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...
11ant schrieb:
Sorry for the confusion No worries. The forum is really a bit annoying. Thanks for your comments!!
G
Gerddieter11 Mar 2026 21:10Is the design really just "okay"?
That’s a waste for $30,000!!!
Is the façade correct? Have you even thought about that?
Are the landscaping plans included in the contract—are they designed according to your wishes?
Building services planning—implemented according to your requirements?
There’s so much you probably haven’t addressed yet, and where you could reduce the fees.
But from my experience, you can only separate if you settle amicably WITHOUT a lawyer; otherwise, it costs $35,000 afterward…
What do you want to do with the architect during the rest of the construction? She won’t bring you any benefits and won’t lift a finger for you anymore.
Either you continue with the general contractor after that—they have architects who can submit the plans and then also do the working drawings. Of course, it’s not ideal because your individual design will be overridden by the general contractor’s standard approach—but if you have been heavily involved in the design anyway, you can contribute and manage that…
In my opinion, at this stage, you are already too far along for a “new” independent architect…
Gerddieter
That’s a waste for $30,000!!!
Is the façade correct? Have you even thought about that?
Are the landscaping plans included in the contract—are they designed according to your wishes?
Building services planning—implemented according to your requirements?
There’s so much you probably haven’t addressed yet, and where you could reduce the fees.
But from my experience, you can only separate if you settle amicably WITHOUT a lawyer; otherwise, it costs $35,000 afterward…
What do you want to do with the architect during the rest of the construction? She won’t bring you any benefits and won’t lift a finger for you anymore.
Either you continue with the general contractor after that—they have architects who can submit the plans and then also do the working drawings. Of course, it’s not ideal because your individual design will be overridden by the general contractor’s standard approach—but if you have been heavily involved in the design anyway, you can contribute and manage that…
In my opinion, at this stage, you are already too far along for a “new” independent architect…
Gerddieter
Gerddieter schrieb:
Do you have the landscaping included in the contract – is it planned according to your wishes? Has the building services engineering been implemented as you wanted? The contract states that I am commissioning the architect for the design and the building permit planning. It does not mention HOAI or work phases.
The contract is only one page...
The architect simply drew a floor plan and created some 3D renderings. To put it bluntly, she basically just "played around" with the software.
Gerddieter schrieb:
In my experience, you can only separate if you agree without a lawyer, otherwise it will cost you around 35,000... That’s what I want, too. But she still wants 12,000 euros even though she didn’t earn the initial 15,000 euros.
She worked a maximum of 30 hours on the whole thing, max! That’s 500 euros per hour. If it had been 27,000 euros, that would be 900 euros per hour – and all under my supervision!
11ant is right; I should have pulled the plug much earlier. But so many things are happening at once, and she always implemented what I wanted.
She barely or didn’t contribute any ideas herself, and 500–900 euros per hour just to use a visualization tool cannot be justified.
Still, I would pay the money, but only after approval. Why is she escalating things now?
I consider the design paid for, and if she wants more money, she should sue for it. Since she does not want to continue, I don’t think I need to terminate the contract; she ended it herself.
Very disappointing. Someone receives a 15,000 euro advance and refuses to accept waiting 1–3 months for the final payment. I have to assume the design is simply not suitable for approval. What else could it be?
Gerddieter schrieb:
For a "new" freelance architect, in my opinion, you are already too far along... I could ask a distant acquaintance who is an architect if he would submit the documents for a small fee, maybe in exchange for a dinner invitation. The rest should be done by the general contractor.
M
MachsSelbst11 Mar 2026 22:05You were foolish enough to pay a 15,000 advance. This is absolutely uncommon in the professional industry and is only used by careless contractors... with architects, who don’t even have to pay upfront for materials but only invest their time, this is even more absurd and clearly shows your naivety...
This 15,000 is gone; getting it back will cost significantly more nerves, time, and money than the 15,000 is ultimately worth.
Since the money is already lost, you can now safely go to another architect and have the house redesigned. If they demand the remaining 12,000 EUR, they can take it to court. They won’t get it, so they won’t do that...
This 15,000 is gone; getting it back will cost significantly more nerves, time, and money than the 15,000 is ultimately worth.
Since the money is already lost, you can now safely go to another architect and have the house redesigned. If they demand the remaining 12,000 EUR, they can take it to court. They won’t get it, so they won’t do that...
G
Gerddieter11 Mar 2026 22:43Yes, that would be a valid approach that I would also take. Let her keep the $15,000; if she wants more, she has to sue for it....
Regarding the planning again – a basic floor plan draft is not enough. Is the plot integrated sensibly into the surroundings? Has she ever visited the site? I’m asking again about the facade – it is the face of your house. Has anyone with expertise taken care of it? I mean not just how the windows should be positioned for practical reasons, but also how it looks harmoniously from the outside….
Sight lines inside….
My experience with a similar architect case was that they don’t care about that at all, especially if they can’t even get the room sizes right….
Gerddieter
Regarding the planning again – a basic floor plan draft is not enough. Is the plot integrated sensibly into the surroundings? Has she ever visited the site? I’m asking again about the facade – it is the face of your house. Has anyone with expertise taken care of it? I mean not just how the windows should be positioned for practical reasons, but also how it looks harmoniously from the outside….
Sight lines inside….
My experience with a similar architect case was that they don’t care about that at all, especially if they can’t even get the room sizes right….
Gerddieter
Ohropax schrieb:
So, what should I do now? Cancel the contract and demand a refund for poor performance? Or say that the 15,000 Euro already settles everything and the design now belongs to me? [ / ] 11ant is right, I should have pulled the plug much earlier, but so many things were happening in parallel and the architect implemented everything I wanted each time. Your complaint is probably too late now and therefore essentially time-barred. Without a complaint, there is no correction; without a deadline, no forfeiture by lapsing; so the poor performance is, in a way, remedied or considered not to have happened...
Ohropax schrieb:
The contract states that I commission the architect with the design and the building permit planning. It doesn’t mention HOAI or phases of service.
The contract consists of one page...
The architect simply drew a floor plan and created some 3D images. To put it bluntly, she basically just “played” with the software. [...]
She hardly contributed any ideas herself and charging 500–900 Euro/hour just to use a visualization tool can’t be justified. ... and without a clear definition of the architect’s duties (but didn’t you mention service phases 1 to 4 at the beginning?), there is no breach of those duties; conversely, it’s not clear what exactly your prepayment “settled.” Your lawyer will likely advise you to finally cancel or propose a settlement on your behalf—otherwise, I don’t see how you can avoid her remaining claim. Without reference to HOAI—since we don’t know the contents of your agreement—it’s hard to say whether this is essentially an architect contract, whether she owes a permit-ready design, and so on. From a common-sense fairness perspective, it may seem unbelievable, but I don’t see any obvious formal unfairness here. It is quite possible that you paid for some renderings at 30k Euro (15k of which was upfront). The contract (and her statement about the 12k) would be interesting to see—but please discuss that with your lawyer, not here.
What grounds (other than your vague feeling of incompetence) you have to fear the design might not be suitable for approval, I cannot yet understand. If you want my evaluation of the readiness for construction of the design: it would probably cost around 500 Euros excluding VAT in this case (conditions from other independent building consultants may vary).
Ohropax schrieb:
I could ask a distant architect acquaintance if he would submit the application for a small fee or invitation to dinner. The rest should be done by the general contractor. Clarify the readiness for construction of the design, then have the general contractor submit the application directly. That way, at least the building permit planning and detailed design come from the same source.
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