Hello,
When building with architects, it is often mentioned that the trades are put out to tender. However, I have frequently read that architects often work with (partner) contractors or recommend craftsmen they know personally. This certainly has the advantage for the architect (and hopefully for the client) of being better able to predict the quality of the work to be performed. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it also carries the potential downside that the architect might face a conflict of interest if the familiar contractor makes a mistake and correcting that mistake would be very costly (which could financially impact the contractor and damage the architect’s reputation).
Is this something one should be concerned about, or are these worries generally unfounded? If the concerns are justified, how can one ensure security in this regard? Should one hire a building inspector to supervise the architect who in turn supervises the contractor? That seems a bit odd...
Regards
When building with architects, it is often mentioned that the trades are put out to tender. However, I have frequently read that architects often work with (partner) contractors or recommend craftsmen they know personally. This certainly has the advantage for the architect (and hopefully for the client) of being better able to predict the quality of the work to be performed. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it also carries the potential downside that the architect might face a conflict of interest if the familiar contractor makes a mistake and correcting that mistake would be very costly (which could financially impact the contractor and damage the architect’s reputation).
Is this something one should be concerned about, or are these worries generally unfounded? If the concerns are justified, how can one ensure security in this regard? Should one hire a building inspector to supervise the architect who in turn supervises the contractor? That seems a bit odd...
Regards
We have/had the same problem. For two trades that we hired through our architect, on one hand we are not impressed (which contradicts the idea that everything runs more smoothly this way), and on the other hand, we are not sure if the architect is really as strict as he claims, because progress is not really being made. However, this is just our opinion and does not necessarily apply to other architects!
B
Bauexperte13 Feb 2013 11:34Hello,
Regardless, it is always advisable (even when subcontracting through a general contractor or construction manager) to involve an additional pair of external eyes. In your case, this keeps the architect out of potential conflicts and guarantees you receive the full scope of services for your project, since you are the client. This is not “odd” but common practice. If your architect resists this, you should consider changing them; we always welcome another pair of eyes and ears because no one can walk on water 😉
Kind regards
nablo schrieb:Architects are human too :-) Think about who you prefer to work with – most likely people whose character and working style suit you?
When building with architects, it is often said that the trades are competitively tendered. However, I have frequently read that architects often work with (partner) contractors or recommend craftsmen they know personally. This certainly offers the architect (and hopefully also the client) the advantage of being better able to anticipate the quality of the work to be performed.
nablo schrieb:No one can answer this, as we do not know your architect’s assertiveness.
Unfortunately, in my view, there is also the potential disadvantage that the architect could face a conflict of interest if the contractor friend/acquaintance makes a mistake, and correcting that mistake would be very costly (financially harming the contractor and damaging the architect’s reputation).
Should one worry about this, or are such concerns generally unfounded? If the concerns are valid, how can one ensure security in this matter? Should one hire a building inspector to supervise the architect who in turn supervises the contractor? That seems a bit odd…
Regardless, it is always advisable (even when subcontracting through a general contractor or construction manager) to involve an additional pair of external eyes. In your case, this keeps the architect out of potential conflicts and guarantees you receive the full scope of services for your project, since you are the client. This is not “odd” but common practice. If your architect resists this, you should consider changing them; we always welcome another pair of eyes and ears because no one can walk on water 😉
Kind regards
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