Lawyers, judges and others who work in the Brazos County Courthouse have been clamoring for more space for years.

Growth in the county has created cramped work space for many staffs, including those of the district attorney, county attorney and district clerk. Leaks have resulted in seepage from the fourth-floor maximum-security jail bathrooms onto the third floor.

District Judge Steve Smith called several of the building's courtrooms less than adequate.

"The design of the courtrooms has not turned out to be optimal," said Smith, whose courtroom is the smallest of the three district courts. "One of the concerns that we always hear from jurors is that there is not sufficient space in their deliberation rooms."

Smith and others may soon have some relief. County commissioners voted Tuesday to hire a Bryan architecture firm to remodel the courthouse. They warned, however, that it would be a lengthy process.

County Judge Randy Sims said he and County Commissioner Duane Peters were planning a walk-through of the courthouse with Patterson Architects to determine the needs and how they should be met.

"We have got to decide what we are going to do and then plan after that," Sims said.

He said once a walk-through has been completed, the architects will work with county officials to devise a remodeling plan. A timeline and cost estimate for the job are not yet available, Sims said. The architect's work will be paid for from the general revenue fund. A financing source for the renovations has not been determined.

Sims said that the remodeling would take longer than other county construction projects because it must take place one floor at a time while the rest of the building remains in operation.

The courthouse houses the offices of the county attorney, district attorney, three district courts, two county courts, the district clerk and the county clerk.

The county judge, four commissioners, the auditor, the treasurer, the purchasing agent, the risk-management office, human resources and two justices of the peace moved during the summer from the courthouse to a 60,000-square-foot administration building a few blocks away.

Since then, most of those courthouse offices have remained empty. The sheriff's office was also in the courthouse, but it moved into a 28,000-square-foot facility on Texas 21 in 2007.

The courthouse was built in the 1950s, and its last major renovation came in the 1980s.

"I believe what the judges and attorneys would like to see are courtrooms that are functional with respect to technology, with respect to comfort and with respect to making the experience as a litigant or a juror one that is as pleasant as possible considering the circumstances," Smith said.

Smith presided over the high-profile trial of P. David Romei last month that many in the courtroom said highlighted the county's space issues. Lawyers had to step around a TV camera throughout the trial, proceedings were interrupted several times by the sound of maintenance workers hammering on the floor above and jurors spent 30 hours deliberating in a room about half the size of a school bus.