ᐅ Looking for Architects in Munich and Surrounding Areas (Recommendations?)
Created on: 8 Nov 2020 17:22
T
Tom_muc
Good evening forum community,
we hope you can help us with your experience regarding our search for an architect.
As described in other posts, we are currently planning the construction of a single-family house with the following main details:
In recent months, we have already used various programs to “design” our house with the desired room layout, etc., and discussed these plans (including 3D views) with the responsible building authorities. After lengthy back and forth, we have also reached an informal agreement regarding exemption requests.
Now we need an experienced architect to put the final touches on the plans, provide good detailed suggestions, and submit the building permit application with us (design phases 1 to 4) (optionally including construction supervision up to phase 8).
We have contacted several architects and had some meetings, but we were quite shocked by the fees, as so far each wants to charge according to HOAI and bill us approximately 25,000–38,000 euros net for phases 1–4. The full scope up to phase 8 would cost about 100,000 euros net...
We are genuinely surprised how some users here in the forum manage to get a building permit for about 10,000 euros and almost none charge according to HOAI. Is this perhaps a “Munich surcharge” in our case?
We might understand that pricing if we were starting completely from scratch and planning multiple house variants first. However, we already have a house plan that has been discussed with the building authorities, so many steps should be omitted or completed much faster.
We really hope you can help us and ideally even recommend an architect with “normal” pricing.
We look forward to your comments.
Best regards,
Sandra & Thomas
we hope you can help us with your experience regarding our search for an architect.
As described in other posts, we are currently planning the construction of a single-family house with the following main details:
- Location: northern suburbs of Munich
- Single-family house, 1.5 storeys (no attic conversion)
- Size: 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft) plus basement
- Building style/finish: modern with large glass surfaces
- Estimated house price: approximately 550,000–600,000 euros
In recent months, we have already used various programs to “design” our house with the desired room layout, etc., and discussed these plans (including 3D views) with the responsible building authorities. After lengthy back and forth, we have also reached an informal agreement regarding exemption requests.
Now we need an experienced architect to put the final touches on the plans, provide good detailed suggestions, and submit the building permit application with us (design phases 1 to 4) (optionally including construction supervision up to phase 8).
We have contacted several architects and had some meetings, but we were quite shocked by the fees, as so far each wants to charge according to HOAI and bill us approximately 25,000–38,000 euros net for phases 1–4. The full scope up to phase 8 would cost about 100,000 euros net...
We are genuinely surprised how some users here in the forum manage to get a building permit for about 10,000 euros and almost none charge according to HOAI. Is this perhaps a “Munich surcharge” in our case?
We might understand that pricing if we were starting completely from scratch and planning multiple house variants first. However, we already have a house plan that has been discussed with the building authorities, so many steps should be omitted or completed much faster.
We really hope you can help us and ideally even recommend an architect with “normal” pricing.
We look forward to your comments.
Best regards,
Sandra & Thomas
Addition: A gross amount of 98k would correspond to 600k deductible costs in fee zone 3, which should generally be appropriate as the fee zone for a single-family house. At least, that’s what an architect in my extended family told me. For our project, we are also within that range. However, it’s not Munich but the Hannover region.
@JuliaMünchen Some time has passed now—are you still satisfied with BradlBau as well as the ongoing planning and execution of your construction project? We would appreciate hearing about your experiences, as BradlBau is currently one of our contenders...
Thank you!
We are also always grateful for further recommendations regarding architects or general contractors in and around Munich.
Thank you!
We are also always grateful for further recommendations regarding architects or general contractors in and around Munich.
JuliaMünchen schrieb:
To those who asked: We compared many construction companies and ultimately chose BradlBau (turnkey, based in the Augsburg area). Like with any builder, there are drawbacks, but so far we are overall very satisfied (although we haven’t started building yet, so that has to be mentioned 🙂). Our architect comes from the Thomas Wegmann architectural firm. He has also supported clients of BradlBau from the initial stages and helped develop houses with them. With him, we would certainly have built a house that we like just as much but without very expensive features. Recommendations are always difficult because everyone’s personal fit matters, but Mr. Simon is perfect for us: He lets me be headstrong on the details that matter to me, offers very good advice, presents different options, independently points out weaknesses in the previous planning, and is a genuinely nice person with a fine sense of humor.
We definitely would not have trusted ourselves with individual contracting of trades because, first, anything that has to be ordered outside the main sequence (fireplace, kitchen, landscaping, etc.) always comes with a hefty Munich surcharge, and it feels like no one really has time to stick to a reasonably sensible schedule—how to manage that timing in Munich is a real mystery to me. If you really want to do it that way, I would strongly recommend making sure your architect is not too old (our first architect wouldn’t have taken on site management due to his age anyway) and is well familiar with current prices in Munich and the surrounding area. Fortunately, the estimates from our first architect were debunked as unrealistic by our general contractor before the contract was signed, allowing us to prepare a realistic budget.