ᐅ The planner does not carry out any cost calculations according to DIN 276.
Created on: 11 Feb 2025 01:14
A
Antjeaergert
I have been reading diligently here and searching the forum – but I am simply overwhelmed.
We have the following problem. My father bought a listed (heritage-protected) house five years ago. The project was overseen by an architect.
An initial survey was conducted, and the renovation costs were estimated at around 400,000 euros.
Unfortunately, there is only one email in which the architect confirms that my father cannot spend more than 400,000 euros and that the costs would definitely stay within that range.
However, this is not the (current) main issue. The renovation, after four years spent in a holiday apartment and a planned duration of two years, has finally been completed.
The costs have, of course, gone completely out of control – my father raised this issue with the architect several times.
Towards the end of the project, he simply gave up and paid the invoices because he just wanted the house to be finished.
Now we have asked the architect to provide us with the cost estimate, calculation, and cost determination according to DIN 276, so that we can understand the costs and especially the overruns.
This request has simply been ignored – to this day, no estimate, calculation, or anything similar based on DIN 276 has been prepared. She even said she was not familiar with this standard.
She is now issuing her final invoice, claiming that she has fulfilled all her obligations.
This simply leaves me speechless. We were never informed about any warranty periods, even though defects have already appeared and we have asked about this.
Furthermore, there is still an unresolved invoice from a roofer who set up scaffolding here for weeks, which was not used. (However, I do not think this is my father’s fault.)
Do we have to pay all of this and really have no right to any calculation or clarification of the costs so that we can understand them? And does my father really have to pay the 10,000 euros for the scaffolding? The planner is actually responsible for scheduling – isn’t that why we hired her?!
I would be truly grateful for help – after all the trouble and the construction period, we are slowly at our limit – and the architect’s behavior cannot be lawful. Is she really allowed to present the final invoice without us having any claim to the services mentioned above?
This is a normal architect contract according to HOAI – she was responsible for work phases 1–9.
We have the following problem. My father bought a listed (heritage-protected) house five years ago. The project was overseen by an architect.
An initial survey was conducted, and the renovation costs were estimated at around 400,000 euros.
Unfortunately, there is only one email in which the architect confirms that my father cannot spend more than 400,000 euros and that the costs would definitely stay within that range.
However, this is not the (current) main issue. The renovation, after four years spent in a holiday apartment and a planned duration of two years, has finally been completed.
The costs have, of course, gone completely out of control – my father raised this issue with the architect several times.
Towards the end of the project, he simply gave up and paid the invoices because he just wanted the house to be finished.
Now we have asked the architect to provide us with the cost estimate, calculation, and cost determination according to DIN 276, so that we can understand the costs and especially the overruns.
This request has simply been ignored – to this day, no estimate, calculation, or anything similar based on DIN 276 has been prepared. She even said she was not familiar with this standard.
She is now issuing her final invoice, claiming that she has fulfilled all her obligations.
This simply leaves me speechless. We were never informed about any warranty periods, even though defects have already appeared and we have asked about this.
Furthermore, there is still an unresolved invoice from a roofer who set up scaffolding here for weeks, which was not used. (However, I do not think this is my father’s fault.)
Do we have to pay all of this and really have no right to any calculation or clarification of the costs so that we can understand them? And does my father really have to pay the 10,000 euros for the scaffolding? The planner is actually responsible for scheduling – isn’t that why we hired her?!
I would be truly grateful for help – after all the trouble and the construction period, we are slowly at our limit – and the architect’s behavior cannot be lawful. Is she really allowed to present the final invoice without us having any claim to the services mentioned above?
This is a normal architect contract according to HOAI – she was responsible for work phases 1–9.
A
Antjeaergert11 Feb 2025 14:48There is a cost estimate listing the possible construction costs, each given with a maximum and minimum value.
An application for heritage funding was also submitted, which must include the estimated costs.
I thought this estimate, the calculation, and the specification according to DIN 276 are basic services under the HOAI.
The masonry costs alone were exceeded by 90,000 euros, which is a significant overrun considering the targeted total costs of 400,000 euros.
The client was my father, who is widowed and wanted to fulfill a small dream. Over the course of four years, he simply gave up—covering the costs and repeatedly pointing out that the targeted construction budget no longer seemed realistic.
At some point, he just wanted to finish the project. During the construction period, he lived in a holiday apartment at the age of 72.
Now the architect wants the remaining 80,000 euros she has billed in total, and at this point, I basically got involved. I believe she should at least provide the cost verification that clearly shows the overrun.
She denies this and says she is not obliged to provide it.
An application for heritage funding was also submitted, which must include the estimated costs.
I thought this estimate, the calculation, and the specification according to DIN 276 are basic services under the HOAI.
The masonry costs alone were exceeded by 90,000 euros, which is a significant overrun considering the targeted total costs of 400,000 euros.
The client was my father, who is widowed and wanted to fulfill a small dream. Over the course of four years, he simply gave up—covering the costs and repeatedly pointing out that the targeted construction budget no longer seemed realistic.
At some point, he just wanted to finish the project. During the construction period, he lived in a holiday apartment at the age of 72.
Now the architect wants the remaining 80,000 euros she has billed in total, and at this point, I basically got involved. I believe she should at least provide the cost verification that clearly shows the overrun.
She denies this and says she is not obliged to provide it.
A
Antjeaergert11 Feb 2025 15:03Even though I wanted to leave out details – the scaffolding was erected by a roofer who only started work after more than a month.
My main concern is whether an architect can really refuse to provide all estimates, calculations, and the determination according to DIN 276 – since, in my opinion, this is considered a basic service under the HOAI, which she also invoices for.
My main concern is whether an architect can really refuse to provide all estimates, calculations, and the determination according to DIN 276 – since, in my opinion, this is considered a basic service under the HOAI, which she also invoices for.
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nordanney11 Feb 2025 15:07The initial cost estimate according to DIN 276 is a basic service in design phase 2. It is owed to you – but that doesn’t really help you anymore, as it will be falsified in the end anyway. The purpose of the cost estimate is precisely to compare the budget and costs (and, if necessary, to pull the plug).
Antjeaergert schrieb:
She has a degree from a university of applied sciences – supposedly a specialist planner?!Antjeaergert schrieb:
Now the architect wants the remainder of the total 80,000 euros she charged – and at this point I basically got involved. Because I believe she should at least provide the cost verification – where the overruns become clear.Is she an architect or not?
If she is not an architect, maybe she is not allowed or required to deliver the service.
If I understand correctly, specialist planners only handle certain parts (e.g. structural engineers).
They also invoice according to HOAI.
Is there a contract with the architect specifying which service phases are included?
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nordanney11 Feb 2025 15:14Musketier schrieb:
Is there a contract with the architect, and which service phases does it cover? Antjeaergert schrieb:
It’s a standard architect’s contract according to HOAI – she was responsible for service phases 1 through 9. Above all, she also pushed for service phase 9 to be included.
Antjeaergert schrieb:
I pointed this out to her – multiple times. She believes she doesn’t have to complete all the services, so the work phases will be billed proportionally.With a cost estimate of 80,000€ and work phases not even fully billed yet, the original budget must have been significantly exceeded, right?
The renovation costs must have easily been around 600,000 to 700,000€.
It should also be noted that such a price increase, like the one that has occurred in the construction industry over the past four years, was impossible to calculate or predict in advance. And if the masons were already 90,000€ over budget, that was probably foreseeable from early on.
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