ᐅ Timeline for Home Design Planning

Marvinius schrieb:
We had deliberately decided to create a combination of floor plans from model house catalogs. For that, you don’t need an architect.

Even if you don’t want to build a custom floor plan—whether it’s based on your own ideas or composed from existing templates—in Germany you need an architect just to submit the planning documents required for the building permit or planning permission.

The real issue seems to be that architects are often seen merely as draftspersons for floor plans. If that were the only service they provided to earn their fees, they would indeed be overrated.

But apart from the fact that fees can be negotiated freely, an architect does much more. Among other things, they save you money simply because they know the key players. Organizing tenders is not recommended for beginners. By the third house, you are familiar with the tricks, but most people only build one house. Also, coordinating all the parties involved in construction takes a lot of luck without experience.

So you do need an architect, and it’s best to hire your own. Then you are the client. No architect becomes more expensive because you pay them directly and transparently—or, conversely, cheaper just because their fee is hidden inside the house price. On the other hand, the architect provided by the house builder is not really your agent; rather, you are almost a “victim” because their client is the house builder, who has different interests than the homeowner.

@Marvinius: Who handled the service of combining your floor plan templates (ready for building permit) and submitting them, and how much did you pay for that? Also, how much did you spend on hourly fees?

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Ideally, the process goes like this: You look through catalogs, talk to different sales representatives from house builders (which can be challenging since they are selling rather than necessarily advising), and once you have your floor plan finalized, you get price quotes from three preferred builders. Ideally, before signing a contract, you also consult with a civil engineer or excavation contractor about the groundwork. After that, you take the offer you like best, add the excavation costs plus 30% of the fixed price as additional expenses. If your budget still isn’t exceeded, you can sign the contract and get started.