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...
N
nordanney12 Mar 2026 14:59Gerddieter schrieb:
My local general contractor charges 6,000 euros for the entire process from planning phase 1 to 4, and they use "real" architects, not draftsmen (I know because I submitted a completed building permit application and they credited me 6,000 euros). Haha, he probably usually charges 20,000 euros but only credits you 6,000 euros and pockets the rest. Just like he does when you give up on upgrades and get credits for that. But that’s just a (nasty) guess.
G
Gerddieter12 Mar 2026 15:07Yes, that is definitely possible – 6,000 is already very low for that. However, they were permanently employed there.
Either way, submitting 10,000 for the application is quite bold and would make me "doubt" the entire general contractor.
Either way, submitting 10,000 for the application is quite bold and would make me "doubt" the entire general contractor.
ypg schrieb:
So, I’m simply questioning your competence and kindly request the architect’s design as well as your own design and the space planning that you created and on which the architect based her plans. Gerddieter schrieb:
I wouldn’t share the design here.
1. If you don’t plan to pay for it, you don’t acquire the rights to it. I understood it as if the architect is at most a co-author here, but rather an employee contributing to the OP’s own design.
Ohropax schrieb:
The architect works alone from home. She might also be on the verge of personal insolvency. I just want to protect myself. If the project is not legally approved and enforcement measures are necessary, that would be a case for her professional liability insurance. I repeat my question: apart from this vague perception of incompetence, what are your concrete reasons to doubt the project’s approval feasibility?
If needed, you could involve the building authority with a preliminary inquiry using the currently available plans.
Ohropax schrieb:
The architect simply visualized a brick cladding. Again, she just used the tool. The general contractor now says the brick cladding costs 50-60k Euros. [...] So no, I was not advised on what is actually feasible. My hope lies with the general contractor to possibly save something. Whatever this mysterious tool is supposed to be, my crystal ball doesn’t see it—you should show it to us. The general contractor can change the wall construction (already part of the building permit plans) so that brick cladding is no longer included. And as I said: the architects’ role is not to advise clients by “omitting or adding certain details while tracing your layperson’s planning” but to develop their own design in dialogue with the client. Professionally, in my opinion, only as part of a multi-stage concept where before drafting the preliminary design one first decides what even should be translated into a set of drawings. A flying start with sketchy “Pictionary-style” doodling is, in my view, no adequate substitute for a professionally systematic design process, although case law might be more tolerant than I am as an “old hand.”
My advice is, as I said, to obtain an independent readiness-for-construction assessment of the design through a freelance building consultant (I have already given you my conditions, but my schedule requires quick contact); then submit a preliminary building permit inquiry to the authority. This readiness assessment from me would include suggestions for changes, and the subsequent assessment by the building authority would already provide a binding indication of the chances for official approval. From my side, this topic is now concluded.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
nordanney schrieb:
No. Not really on a construction site. “Just do it and we’ll see later” is a really poor request. Okay, then it was wrong to ask how tall the rooms can be at most, so I know how much leeway I have. However, I didn’t give the full context. It was also about whether around 190 sqm (2045 sq ft) should be spread over 2 or 3 full floors. The architect chose 3, which resulted in low ceiling heights.
They could have avoided the 3 floors from the start because the rooms wouldn’t be tall enough. Here I do think the architect should have said from the beginning that 3 floors were “nonsense.”
nordanney schrieb:
Doing rough calculations (e.g., 3,500 €/sqm (325 $/sq ft) living space to have enough buffer) is always possible. The architect didn’t give me any numbers, except for her own fee. The general contractor told me after every new draft roughly how much it would cost. It had to be redesigned repeatedly because the architect started out at 1.3 million euros, despite my budget being communicated as 750,000 euros.
Isn’t that a mistake on the architect’s part?
nordanney schrieb:
As I said, I don’t want to accuse or defend either you or the architect (I wasn’t present as an observer at any point). I just see a major communication problem and hardened positions. I don’t understand the reason for the hardened positions. Surely I’m allowed to ask if I can make a partial payment first and the final payment after approval? Why would someone lose it over such a question and then not want to submit the building permit / planning permission at all? Something is not right.
Gerddieter schrieb:
Now that you become "demanding," from their perspective "annoying" – they gladly stop working and generously give up 3,000 euros.... Exactly. They "voluntarily" give up 3,000 euros to avoid having to prepare and submit the building permit / planning permission application.
How much work would that be? One day? 3,000 euros for one day of work—why would anyone give that up if the design was approvable?
Does that make sense to you?
G
Gerddieter12 Mar 2026 17:47Jo – makes sense!
After the building permit / planning permission has been granted, the architect is liable for any defects in the design.
From that point on, things can get difficult for her – so she is happy to forgo the 3,000 (thousand) accordingly...
GD
After the building permit / planning permission has been granted, the architect is liable for any defects in the design.
From that point on, things can get difficult for her – so she is happy to forgo the 3,000 (thousand) accordingly...
GD
Similar topics