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Bergblume4 Aug 2024 13:49Hello,
our question is as follows:
If you hire an architect according to HOAI for service phases 1-4 and then have the house built as a turnkey project, how are the relevant construction costs determined?
Apparently, there are costs for the main building structure, which are fully included, and technical installations, which are calculated at a lower rate. We are not entirely clear on what is included in technical installations. Is it only the heating system?
What about the floor construction or the choice of turnkey finishes, for example tiles, which the architect may not be involved with anymore?
We have the impression that the architect wants to use a builder’s quote as the basis for their fee, which includes many additional items beyond what is necessary for the basic construction of the house. Is this correct?
Thank you for your help and experiences!
Kind regards
our question is as follows:
If you hire an architect according to HOAI for service phases 1-4 and then have the house built as a turnkey project, how are the relevant construction costs determined?
Apparently, there are costs for the main building structure, which are fully included, and technical installations, which are calculated at a lower rate. We are not entirely clear on what is included in technical installations. Is it only the heating system?
What about the floor construction or the choice of turnkey finishes, for example tiles, which the architect may not be involved with anymore?
We have the impression that the architect wants to use a builder’s quote as the basis for their fee, which includes many additional items beyond what is necessary for the basic construction of the house. Is this correct?
Thank you for your help and experiences!
Kind regards
Construction costs can be roughly estimated according to the DIN standard once the approximate size of the building is known. The architect’s fee is entirely sufficient for this calculation. The fee applies to cost groups 300 and 400. An offer from a construction company for what exactly? As long as there are no floor plans, it is not possible to request an offer to base the fee on. And whether you want gilded tiles really makes no difference for the planning. For Scope 1-4, only a fixed-price offer makes sense.
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Bergblume6 Aug 2024 11:25@Mucuc22
Thank you for your response.
Could you please explain further how cost groups 300 and 400 then lead to the final architect’s fee?
Unfortunately, our situation is that, due to a lack of information from the architect, we obtained a quote from a construction company for a preliminary floor plan out of interest, and this quote is now being used as the basis for the architect’s fee. The quote is for a turnkey construction, which is why we feel that the billable costs should not reflect the full construction costs.
Thank you for your response.
Could you please explain further how cost groups 300 and 400 then lead to the final architect’s fee?
Unfortunately, our situation is that, due to a lack of information from the architect, we obtained a quote from a construction company for a preliminary floor plan out of interest, and this quote is now being used as the basis for the architect’s fee. The quote is for a turnkey construction, which is why we feel that the billable costs should not reflect the full construction costs.
Ah, okay, so the architect does not want to pressure you into obtaining a quote just to estimate their fee 😉
Depending on the scope of the builder’s quote, your feeling is probably correct. It likely includes items that go beyond the core building work. Even if no additional construction-related costs are included, there is at least a risk surcharge (due to fixed-price guarantee), costs for site management, and profit margin. Possibly also costs for detailed drawings/working plans.
All these are costs that are not included in the fee calculation when working with an architect, as they are not part of cost groups 300 + 400 (and are partly the architect’s responsibility anyway).
To calculate the fee from the eligible costs, architects often use the HOAI fee structure. For a typical single-family house, fee zone III is commonly applied (e.g., the middle rate, depending on estimated complexity). There are online HOAI calculators to estimate the fee.
Depending on the scope of the builder’s quote, your feeling is probably correct. It likely includes items that go beyond the core building work. Even if no additional construction-related costs are included, there is at least a risk surcharge (due to fixed-price guarantee), costs for site management, and profit margin. Possibly also costs for detailed drawings/working plans.
All these are costs that are not included in the fee calculation when working with an architect, as they are not part of cost groups 300 + 400 (and are partly the architect’s responsibility anyway).
To calculate the fee from the eligible costs, architects often use the HOAI fee structure. For a typical single-family house, fee zone III is commonly applied (e.g., the middle rate, depending on estimated complexity). There are online HOAI calculators to estimate the fee.
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