ᐅ The architect has become emotional and does not want to continue. How should I proceed now?
Created on: 11 Mar 2026 17:41
O
Ohropax
Hello,
I hired an architect in the Stuttgart metropolitan area to design a single-family house and submit the building permit / planning permission application (service phases 1-4). The architect immediately received an advance payment of 15,000 euros without doing anything.
Service phases 1-2 were basically skipped; at least, I did not receive a project schedule, summaries, cost estimates, or a timetable. She basically spent all her time working only on the design.
The first design was unusable! Our budget is 750,000 euros, which was communicated both verbally and in writing. According to three construction companies, realizing the design would have required 1.25 million euros.
So a new design was created, but it contained so many practical mistakes (corridor too narrow, wardrobe not deep enough, kitchen wall too narrow for a sliding door, ceiling heights too low, bathrooms too small), and many more. An unbelievable number of errors, which you wouldn’t normally expect from an architect (at least I didn’t). The design is now in its 10th iteration because we repeatedly had to point out illogical corners, incorrectly placed windows, etc. Many of the changes were contributed by construction companies and included in the design because it was otherwise not suitable.
It was agreed with the architect that the remaining amount of about 15,000 euros would be paid before submitting the building permit / planning permission application. However, this is too risky for us because the architect’s work is very poor technically, and we fear the application will not be approved as is. The architect charged fee zone IV for a simple single-family house and noted this in the invoice. Is that correct?
Our proposal is to pay the 15,000 euros only after approval. The architect has now completely lost it, refuses to submit the application, and demands 12,000 euros for the design.
I actually did the design myself, and she just used the software. I was not advised. She simply implemented things without pointing out poor practicality. As a layperson, I am not familiar with this and expect advice; that is part of the architect’s job, isn’t it?
What should I do now? I am emotionally exhausted...
I hired an architect in the Stuttgart metropolitan area to design a single-family house and submit the building permit / planning permission application (service phases 1-4). The architect immediately received an advance payment of 15,000 euros without doing anything.
Service phases 1-2 were basically skipped; at least, I did not receive a project schedule, summaries, cost estimates, or a timetable. She basically spent all her time working only on the design.
The first design was unusable! Our budget is 750,000 euros, which was communicated both verbally and in writing. According to three construction companies, realizing the design would have required 1.25 million euros.
So a new design was created, but it contained so many practical mistakes (corridor too narrow, wardrobe not deep enough, kitchen wall too narrow for a sliding door, ceiling heights too low, bathrooms too small), and many more. An unbelievable number of errors, which you wouldn’t normally expect from an architect (at least I didn’t). The design is now in its 10th iteration because we repeatedly had to point out illogical corners, incorrectly placed windows, etc. Many of the changes were contributed by construction companies and included in the design because it was otherwise not suitable.
It was agreed with the architect that the remaining amount of about 15,000 euros would be paid before submitting the building permit / planning permission application. However, this is too risky for us because the architect’s work is very poor technically, and we fear the application will not be approved as is. The architect charged fee zone IV for a simple single-family house and noted this in the invoice. Is that correct?
Our proposal is to pay the 15,000 euros only after approval. The architect has now completely lost it, refuses to submit the application, and demands 12,000 euros for the design.
I actually did the design myself, and she just used the software. I was not advised. She simply implemented things without pointing out poor practicality. As a layperson, I am not familiar with this and expect advice; that is part of the architect’s job, isn’t it?
What should I do now? I am emotionally exhausted...
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
I thought she only drew what you wanted anyway. Is the design so creative that it counts as a special service? The architect implemented exactly what I said.
She created an initial design for a house costing about 1.2–1.3 million (USD or EUR), which is roughly 50% over my budget.
I printed out every design and marked corrections by hand. This wall here, that flood there, please rotate the stairs, the door swing like this...
The architect incorporated those changes and then started again from scratch.
At some point, the general contractors got involved and specified the floor structure, ceiling build-up, etc., the thickness of a wall because the sliding door didn’t fit, and so on.
Then I printed it out again and gave it back to the architect to update. Then start over again.
After the 10th iteration, it finally fits. That’s what the architect did, not much more than that! Is that what an architect is supposed to do, or did I just get a bad one?
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
Did you get my remarks about the minor changes? Yes, but I also read that the architect could enforce a construction stop if I use "her" design. I need to have that checked carefully.
Right now, I’m looking for an architect to take over from here. I’m offering 10,000 euros (gross). Do you think that’s enough, or can I get it done for less?
Ohropax schrieb:
I would like to know if anyone has had similar experiences and how they managed to get out of the contract. Can you contribute anything on this topic? Only a few people here (in the nine years I have been active here and even more before that) have handled things so – well, let’s call it "awkwardly." I believe @Gerddieter has contributed the most in your sense and has shown the desired sympathy.
Ohropax schrieb:
It was good that I signed the document, so I will probably only get out of this situation because of that. Whether exploiting the disconnect of consumer protection to be the smart and successful way to get out of a negligently entered contract is a worldview you probably share only with yourself, and not with me or others.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Ohropax schrieb:
After the 10th iteration, it finally fits. That was done by the architect, not much else! Is that what an architect is supposed to do, or did I just get a bad one? Primarily, I would say a “deserved” one. If there were ten designs from her, then yes, a bad one. If the ten iterations came about through back-and-forth incremental change requests, then not necessarily.
Ohropax schrieb:
At the moment, I’m looking for an architect to take over from here. I’m offering 10,000 euros (gross). Do you think that’s enough, or can I get it for less? You won’t get an architect to design a house of this size and standard for 10k. Considering the keyword “preceding trade,” no architect would risk taking over parts of a previous architect’s scope under their professional liability insurance. Also, you haven’t exactly presented yourself as an ideal client here. Perhaps you could end up at “A better Place,” @roteweste was quite satisfied with Mrs. Forster (if I remember correctly, within the classic discount package scope phases 1 to 3). In that case, I could imagine your general contractor being happy to add phase 4 (and not charging a defensive price for it either).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Aside from the fact that you don’t need to justify here how things went.
But here’s my comment on this:
BUT:
I have been involved with house designs for a very long time (several decades), active in forums for 15 years, and I have seen a lot of poor work as well as good work, but also such designs where a functional concept is distorted by laypeople (because they cling to something that later doesn’t matter, rather only looks interesting in Instagram photos) in a way that it no longer works functionally. Or important zones are compressed to maximize living space. Rooms like walk-in closets, pantry rooms, half-landings, shower rooms, and children’s bathrooms are squeezed into house sizes where they simply can’t fit.
Then you get comments like “You’re the building owners, you decide” or “The architect must work for you, not for themselves,” or “They just want to push their own design...,” and I usually disagree, because a professional should also provide expert input to the client and not blindly approve poor amateur ideas—which the construction manager then has to correct and clarify.
That seems to have happened here, and now you are in the situation where you used the architect as a draftsperson. That also affects the architect, if they have any self-respect. To rise above that or to persevere—attitudes often fluctuate.
Lately, I have read about these problems more frequently, as many believe they are creative simply because they use some tool.
But here’s my comment on this:
Ohropax schrieb:That obviously isn’t acceptable, or we don’t know what went wrong in the communication... it could also be that it was initially just a simple preliminary draft to outline a rough idea of how “something” might come across to you.
Which is about 50% over my budget.
BUT:
Ohropax schrieb:
I printed out every design and marked corrections by hand. This wall here, the flood there, please rotate the staircase, the door swing like this...
Ohropax schrieb:
incorporated
Ohropax schrieb:Apparently, the communication only happened via corrected printouts and the architect’s refinements. That can only produce nonsense: a layperson edits a professional draft; then the professional tries to make it feasible. After that, the client is unhappy with the details, which are repeatedly adjusted, presumably assuming everything is possible. The professional somehow tries to shape the amateurish changes into something buildable. Then the client is again dissatisfied because it’s not as desired or imagined. It may be like trying to fit something angular into a round shape, which only ever ends up oval—if you get what I mean.
and gave it to the architect for updating. Then back to the start again.
Ohropax schrieb:No, I think you insisted on forcing the angular as much as possible into the round form.
After the 10th iteration it finally fits. That’s what the architect did, not much else! Is that what an architect is supposed to do, or did I just get a bad one?
I have been involved with house designs for a very long time (several decades), active in forums for 15 years, and I have seen a lot of poor work as well as good work, but also such designs where a functional concept is distorted by laypeople (because they cling to something that later doesn’t matter, rather only looks interesting in Instagram photos) in a way that it no longer works functionally. Or important zones are compressed to maximize living space. Rooms like walk-in closets, pantry rooms, half-landings, shower rooms, and children’s bathrooms are squeezed into house sizes where they simply can’t fit.
Then you get comments like “You’re the building owners, you decide” or “The architect must work for you, not for themselves,” or “They just want to push their own design...,” and I usually disagree, because a professional should also provide expert input to the client and not blindly approve poor amateur ideas—which the construction manager then has to correct and clarify.
That seems to have happened here, and now you are in the situation where you used the architect as a draftsperson. That also affects the architect, if they have any self-respect. To rise above that or to persevere—attitudes often fluctuate.
Lately, I have read about these problems more frequently, as many believe they are creative simply because they use some tool.
G
Gerddieter16 Mar 2026 16:33Hey, something else just came to mind:
if you really want to use the design, the architect basically has you in their control.
Then you HAVE to come to an agreement – you cancel your contract and take over the usage rights – she sets the conditions = 27,000 euros. Unfortunately.
Or you demand the fulfillment of the contract (submit the building permit / planning application) – if she doesn’t do it, you can have someone else do it and deduct the costs from her fee (then the general contractor can do it for 10,000 euros because, in the end, it’s still 30,000 euros for you).
Or you part ways and agree with a reputable architect on a fixed price for conceptual design, let’s say 15,000 euros gross, and start anew (the design by the layperson, draftsperson and general contractor so far can’t be that great…) – then you end up again at 30,000 euros.
That was my approach – if I say A (“architect, your plans are rubbish”), I must consistently say B (“keep your design, I’ll find someone else”). There was no dispute over usage rights, which I didn’t want anyway.
Gerddieter
if you really want to use the design, the architect basically has you in their control.
Then you HAVE to come to an agreement – you cancel your contract and take over the usage rights – she sets the conditions = 27,000 euros. Unfortunately.
Or you demand the fulfillment of the contract (submit the building permit / planning application) – if she doesn’t do it, you can have someone else do it and deduct the costs from her fee (then the general contractor can do it for 10,000 euros because, in the end, it’s still 30,000 euros for you).
Or you part ways and agree with a reputable architect on a fixed price for conceptual design, let’s say 15,000 euros gross, and start anew (the design by the layperson, draftsperson and general contractor so far can’t be that great…) – then you end up again at 30,000 euros.
That was my approach – if I say A (“architect, your plans are rubbish”), I must consistently say B (“keep your design, I’ll find someone else”). There was no dispute over usage rights, which I didn’t want anyway.
Gerddieter
ypg schrieb:
Besides, you don’t have to justify here how things went. Thank you, that’s really kind of you. Sometimes responses get quite harsh, and then things escalate, which shouldn’t happen.
ypg schrieb:
Of course, that’s not acceptable, or we don’t know what went wrong in the communication... it could also be that it was just a simple preliminary draft to outline how "something" – meaning certain things – would come across to you. That was the moment I began to have doubts. The situation was this: my budget was 750,000–800,000 euros (gross). The architect created a design with a construction cost of 1.2–1.3 million euros and asked if she should already submit the building permit / planning permission! No joke! First draft, about six weeks after paying 15,000 euros. Then I went to the general contractor, who confirmed the 1.2–1.3 million euros. From that point on, I started doubting many things and measured everything myself.
That’s how it came about that I wanted a measurement for everything. How wide is the shower? How much space is there around the toilet? Unfortunately, most of the “corners” were simply too tight. The hallway was too narrow, the cloakroom not deep enough, etc. Maybe many things get “fixed” in the later planning phase (LP5). But for 30,000 euros I wanted a design that actually works. Of course, some things get changed later.
Is that unfair of me?
ypg schrieb:
because they hold on to something that no one notices later on, but only looks interesting in views from Instagram photos Not at all. I wanted to know: can a larger guest actually sit comfortably on the toilet? Can the furniture be carried upstairs without damaging the new walls? I was always concerned about functionality rather than “design.” For example, how do you access the utility room? Are the craftsmen lugging things through with great difficulty, or can it be designed to be service-friendly?
I quickly got the impression that the architect just produced something without checking whether it actually made sense.
ypg schrieb:
because a professional should also provide expert input to the client, not just blindly approve poor amateur ideas, which a construction manager then has to fix. That’s exactly how I see it! Unfortunately, I didn’t receive consulting but only slavishly implemented what my ruler measured. To put it bluntly.
ypg schrieb:
That also has an effect on the architect, if she has any self-respect. The architect said, we will keep changing it until you are satisfied. I felt she understood her work that way.
ypg schrieb:
Lately I read about these problems more often, since many think they are creative because they use some tool. That is a good closing remark. I could have used that tool myself with a bit of practice.
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