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bobbelche26 Feb 2019 12:37Hello everyone,
We have a plot of land and are currently looking for an architect. I was thinking about hiring one (or maybe two?) architects initially only for design phases 1 and 2 to see if it’s a good fit before commissioning the remaining phases.
I have a few questions about the design phases:
Since the architect’s fee is based on the total construction cost, wouldn’t it be in the architect’s interest to design a more expensive house – or to include a larger contingency – while I want to keep costs as low as possible? Or is it the case that the architect cannot bill beyond our budget limit because that would violate our contract?
Is it also likely that architects might reject our project if it’s not profitable enough? I’m especially thinking that there might be established architecture firms with a certain reputation that only want to design single-family houses above a certain budget, versus more typical architects here in our city who are happy to work on projects at any standard. Is that true?
Strictly speaking – assuming they take the job and the construction budget stays the same – would both charge the same amount (according to HOAI)?
And finally: Under HOAI, the architect receives a virtually fixed price for their services. But when do I decide that the service is complete? I could send the architect back to the drawing board ten times because I’m not yet happy with the design. With very intensive collaborative planning, their hourly rate would end up being quite low…
Thanks in advance! Looking forward to an exciting house-building phase with you here in the forum!
Best regards,
Bob
We have a plot of land and are currently looking for an architect. I was thinking about hiring one (or maybe two?) architects initially only for design phases 1 and 2 to see if it’s a good fit before commissioning the remaining phases.
I have a few questions about the design phases:
Since the architect’s fee is based on the total construction cost, wouldn’t it be in the architect’s interest to design a more expensive house – or to include a larger contingency – while I want to keep costs as low as possible? Or is it the case that the architect cannot bill beyond our budget limit because that would violate our contract?
Is it also likely that architects might reject our project if it’s not profitable enough? I’m especially thinking that there might be established architecture firms with a certain reputation that only want to design single-family houses above a certain budget, versus more typical architects here in our city who are happy to work on projects at any standard. Is that true?
Strictly speaking – assuming they take the job and the construction budget stays the same – would both charge the same amount (according to HOAI)?
And finally: Under HOAI, the architect receives a virtually fixed price for their services. But when do I decide that the service is complete? I could send the architect back to the drawing board ten times because I’m not yet happy with the design. With very intensive collaborative planning, their hourly rate would end up being quite low…
Thanks in advance! Looking forward to an exciting house-building phase with you here in the forum!
Best regards,
Bob
You’re asking questions! Of course architects have a certain profile, and GMP, the firm that built the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, won’t want to design your Ytong cabin. Expect some refusals.
If you annoy the architect with 3000 drafts and requests like “please move the toilet 14cm (5.5 inches) further to the right,” he’ll say that’s it, you’re not a good fit. If you’re worried it will be too expensive with an architect, then build without one and use a general contractor. K
If you annoy the architect with 3000 drafts and requests like “please move the toilet 14cm (5.5 inches) further to the right,” he’ll say that’s it, you’re not a good fit. If you’re worried it will be too expensive with an architect, then build without one and use a general contractor. K
Yes, that's correct.
Regarding your conclusion: what is included in design phases 1 and 2 can be looked up online. In phase 1, you clarify things like "yes, 5 rooms, a large living room, large windows facing south, a flat roof would be nice, I like brick cladding and the Hamburg style... etc."
The architect then summarizes this for you, and you pay them.
After that, they create a sketch based on those points.
If you don't like small details, the architect will make adjustments there. If you don't like the house as a whole, you can either negotiate or terminate the contract with the architect. And if you suddenly decide that you want 8 rooms instead, the living room with a west-facing view, and prefer a wooden facade, you will have to pay the architect again.
Regarding your conclusion: what is included in design phases 1 and 2 can be looked up online. In phase 1, you clarify things like "yes, 5 rooms, a large living room, large windows facing south, a flat roof would be nice, I like brick cladding and the Hamburg style... etc."
The architect then summarizes this for you, and you pay them.
After that, they create a sketch based on those points.
If you don't like small details, the architect will make adjustments there. If you don't like the house as a whole, you can either negotiate or terminate the contract with the architect. And if you suddenly decide that you want 8 rooms instead, the living room with a west-facing view, and prefer a wooden facade, you will have to pay the architect again.
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HilfeHilfe26 Feb 2019 14:42Mschet with GU
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hampshire26 Feb 2019 18:36Find an architect who listens to you. Explain how you want to live, preferably with illustrations. If they are genuinely interested in your project (not just the money), hire them to create a design. If they can’t listen, don’t understand you, or you don’t understand them, look for another architect. If the design is good, ask for a fixed price for the next stages of collaboration and proceed with the steps toward obtaining the building permit / planning permission.
It’s all quite simple when you combine passion, people skills, and common sense.
It’s all quite simple when you combine passion, people skills, and common sense.
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bobbelche26 Feb 2019 20:18Thank you, that all makes sense. The worst-case scenario for me is that I want to build with him, but he declines because he doesn’t find it interesting enough.
@hampshire, the design already costs a few thousand; it would be a shame if it ended up wasted. My concern was that the price would only be revealed at the end of the design phase, and then the top architect might come back with a 1 million euro project based on HOAI. But that doesn’t seem to be the case; if I give him my budget upfront, he either has to stick to it or decline from the start.
So I will first have talks with my top candidate, and if it doesn’t work out between us or he’s not interested, I’ll move on to the next person on the list.
@hampshire, the design already costs a few thousand; it would be a shame if it ended up wasted. My concern was that the price would only be revealed at the end of the design phase, and then the top architect might come back with a 1 million euro project based on HOAI. But that doesn’t seem to be the case; if I give him my budget upfront, he either has to stick to it or decline from the start.
So I will first have talks with my top candidate, and if it doesn’t work out between us or he’s not interested, I’ll move on to the next person on the list.
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