ᐅ Initial floor plan draft of the ground floor

MIA_SAN_MIA__ schrieb:
Regarding architects: I was initially in favor of hiring one... but then I saw some architect-designed houses and heard from an acquaintance that she had to pay a five-figure sum just for the plans. That made me reconsider using an architect.

You have misunderstood two things thoroughly:
First, the advice on the approach: a layperson, especially when trying to closely imitate an architect, first ends up tying their own legs in knots. Less is more.
Second, what an architect’s fee actually covers. It’s not just about drawing plans. That’s the smallest fraction of their work—even though it’s almost 100% of what a layperson thinks an architect does. By the way, architects are always paid separately—better transparently than included in the total house price.

A builder “without an architect” will build your house almost exactly as currently drawn. They will just include the minimum required number of windows in the exterior walls and give the second child a door (since no building permit would allow bricking children in; otherwise, this wouldn’t be a problem). Other than that, it’s the same with the pantry only 83 cm (33 inches) wide. Any self-drawn floor plan will be built, only permit-related obstacles will be changed. Doors that open into each other, rooms that cannot be furnished: every customer dream will be realized.

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Regarding the first point, I completely agree with you, as I have seen myself over the past few weeks.

On the second point:
I understand that having the plans drawn and submitted according to our wishes can certainly cost a few euros. The question is, how do you find a reasonable architect?
They don’t need to provide site supervision or handle tendering, etc. I have my own trades; I just need a plan that can be executed...
From my experience with others, some architects submit plans that are not suitable for obtaining building permits / planning permission...

MIA_SAN_MIA__ schrieb:
I understand that having the plans drawn up and submitted according to our wishes can certainly cost a few hundred euros.

Once again: Drawing the floor plan – even though most of the emotional focus of the homeowners lies there – is only the tip of the iceberg.

MIA_SAN_MIA__ schrieb:
The question is, how do you find a reasonable architect?

Keep your ears open, ask around for happy homeowners in your area. Walk around building sites and chat with homeowners over the garden fence. If necessary, ring the doorbell at attractive houses. Ask architects for references.

MIA_SAN_MIA__ schrieb:
He doesn’t need to oversee the construction or handle the tendering... I have my tradespeople, I just need a plan that can be implemented...

Tendering usually isn’t done because you don’t know enough tradespeople. And to all naive homeowners, I can only advise you to look up “time and material billing” (Regiestunden).

MIA_SAN_MIA__ schrieb:
With others, I’ve experienced that architects submit non-permittable plans,...

In that case, revisions have to be made until the plans are approved.

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To put it differently... I need an architect for design phases 1-5?

MIA_SAN_MIA__ schrieb:
I need an architect for phases 1-5?

In my opinion, rather for phases 4 to 8.

If you trust the local forum members to optimize your floor plan well enough, basically any draftsman can refine it into a "design." Where you really need an architect – and I strongly recommend hiring one independently (not paid by the builder) – is starting from the approval planning phase. In my view, also for the tendering and construction management: homeowners often underestimate the cunning of the parties involved, which can easily exceed the architect’s fee several times over. As I said, think about hourly charges and so on. This is overwhelming even for the most ambitious layperson. You have no idea how easily a homeowner without architectural protection can be taken advantage of during construction. Contractors can easily make up for low profits from other projects at your expense. Those who can’t assess the situation expertly usually won’t even notice this (or will just accept it as inevitable).

Without an architect as the one preparing the tender documents, awarding the contracts, and managing the build, you can quickly end up with a budget overrun of an additional ten percentage points. Even if you’re capable of doing it yourself – the house won’t be considered more valuable security for a bank because of that – I wouldn’t want to save money on this. For a single-family home, that extra cost alone is enough to buy ice cream for the kids for life, or three times over the price difference of a larger campervan or RV*.

P.S. *) For those who think this is an exaggeration, this is what the industry relies on.

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

That is a major advantage of living in a rural area. I have known my plumbing company, roofing contractor, and construction company for the structural shell for years and decades. I trust them enough that I don’t worry too much.

The only exception would be an electrician, whom I would have to find externally.

However, I can understand the reasoning when dealing with completely unknown companies.