study" for me to determine if my plans were feasible and maybe came with a drawing of the potential plans. I'm going to have to hit her back up.
Did you get an estimate for what they'd charge? Were the architects gonna hire someone they knew to carry out the plans?
Unfortunately, no. COVID hit shortly after so I never got a chance to move forward. From what I understand, the architect company can provide a construction component or you can just ask for a rendering.
... especially for more involved projects . Because if you decide to go cheap, you usually always get what you pay for 
I’m tellin y’all ... DO YOUR HOMEWORK before choosing a contractor . Vet them thoroughly . Multiple sources . Difficult to find good contractors these days and it seems to be getting worse, so you really gotta be on point on with who you hire . Make a list of specific questions too and try to do your own research about the type of project being undertaken so you can have some familiarity with the process and terminology . Also , don’t do MIA when they start work . Check in often .
and most importantly, DO NOT cut coroners on price . If you know a reputable , well vetted contractor who is more expensive , pay the money .
And often going cheap leads to a myriad of other problems that arise from shoddy workmanship and then the domino effect happens of shyt that needs to be corrected and fixed so you end up paying more money anyway .
Historically it's been cheaper to build with concrete.
Why don't more people in the US build with it?
Don't know. Personally I would use concrete or brick.
nearest cheapest gas station
