ᐅ Finding an Architect – But How?

Hello everyone,

I need your help again.
We are still looking for an architect, and I’m still unsure about the best way to approach this.

- Unfortunately, we have no recommendations from friends, acquaintances, or family.
- We have asked owners of houses we like that are currently being built or recently completed, but none of them worked with an architect; they handled the planning themselves.

I have now gathered some addresses, focusing on firms located near us. Their websites don’t provide much information, and none seem to specialize exclusively in single-family homes—most also offer commercial projects, and so on.

Should I simply call and arrange a non-binding consultation to find out whether they can deliver what we want and if the personal chemistry feels right? Should I contact three different ones to have a choice?
What if they design a draft that we don’t like at all?

Is it possible to agree upfront that the service will only involve planning and drawing the floor plan and nothing more? How are the costs for floor plan planning usually handled? So far, I understood that architects’ fees are calculated based on the construction budget. But how can costs be estimated if I only want the floor plan drawn? Whether I build it using more affordable or the most expensive materials doesn’t initially affect the floor plan itself.

I really have a thousand questions in my head and don’t know how to start.

I’ve already looked at hundreds of floor plans from providers offering turnkey builds online, but never found one that really fit.
We don’t want a super fancy design house with unusual architecture, but we do have a few specific requirements, which is why we’re considering working with a designer.

Does anyone have any tips for me?

The costs are determined based on the estimated construction expenses and are paid according to the contracted services (work phases). More work phases mean higher fees.

I would start by emailing about 10 architects in your area with a rough description of your project and your planned budget. Then consider yourself lucky if you get 5 confirmations for a free initial/consultation meeting. You should also mention that you are only interested in the design phase and that the rest will be carried out by a general contractor (GC) or construction manager (CM), assuming that is what you want.

Then, ask them exactly your questions: what you get for what price.

People often assume that the architect “does it all.” Of course, a good architect usually comes up with a good solution. However, what must not be forgotten are the existing zoning plans, building envelopes, and floor area ratios. These elements or requirements already define quite precisely what a house will look like. Therefore, choose an architect, but keep in mind the limitations on creativity. That’s why many people build with turnkey providers and skip hiring an architect.

Good morning,

Panama17 schrieb:

We are still looking for an architect, and I still don’t know exactly how to approach this best.

Do you want to assign the trades individually with the architect after the planning phase? Or what is the reason for wanting an architect? The requirements of the development plan aren’t really that complicated.

Panama17 schrieb:

- We have spoken to homeowners of houses we like that are currently under construction or completed, but none of them worked with an architect; they did their own planning.

If you don’t want to assign yourself through the architect, at least you have now gotten a first impression of some providers. It won’t hurt!

Panama17 schrieb:

Should I just call them now and arrange a non-binding consultation to find out if they can offer what we want and if the chemistry feels right? Should I ask three different ones right away to have a selection? What do I do if they then design a draft that we don’t like at all?

First, be clear yourself about what you want. Do you want to assign individual trades or just get the floor plan drawn by the architect and then look for providers? Keep in mind that this means you pay twice. A reputable builder often has one or more architects on staff; sometimes an experienced salesperson is enough. It’s hard to reinvent the wheel.

Then it’s best to call; I find email is rarely effective. When a “questionnaire” pops up on my Mac beforehand, I always roll my eyes because I already know most of my services will be “misused.”

Specifically ask for a free consultation in which it will be clarified whether both parties are a good fit. If it works out right away, cancel the others—no more than three in total—or you’ll get tangled up.

Panama17 schrieb:

Can we agree from the start that it’s only about planning and drawing the floor plan, and nothing more?

That belongs in the first conversation and is quite common.

Panama17 schrieb:

How does the cost work for the floor plan design? I’ve understood so far that architect fees are calculated based on the construction budget. But how can the costs be estimated if I want only the floor plan drawn? Whether I build it with rather inexpensive or the most expensive materials has nothing to do with the floor plan at first.

The fee is primarily based on the size of the building, the complexity of the architecture (fee zone), and the estimated construction cost. Whether you later use the cheapest or the most expensive materials does not matter and is not of concern to the architect.

Panama17 schrieb:

I’ve looked at hundreds of floor plans from turnkey builders online, but never found one that really fits. We don’t want a fancy design house with totally unusual architecture, but we do have some specific requirements, hence the thought to work with a planner.

There are providers who can only build their catalogue houses, but there are also providers who see their catalogues as helpful support for potential homeowners in finding a floor plan. Then an existing floor plan is either modified, the shell of one is combined with the floor plan of another, or quite simply they start with a blank sheet of paper.

It is very rare that the offerings from catalogues exactly match the individual situation or fully meet the taste of potential homeowners. This usually only happens with low-cost providers, and even then only because the price at the bottom right neglects the question of room layout and external appearance.

Best regards, Bauexperte

First, it is important to make a preliminary selection based on your own wishes as well as the architect’s references and building style. If you want to build a traditional Black Forest house, it doesn’t make sense to contact an architect with a very “modern” style.

To do this, check the database of the respective architects’ chamber, select all entries, filter out those who are too far away, and then examine the remaining architects further according to your criteria.
I don’t think more than three architects will remain after this.

Inform yourself about the service phases and HOAI as a guideline, as well as staged contracts. Always ask up to which point the initial consultation is free and from when it becomes chargeable or when a contractual relationship begins.
What you agree on contractually and how far the collaboration should go must be defined by you.

It is always better to have an open and direct conversation; long emails at the beginning are usually less effective.

Thank you for your replies!

So, why are we even considering hiring an architect... We have basically no knowledge about this, but I have been reading various books and the forum for several weeks now. From what I understand so far, turnkey construction mainly makes sense if you want the provider to handle almost everything and don’t want to exclude many trades.

In our case, my husband’s company has already had some renovations done, so he knows several construction companies and wants to work with them on our private build as well (painters, tile setters (father-in-law), roofing, electrical and plumbing, probably also shell construction, chimney builders). By the way, we want to officially contract them; these won’t be “DIY works” after hours (except for the tiling ).

I thought about only having the architect create the plans because I’ve often read that a good architect is not necessarily a good construction manager and vice versa. That’s why we were thinking of hiring an external construction manager. We definitely do not want to handle the tendering, awarding, or site supervision ourselves—that’s beyond us. We “only” have a good friend who is a civil engineer and could oversee the shell construction stage to ensure everything goes well, and for the interior finishing, my father-in-law and uncle could supervise since they are very experienced. So at least we would have a few extra eyes to monitor and check everything.

However, we are still very open. Maybe it makes more sense to have the architect manage everything (we could still specify some of the contractors, right?) and additionally hire an independent expert to check whether everything runs correctly?

Overall, the figure in the bottom right is not our main concern. We understand that what we are planning won’t be inexpensive. But we prefer good quality and are prepared to pay more for it.

What I don’t quite understand about the HOAI yet are the fee zones. How do I know what counts as low, medium, or high planning requirements?

Edit: I just went through the list on the Architects’ Chamber website again... within a 25-meter (82 feet) radius, looking for those who specialize in residential construction. The websites are all a disaster. Almost no information and hardly any photos of reference projects. So how am I supposed to find out if I like their style?! I guess I will just have to choose a name that sounds right to me :-( .