ᐅ Architect – Preliminary Consultation Costs

Mucuc22 schrieb:

Initial meetings for getting to know each other, with the prospect of hiring the architect, should generally be free of charge.

Architects earn their living through professional building design, not through speed dating with prospective clients. Should charity kitchens and clothing banks be responsible for architects, or how are free initial consultations supposed to work economically? There is no funding for this; clients are always private customers when dealing with architects. Or should, for example, government development banks issue consultation vouchers?
Those who want to "tinder" for Mr. Right in advance can visit the architect’s website. Offering free individual consultations simply doesn’t work. I am also happy to advise on how to choose an architect. Casting shows, where academics beg for the favor of “King Client,” belong on reality TV ;-)

Mucuc22 schrieb:

Usually, there is no specific project-related advice in such cases, but rather general small talk.

And that is exactly a waste of time that no one should impose on others (and ideally not on themselves either).

Mucuc22 schrieb:

For anything that involves work, money is charged if you’re not careful (and if you're used to "free" drafts from general contractors). A good architect should point this out as well.

The phase that requires the most work during planning also saves the most money during construction: service phase 5. The official scale of fees for architects and engineers already emphasizes the fundamental entitlement to fair payment for qualified work—regardless of whether you agree to use their fee schedules.

Mucuc22 schrieb:

Regarding a first consultation—what is wrong with simply asking an architect how much it will cost and requesting a written offer?

For that, you should simply pick up the phone. By the way, good architects rarely have time to prepare offers for just anyone. It helps to introduce yourself by saying who recommended you. This could be a client, a builder, a colleague, or even a building advisor. What’s important is that the professional recognizes you’re not just some random person wasting their time because casting shows amuse you.

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Before the initial meeting, we received a form indicating the price per hour. We signed it, acknowledging the hourly consultation cost, and during the meeting, by keeping an eye on the time, we were able to control the total cost ourselves. Easy.

11ant schrieb:

Architects earn their living through professional building design, not by speed-dating with prospective clients. Should the Salvation Army’s soup kitchen and Caritas’ clothing depot take care of architects, or how else should free initial consultations work economically? There is no funding for that; at an architect’s office, you are always a private client. Or should, for example, KfW issue consultation vouchers?
If someone wants to “swipe right” on Mr. Right in advance, they can visit his website. There is no such thing as free one-on-one sessions.

Once money is involved, appropriate prospecting is nothing unusual at all.
The demolition contractor inspects the demolition site beforehand and makes an offer—without any payment for this activity.
Management consultants often prepare extensive proposals, with several people working for weeks to win a contract. Nothing unusual so far; but the sacred architect is expected to be paid for just showing up dressed beautifully? If I offer someone fees in the six-figure range, I would expect them to invest 30 minutes in advance—just to see if we are even remotely on the same wavelength.

11ant schrieb:

I’m also happy to advise on how to select architects.

But hopefully without any initial free meet-and-greet beforehand.

11ant schrieb:

Good architects, by the way, hardly have time [...] It helps if you can introduce yourself by mentioning who recommended you.

I can fully confirm this, at least speaking for our region.

Mucuc18 schrieb:

As soon as money is involved, appropriate client acquisition is nothing unusual.

As soon as time is involved, a professional carefully selects their clients. For example, I want to earn my fee as compensation and recognition for my expertise, not as consolation for dealing with a difficult client. Other professionals I recommend know and appreciate this – accordingly, clients I suggest are welcomed far more gladly than just anyone who spams cold calls by email.

Mucuc18 schrieb:

The demolition contractor also inspects the demolition site beforehand and makes an offer – all done without payment for that task.

In construction and site preparation, demolition and civil engineering contractors often earn the most from “sad knights of exceptional appearance” who see themselves as savvy bargain hunters but remain silent about the costly lessons they learn from their crash landings. Offers whose format is decided solely by the bidder are “no win” for the clients.

Mucuc18 schrieb:

The business consultant sometimes writes extensive proposals that several people work on for weeks to win a contract. That’s nothing unusual,

I also have over thirty years of experience in traditional management consulting. I have never submitted applications to win mandates. I know many colleagues who do, and I know a third type who write expensive proposals simply so that clueless preliminary decision-makers have something to reject. These latter two types serve exactly those companies I gladly leave to their Darwinian fate: those suffering from “middle management II” syndrome.

Mucuc18 schrieb:

But the honored architect is supposed to be paid for their impressive presence alone? If I were to offer someone a six-figure fee, I would expect them to invest 30 minutes upfront – just to see if there’s even a rough alignment of goals.

An architect appointed under my terms has long before any fees rise demonstrated how well we fit together. Thirty minutes of introduction accomplishes nothing and is a waste of time for both parties. More reasonable is at least one and a half to two hours, costing around two to three hundred euros. This is often credited later against the fee for Module A (design phases 1 and 2). It serves as a retainer against time-wasters and is minimal money for the knowledge gained during that conversation.

Mucuc18 schrieb:

But hopefully without a first free introductory meeting beforehand.

For those who find 23,000 forum posts of free introduction insufficient, I offer an additional initial meeting at no charge. That adds another 30 to 45 minutes (at which point my partner regularly scolds me for not watching the clock closely enough). Most prospective builders are laypeople and cannot easily explain their project under the pressure of a ticking meter. Elevator pitches receive far too little practice in German offices and are correspondingly poorly mastered, although many interested parties are active in career networks and attend their meetings.

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