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:
Good gracious, this thread is exhausting. Honestly, understanding your sentences is exhausting too, but maybe that’s just me.
11ant schrieb:
So the architect made a contract with you that doesn’t reference the HOAI regulations (but also doesn’t exclude them, meaning they still apply and determine her fee claim), and then used an HOAI calculator, arriving at a flat fee proposal of 30k in Zone IV. Exactly!
11ant schrieb:
Was your top priority to add a rooftop terrace extending up to the permitted height limit, using the room layout merely as a means to that end, no matter how much extra stair climbing it would cause for daily living? That’s right too. I wanted to know what view I would have from the rooftop terrace to decide whether I wanted it or not. It could have been that there was a fir tree with a pigeon’s nest right in front of it. In that case, I probably would have given up on the terrace. That’s exactly why I have an architect: to find out in advance how the house could look with different designs.
11ant schrieb:
and with the rooftop terrace, even a surface-mounted electrical installation would definitely place the house in Zone IV How do you come to that assumption? What does the architect have to do with a surface-mounted installation? She created a 2D floor plan with rooms, stairs, windows, and doors.
11ant schrieb:
Does your Villa Fischer actually also have an Ilsebill? I don’t understand that.
11ant schrieb:
By the way, ignoring Yvonne’s questionnaire consistently makes discussions much more difficult in every thread! Excuse me?
11ant schrieb:
Now you’re exaggerating. I see 237 pages here, or is this the wrong thread?
Ohropax schrieb:
I see 237 pages here, or is this the wrong thread?
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundrissplanung-kurz-vor-bauantragstellung.d6l2y8/page-1/ Ah yes, that's his main thread. However, this is the one I linked to you: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundrissentwurf-fuer-220m-einfamilienhaus.i4z8w8/
Ohropax schrieb:
Excuse me? Yvonne’s questionnaire https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundriss-planung-unbedingt-vor-beitrag-erstellung-lesen.f5w5f3/ is pinned at the top of the floor plan section and is just as helpful as it is often overlooked. If it is not filled out, its absence is noticeable in every discussion from all sides.
Ohropax schrieb:
How do you come to that assumption? What does the architect have to do with surface-mounted installation? She created a 2D floor plan with rooms, stairs, windows, and doors. You had doubts or at least some surprise about classifying the project in fee zone IV. But it belongs there thanks to the roof terrace, even if otherwise it would be considered "simple" due to basic fittings or similar.
Ohropax schrieb:
I don’t understand that. The gaps in education keep getting bigger: “Vom Fischer und syner Fru” (Low German, German “The Fisherman and His Wife”) is a Low German fairy tale (ATU 555: The Fisherman and His Wife) by Philipp Otto Runge. The fisherman appears modest compared to the flounder, wishing only that his hut would be a little less poor.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Hmmm…
My question:
…was ignored and left unanswered.
My follow-up
leads to this reply.
However, this does not answer my question at all.
If you communicate like this and look for all the faults in someone’s way of talking when dealing with specialists, then I don’t know.
At least here, you are the one who supposedly knows the answer. But the question isn’t answered.
From the fisherman and his wife!
ypg schrieb:
Just for the sake of communication:
My question:
ypg schrieb:
Tell me, did the general contractor provide you with the architect?
…was ignored and left unanswered.
My follow-up
ypg schrieb:
I’m asking again here.
leads to this reply.
Ohropax schrieb:
The general contractor is not eager to submit the building permit / planning permission. He knows the design but isn’t keen on it and advises to make peace with the architect again.
However, this does not answer my question at all.
If you communicate like this and look for all the faults in someone’s way of talking when dealing with specialists, then I don’t know.
At least here, you are the one who supposedly knows the answer. But the question isn’t answered.
Ohropax schrieb:
I don’t understand that.
From the fisherman and his wife!
M
MachsSelbst13 Mar 2026 22:25I think I know why the architect no longer wants to continue working with you or only wants to proceed for a pain fee...
If you have everything needed for the building permit / planning permission, then what is the problem? Stubbornness? Ego? Boredom?
If you have everything needed for the building permit / planning permission, then what is the problem? Stubbornness? Ego? Boredom?
ypg schrieb:
…was ignored and not answered. I did not understand your question. I thought that the general contractor (GC) does not provide an architect but has their own.
No, I found the architect myself and signed the contract with her.
MachsSelbst schrieb:
If you have everything needed for the building permit / planning permission, then what is the problem? Being stubborn? Ego? Boredom? I wanted to know if anyone had a similar issue and how they resolved it.
I have everything required for the building permit / planning permission, but no architect willing to submit it. I also don’t want to pay twice, so I’m gathering information.
Why are you being rude? I am someone seeking help and obviously cannot express myself as a professional would, since I am not an expert.
That doesn’t mean you have to be insulting. Please stop.
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