ᐅ Approximate Costs for Building Design by an Architect

Hello dear forum members, a retired architect has designed a renovation and extension of an existing bungalow for me. I would like to compensate him for his work. Could you tell me what I would typically pay an architect for such plans? Attached are the plans. Or alternatively, what amount of time one might expect to spend on creating these plans. The architect mentioned he spent over 300 hours on them.

funsurfer78 schrieb:

Hello dear forum, a retired architect has planned a renovation and extension of an existing bungalow for me. I would like to compensate him for his services. Can you tell me what I would have paid an architect for these plans?

You can use an online HOAI (official fee schedule for architects and engineers) calculator. It depends on the cost estimate and how detailed the plans are. Are these final plans for the building permit / planning permission?
Alternatively, you could also agree on a flat fee.

Assuming the architect provides service phases 1 to 4—meaning everything up to obtaining the building permit / planning permission—and the eligible construction costs are around 1 million euros (about 1 million dollars), the fee would be roughly 46,000 euros (about 46,000 dollars). You can of course adjust the fee zone (alternative calculation for fee zone III, which is typical for standard single-family houses, with the basic fee rate = around 37,000 euros / dollars).

funsurfer78 schrieb:

Or how much time one might calculate for these plans. The architect said he spent over 300 hours on it.

The time spent is irrelevant. You pay for a completed work, a finished result. The price according to HOAI is the same whether it takes 3 hours or 750 hours to complete (unless a fixed price was agreed in advance).

What should you pay for it then?

Thank you for your response. The HOAI is no longer binding, and fees that differ from it can also be agreed upon.

That is why I asked about what price range is typically expected for such planning services. I included the plans as an attachment to show how detailed they are.

I am not required to pay anything for them, but I would still like to offer compensation for the work and would therefore like to know what the market price for such plans generally is.

funsurfer78 schrieb:

Thank you for the response. The HOAI is no longer binding, and it is possible to agree on fees that differ from it.

The HOAI is binding unless fees are freely negotiated.

funsurfer78 schrieb:

That is why I asked about the typical price for such a design.

The usual standard is HOAI. Anything else is considered "unusual."

funsurfer78 schrieb:

I am not supposed to pay anything for this, but I would still like to give the person compensation for their work and therefore want to know what the market price for such plans would be.

Market price: Considering the size of the project, I would estimate around 50,000.

You do realize that what you’re planning has a 95% chance of being undeclared work and tax evasion, right?

Hi TE – it's best to ask the architect directly, as they will know best.

Did they tell you they don't want a fee? Otherwise, you can use the HOAI as a guideline, or if they are already estimating 300 hours, that amounts to 30,000–40,000 euros without any “friendship discount.”