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...
Ohropax schrieb:
Is this a user here? Where can I find their posts? That was a user here, and their main thread was https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundrissentwurf-fuer-220m-einfamilienhaus.i4z8w8/ (however, I can only partially follow the example of citing them here). I have to admit that some posts have passed me by in between, and I probably need to catch up by reading several pages before I am fully up to date with my input.
MachsSelbst schrieb:
Don’t assume that the authority will believe you 100% and that the colleague will be obliged the next day to release the documents and/or submit the building permit/planning permission application. They will first be asked for their perspective, the contract will be reviewed, and so on. By the time the regional court schedules a hearing, two years’ worth of increased construction costs will have already passed. I recommend the original poster look up the term “counterclaim” if they think the case and/or their role in it is crystal clear. They might then drown in the uncertainty of the situation and find even their estimate of how long this will take overly optimistic.
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ypg schrieb:
By the way, did the general contractor provide you with the architect? I'm asking again here.
MachsSelbst schrieb:
On your current path, this is not going to work at all. The architect holds the upper hand. She has earned her money, you want something from her, not the other way around. If no money had been paid yet or only a 20% deposit, it would be different. But that’s not the case. Report 50% has been paid, and I have the final design as a .dfx file.
I can easily find someone to submit the building permit / planning permission for the remaining 15,000 euros. According to the HOAI fee structure, the part for submitting the building permit / planning permission is only a fraction of those 15,000 euros.
If it becomes more expensive, the architect is liable for damages because she owes the contractually agreed service and refuses to perform it without cause. How do you come to the conclusion that she holds the upper hand?
11ant schrieb:
That was a user here, and their main thread was https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundrissentwurf-fuer-220m-einfamilienhaus.i4z8w8/ Thank you, I’ve started reading, but there are 237 pages here in the forum.
11ant schrieb:
Then they can drown in the realization of the uncertainty The architect will be given another 14 days to complete and submit the building permit application / planning permission. If she refuses, I will terminate the contract for good cause and find someone else to handle the submission. If she wants payment, she will have to take legal action; I will do nothing and continue with construction.
ypg schrieb:
I’m asking again here. The general contractor is not keen on submitting the building permit application. He is familiar with the design but advises making peace with the architect.
Ohropax schrieb:
The architect has planned the ceiling heights too low. We have to lower the ceilings because of the central ventilation system. We want a seamless transition from the living room to the terrace. The screed needs to be poured higher. Although the development plan allowed it, the original shell construction heights were too low. The clear ceiling height would have been about 2.45m (8 feet). Maybe that is "permissible," but not for a house that costs 750,000 euros or more.
Do you see my point? The architect should have recognized this herself, said “Ok, I can raise the house by 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6 feet) and offer that option to the client with appropriate advice.” Then say, “That’s possible, but costs about XY.” Isn’t that part of design phase 2? Only after I asked did we exhaust the maximum allowed height of the house. It was corrected and, lo and behold, there was still plenty of room upwards. Isn’t that nonsense?
In summary, I had to question everything repeatedly and was right most of the time. But I don’t want to lead my architect to solutions myself; I would have liked to see options proactively so I could decide myself. Or am I expecting too much?Good gracious, what a exhausting thread.
Ohropax schrieb:
The contract does not specify phases 1 to 4. The duties are: design – building permit planning and building permit application. I assume that corresponds to phases 1 to 4. I’m not an expert, especially since the architect showed me the HOAI tool on the computer and entered phases 1 to 4 to show the total price. As an architect, you can’t just say you were commissioned for phases 3 to 4, right? You yourself write that the phases build on each other.So the architect made a contract with you that does not explicitly reference the HOAI phases (which it doesn’t exclude either, so it applies and your fee claim is based on it). Then she used a HOAI calculator, coming up with a flat fee proposal of 30,000 euros. And yes, the phases build on each other, but it is possible to write an architect contract outside the HOAI (but then it must explicitly be excluded).
Ohropax schrieb:
From the beginning, I said please design the house as tall as possible so we can see what’s feasible. Then we’ll see what’s affordable and practical. Is that something you would say?Ohropax schrieb:
Ok, then it was wrong to ask how tall the rooms can be at most so I know how much flexibility I have. I also didn’t provide the full context. It was also about whether to distribute around 190 square meters (2,000 sq ft) over 2 or 3 full floors. The architect chose 3, which led to low room heights. Those 3 floors could have been avoided from the start because the rooms wouldn’t be tall enough. Here I mean the architect should have said from the beginning that 3 floors were “nonsense.”Ohropax schrieb:
The house has a roof terrace, and I wanted to know if the height is acceptable or if I should skip it because the neighbor is too close. The question about the room heights was whether 3 floors are still feasible or whether everything should rather be spread over “only” 2 floors.I would never consider designing maximum clear ceiling height, floor height, or building height, since that approach has virtually no practical value. Was your priority to push a rooftop terrace to the limit of the allowed height and use the floor layout merely as a means to that end, regardless of how much extra climbing that might mean in everyday life? About 190 square meters (2,000 sq ft) plus roof terrace seem reasonable compared to 250 square meters (2,690 sq ft), which makes the 750,000 euro cost plausible. And with a roof terrace, a house with surface-mounted installation would certainly fall under Zone IV. And then you say half a million euros more was added just to accommodate ventilation ducts that weren’t even considered in the floor height? – I have my doubts about that.
Honestly, I’m torn about what I find most bothersome: A. the supposedly ready plans that were never submitted, B. the rough architect contract, or C. the cheat sheet you brought into your discussions with the architect. By the way, is there also an Ilsebill in your Villa Fischer?
The disregard for Yvonne’s questionnaire proves to be a major obstacle in every thread!
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Ohropax schrieb:
Thanks, I started reading, but there are 237 pages here in the forum, ouch... Now you’re exaggerating. His main linked thread has 82 pages, even though there are more from him. But overall, they are probably shorter than the main thread from the Goalkeeper. And the Robber’s House isn’t that complex either (even though the discussion about his laundry balcony door was annoyingly long — this topic later came up again with the garage back gate).
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https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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