Salary expectation for US

Hello,

I am in the process of applying and interviewing for architectural positions within the US, to apply for an H-1B visa in April.

I am hoping that someone could give me advice or suggest what salary/hourly rate I should be asking for.

I am from the UK and hold a honors BSc degree in Architectural Technology and 5 years experience working in the UK and New Zealand. My experience thus far has involved client meetings, conceptual design, planning and regulation applications, tender packages, construction detailing and drawings as well as being on site for meetings and inspections. All firms I have spoken to in the US thus far have been very interested in hiring me based on my knowledge, skills (particularly using Revit) and experience and I am expecting offers of contact and salary through in the next couple of weeks, however, I do not want to sell myself short or shoot too high and it put firms off.

The positions being being discussed are unadvertised and so have no specific title but design/production, client interaction and project management have been discussed as aspects of the roles I would fill.

From what I can understand based on the H-1B visa information and the Dept. of Labor H-1B guidelines, I am thinking to base by salary expectations at $56-60k or $27-29/hr based on my experience and degree.

Can anyone say if this is excessive, underselling or a good place to start from? Any and all advice would be welcome

N.B. benefits such as healthcare, 401k, vacation etc have been discussed with firms and I am confident about these but it is really the salary I am unsure of.

Thanks.