Hello everyone,
We currently have an option on a plot of land, but we have not yet made a final decision to purchase it. This is mainly because the land is quite sloped.
Therefore, we wanted to first get advice from an architect about what would be possible and how much a rough preliminary design would cost, so that we can decide for or against the plot before the actual architectural planning begins.
Now, I heard from an acquaintance (a business owner) who, in the presence of witnesses, had a consultation with an architect and repeatedly emphasized that this should not cost anything and that it was only an initial consultation. Afterwards, the architect created a model and invoiced it without an order. The architect then won in court, and the company had to pay the invoice, as architects apparently have certain special “rights” in this regard.
In my opinion, this sounds a bit strange – but the story is true and it makes me uneasy.
So my question is: can we safely agree on a fixed price for a consultation with an architect without worrying later on that we will be charged for an expensive model?
Thank you and best regards!
We currently have an option on a plot of land, but we have not yet made a final decision to purchase it. This is mainly because the land is quite sloped.
Therefore, we wanted to first get advice from an architect about what would be possible and how much a rough preliminary design would cost, so that we can decide for or against the plot before the actual architectural planning begins.
Now, I heard from an acquaintance (a business owner) who, in the presence of witnesses, had a consultation with an architect and repeatedly emphasized that this should not cost anything and that it was only an initial consultation. Afterwards, the architect created a model and invoiced it without an order. The architect then won in court, and the company had to pay the invoice, as architects apparently have certain special “rights” in this regard.
In my opinion, this sounds a bit strange – but the story is true and it makes me uneasy.
So my question is: can we safely agree on a fixed price for a consultation with an architect without worrying later on that we will be charged for an expensive model?
Thank you and best regards!
StefanC schrieb:
So the question is: can we safely arrange a consultation with an architect at a fixed price? Yes. Make sure to secure the consultation agreement in writing.
StefanC schrieb:
Now, I heard from an acquaintance (a contractor) who, in front of witnesses, had a consultation with an architect and repeatedly stated that it should not cost anything and it was only about an initial consultation. StefanC schrieb:
Later, the architect created a model and invoiced it without an order. This is all hearsay. The facts are probably correct but most likely incomplete. People who feel wronged often only tell half the story... just to mention, an architect does not create a model without reason.
StefanC schrieb:
The architect was then awarded the case in court. What really matters: an architect does not necessarily need a written contract to provide a service.
StefanC schrieb:
We currently have an option to purchase a [U]plot of land, but we have not yet made a final decision. This is mainly because the plot is very sloped. Please take a look at the forum posts related to the search term "house construction roadmap." Building with an independently hired architect is advisable even if the plot is not sloped.
StefanC schrieb:
Therefore, my question is: can we arrange a consultation with an architect at a fixed price without worrying later about having to pay for an expensive model? A model is not typically included in the standard scope of services for a single-family home. An initial consultation should be free or affordable; around 300 euros (approximately $320) is a fair price. Meet with two architects and then commission one for design phases 1 and 2 (called "Module A" in my house construction roadmap).
For a commercial building (I assume this from "entrepreneur"), a different approach is appropriate than for a private residence.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
H
HilfeHilfe22 Jan 2024 10:19Building a model goes beyond just consulting. Otherwise, I agree with the previous speakers. Always get everything in writing, preferably by email. And no, architects want to earn money, which is perfectly fine.
At the beginning, we met with the architect twice. The initial consultation would have been free of charge, but for the second meeting, we had them prepare some drawings (house on the plot, orientation, floor plans based on the development plan) and provide a rough cost estimate (total costs broken down by cost groups) in order to get a general idea of costs, services, and processes. The price for this was about 1,250 EUR net – there’s a lot of work involved, so it’s understandably not free…
However, we eventually did not build with the architect or use individual contracting.
However, we eventually did not build with the architect or use individual contracting.
Initial meetings to get to know each other, with the potential for hiring the architect, should usually be free of charge. However, these typically do not include project-specific advice but rather general discussions. Any work that requires effort will then be charged, especially if you’re not careful (and if you’re used to “free” drafts from general contractors). A good architect should point this out as well. For an initial consultation, though, what’s wrong with asking the architect what it would cost exactly and requesting a written offer from them?
Similar topics