Hello everyone,
We plan to build a single-family house with an architect and are currently in the process of finding/selecting one. Next week we have initial meetings with several architects. We have reviewed all reference projects on their websites and have made a preliminary selection based on that. All the architects have their offices in our region. What questions would you ask during the meeting, and which criteria would you use to choose an architect?
Initial meeting: So far, I have compiled the following list of questions. What else should we add here?
Office
General approach
Architect fees
Availability
Selection criteria: We would probably base our choice of architect on the following criteria (in descending order of priority). Would you consider anything else?
We might also try to contact residents of some reference projects.
We plan to build a single-family house with an architect and are currently in the process of finding/selecting one. Next week we have initial meetings with several architects. We have reviewed all reference projects on their websites and have made a preliminary selection based on that. All the architects have their offices in our region. What questions would you ask during the meeting, and which criteria would you use to choose an architect?
Initial meeting: So far, I have compiled the following list of questions. What else should we add here?
Office
- How many projects do you handle per year? How many of those are single-family houses?
- How many employees do you have?
- References?
General approach
- Which project phases do you typically cover?
- How do you work during the preliminary design? How many different drafts/iterations are included?
Architect fees
- Do you charge according to HOAI or a flat fee?
- If HOAI: Which fee zones/rates do you typically apply?
Availability
- What is your availability like?
Selection criteria: We would probably base our choice of architect on the following criteria (in descending order of priority). Would you consider anything else?
- How well does the personal fit match?
- What is the cost of the architect’s services?
- Does the architect’s approach match our expectations (e.g., project phases 1–4 then handover to general contractor vs. phases 1–9 vs. architect as general contractor)?
- Does the timing/availability fit our schedule?
We might also try to contact residents of some reference projects.
stfn_86 schrieb:
At the same time, we contacted by mail about 20 homeowners who had built with the architects we had shortlisted and asked for a phone conversation. 15 of them responded and shared their experiences with us.I really can’t decide what impresses me more: the approach itself or the remarkable response rate.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Schimi179112 May 2021 12:2611ant schrieb:
I really can’t make up my mind,
...11ant schrieb:
...
not to include this trade at all in the contract.
...Is this use of "not at all" intentional, considering the otherwise quite eloquent style? 🙂
H
hanghaus200012 May 2021 12:50Schimi1791 schrieb:
Is the phrase "gar nicht" actually intentional in the otherwise quite eloquent style? 🙂Too bad there’s no ROFL option here.H
hanghaus200012 May 2021 13:06Schimi1791 schrieb:
Careful! 😉
I’m taking it easy. I have dyslexia.
11ant schrieb:
I can’t decide what impresses me more: the approach or the remarkable response rate.Yes, I also didn’t expect such feedback, but everyone feels flattered when you tell them what a beautiful house they have and that you would like to talk with them about their experiences. Here is an impression from our postcard campaign. This is my handwriting on the card – my wife even manages to write the card so neatly that it can actually be sent as a postcard. The response rate with her handwriting is noticeably higher than with mine 😎.
Schimi1791 schrieb:
Is this "gar nicht" actually intentional in the otherwise quite eloquent wording?"Gar nicht" is simply an intensifier or an emphasis, or in some cases a stronger affirmation of the plain "nicht" (not), which to me seems too weak as an absolute—though philosophers might argue that "nicht" is already absolute, and therefore not only does it not need emphasis but also is not (or as I would say: gar nicht) capable of intensification. I see it differently, and the reason I don’t use the variant "niemals nie nicht" is simply because I’m a Prussian at heart. Or are you a German teacher who objects because I belong to the writing-together camp when it comes to "gar nicht"?
hanghaus2000 schrieb:
I have dyslexia.Dyslexia is dyscalculia with letters—and from my merchant's perspective, the better variant. The main thing is that the numbers in the invoice—or the "rächnung," if you prefer—are correct :-)stfn_86 schrieb:
Here is an impression of our postcard campaign.Very nice! Using that to find architects is basically a sibling of one of my Barthel tips ;-)https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/