ᐅ Architectural Design Phases 1-4 – Which Documents Are Required?
Created on: 20 May 2022 22:06
P
prisma17
Hello,
we have signed an architect agreement with a planner for service phases 1-4. Now, due to various developments, we have decided not to proceed with the construction and want to cancel the planning contract. The planner has sent us an invoice, or rather just stated the amount he wants to charge for phases 1-4. The sum is around 12,000 + VAT.
We are now wondering which documents he should have at least produced – apart from a finalized dimensioned floor plan, a site layout on the plot, and the elevations of the house, we don’t have any other documents. We don’t know if he has already prepared others – we don’t want to rule it out – but he should be able to provide those to us. He verbally told us the construction costs would be around 300,000. We definitely went through several iterations of the floor plan and even changed the type of house. Still, in our view, not much has happened so far that would allow us to submit a building permit / planning permission application. Since the plot is still being developed, there are no surveys or similar reports yet.
What documents should he at least provide to us?
I want to clarify that we were aware from the beginning that planning involves significant costs, and we want to pay him fairly for the services provided—there is no question about that. However, during discussions, he hinted that he is now making us “pay dearly” because we are not going ahead with the build. He originally quoted us a significantly lower price for the four phases at the start. For now, we have decided to review his invoice carefully. At the moment, it is just the bare amount without any explanation or breakdown. If he can clearly justify this to us, we will consider it a learning experience.
Thanks in advance for your assessment!
we have signed an architect agreement with a planner for service phases 1-4. Now, due to various developments, we have decided not to proceed with the construction and want to cancel the planning contract. The planner has sent us an invoice, or rather just stated the amount he wants to charge for phases 1-4. The sum is around 12,000 + VAT.
We are now wondering which documents he should have at least produced – apart from a finalized dimensioned floor plan, a site layout on the plot, and the elevations of the house, we don’t have any other documents. We don’t know if he has already prepared others – we don’t want to rule it out – but he should be able to provide those to us. He verbally told us the construction costs would be around 300,000. We definitely went through several iterations of the floor plan and even changed the type of house. Still, in our view, not much has happened so far that would allow us to submit a building permit / planning permission application. Since the plot is still being developed, there are no surveys or similar reports yet.
What documents should he at least provide to us?
I want to clarify that we were aware from the beginning that planning involves significant costs, and we want to pay him fairly for the services provided—there is no question about that. However, during discussions, he hinted that he is now making us “pay dearly” because we are not going ahead with the build. He originally quoted us a significantly lower price for the four phases at the start. For now, we have decided to review his invoice carefully. At the moment, it is just the bare amount without any explanation or breakdown. If he can clearly justify this to us, we will consider it a learning experience.
Thanks in advance for your assessment!
S
SandraAnne15 Jan 2023 14:09i_b_n_a_n schrieb:
Two years ago, we managed to secure a fixed price for this (design phases 1-4 + "part of phase 5" + energy consulting as a package) separate from the HOAI fee structure. Maybe the conditions are better now to achieve something like this again? How did you manage that? Did you consult local architects?
Approximately how did the fixed price compare to the HOAI fees?
S
SandraAnne15 Jan 2023 14:1111ant schrieb:
From my point of view, this is only a minor reason for the popularity of the scope “Phases 1 to 4.” Many clients simply want a stamp from a professional not tied to a construction company (because on one hand, the authorities say you can’t submit the application yourself, and on the other hand, the future homeowners don’t understand the importance of detailed plans). They see the “house from Nikolaus” style drawings in the application documents as the “official building plans.”We definitely need Phase 5 as well. Just having the stamp is not enough for us. But Phases 1 to 4 still have to be completed first. So it’s not wrong to also find out the price for Phases 1 to 5.
We had to hire an energy consultant anyway due to the KfW40+ / Passive House standards. Since there are many interfaces between the architect and the energy consultant, we thought it would be a good idea to hire someone who covers both roles. This worked out very well. The construction project, a semi-detached house with a total of 4 residential units, cost around 700,000 (excluding land and exterior work).
We paid 31,000 (together) and each of us was reimbursed 4,000 (including our share of the energy consultant costs). This leaves about 11,500 per person for one half of the semi-detached house. We never calculated what it would have cost according to the HOAI fee structure, also because, due to the special manufacturing method, part of service phase 5 was covered by the shell builder.
We paid 31,000 (together) and each of us was reimbursed 4,000 (including our share of the energy consultant costs). This leaves about 11,500 per person for one half of the semi-detached house. We never calculated what it would have cost according to the HOAI fee structure, also because, due to the special manufacturing method, part of service phase 5 was covered by the shell builder.
11ant schrieb:
In my opinion, the additional cost and hesitation show the architect’s intention to only carry out the less labor-intensive phases, so it should be seen as a defensive offer. I probably wouldn’t have hired him.
No, he is really nice. He reduced the offer because he was worried about scaring us off with the price. He couldn’t have known that we are somewhat familiar with the process. 😉
So far, we are very satisfied.
S
SandraAnne15 Jan 2023 16:46K a t j a schrieb:
No, he’s very nice. He reduced the offer because he was afraid of scaring us with the price. He didn’t know that we have some knowledge ourselves. 😉
So far, we are very satisfied.How did you find out about the architect?
Is he local to your area?
SandraAnne schrieb:
How did you find the architect?
Is he local to your area? He is "just" a civil engineer. We needed someone local for our vacation property on Usedom. So, I simply searched online. This project only involves an extension and conversion. Also, by now we already have some experience ourselves. Therefore, it’s not comparable to building a new home as a first-time builder or similar.
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