ᐅ When should we receive the cost ceiling from the architect?

In December, we found a plot of land where we want to build. We found a house design, created a floor plan, sent it to construction companies, and now offers are coming in. We also had an architect visit the site at that time. He wanted to work with us on the build. We gave him our plans, and he sketched the floor plan by hand, which we did not like. We explained to him what we wanted and why, and he redrew it on the computer. Then he asked us to visit him. However, he still did not give us a price. I repeatedly pressed his assistant beforehand to find out the cost.

Two weeks ago, he called me and said he wanted to start the tender process, which would take 1-2 months. That seemed too long to me! I told him that this would mean costs for him, but I first wanted to know the scope of the build (costs). He said he had to figure that out first. I then told him that if I couldn’t afford it, I couldn’t commit to building with him. He replied, “Well, I expect to be building with you!” I denied that and said I needed the cost framework in which this would take place. He then said that if it was too expensive, things would just have to be cut... I thought, great...

Now, as mentioned above, I already have several – in my opinion, good – offers from construction companies. If I now reject the architect or stop pursuing it with him, could we be charged any fees? We have not signed anything or discussed money… what should we do?

Hello,
you don’t have to pay anything if you have not confirmed the contract in writing. Only sign a construction contract with a fixed price. Then everything is watertight.
A completion guarantee is always important.
I hope this has been helpful to you.

He is not a construction company, but an independent architect.

He apparently assumes that we have firmly committed to building with him, which we never agreed to.

What we wanted, if anything, was a cost estimate for how much the house would cost with him / through him. But it seems to be too expensive, so we are done with it.

Let’s see how he reacts tomorrow when I tell him that his price is too high.

Hello,

making a cost estimate (DIN 276) for an architect, even based on design drawings, should not be rocket science.

They usually do this without a contract, since it serves as a basis for deciding whether the budget is sufficient. Oral agreements with architects are also legally valid, although the burden of proof lies with the architect.

If possible, I would omit the basement, as it is quite expensive.

Option: ask for a quote for your house both with and without a basement!
I have read the soil report; all the recommended measures for the basement are quite costly, at least according to the expert’s advice!
If you can relocate the utility rooms from the basement to the ground floor or upper floor, it would be better to do so.

Best regards

Had a good conversation with him yesterday... he let us know that it was purely a cost estimate on his part... gave us all the documents he had and wished us good luck. Of course, we can hire him anytime for the building permit / planning permission application, tendering, etc... so we are off the hook for now :-)

Now let’s see what else comes up and how we want to proceed...

Give up the basement?

Well... since it’s a sloped site, we need quite a bit of underpinning... if we build without a basement... adding more sheds or extending the roof, which we initially planned, is not possible anymore because the neighbor only allows up to 9 m (29.5 ft) of boundary development... the 6.5 m (21 ft) carport already counts towards that, leaving just 2.5 m (8 ft) remaining.

Sure, right now we don’t need that much space for two people... but children are planned... where would I extend then?!

So I’d rather have the basement built as a shell only and finish it myself later...

Finish the ground floor, live in it... and then use the rest as a hobby space

I recently spoke with him, and he saw it as a free cost estimate... great, that puts my mind at ease for now....

For everyone who was interested :-)