Customary Architect Fee?
- Thread starter suttree
- Start date
I interviewed three architects last year for a house that I hope to start building this summer. Fees were sort of all over the place, but I saw one distinction omong them. Some architects provide an array of services for their fees; others are really more just draftsmen. The full service architects visit the building site, go through several generations of design sessions and draft a series of plans, develop final builders plans, design detail work on built-ins, may help with material selection, and visit the work site during construction. Fees for the full service architects was around 10% of building costs. One architect dropped his fee to 5%, but cut out a lot of his services. Another firm just quoted around $6k-$8k, but they just cranked out a few designs based upon sketches we had and then prepared the final plans (i.e., no site visits, no detail work). They also were not as creative as the full service architects. They really did have more of a draftman mentality and were not as artsy as the other architects. Before we were finished, we hired one of the full srvice guys, later fired him, then had the job finished by the draftman guy.
BTW, the architect's fees typically don't include the cost of architectural engineering, soil engineering, lighting consultant, designer, or a whole host of other professional fees that can be necessary. Your architect can alert you to others that might be necessary.
BTW, the architect's fees typically don't include the cost of architectural engineering, soil engineering, lighting consultant, designer, or a whole host of other professional fees that can be necessary. Your architect can alert you to others that might be necessary.
BurntOrangeOrder
100+ Posts
Contact the AIA and get some standard forms and contracts. You may find them helpfull to stipulate what you and the architect expect from each other.
What do you want from your architect anyways? Do you want a set of drawings and then turn those over to the contractor or do you want them to get involved with you and your house from bidding to picking out colors? As the above poster said, I imagine the fee will reflect the amount of effort the architect will put into the job.
What do you want from your architect anyways? Do you want a set of drawings and then turn those over to the contractor or do you want them to get involved with you and your house from bidding to picking out colors? As the above poster said, I imagine the fee will reflect the amount of effort the architect will put into the job.
shrevehorn
25+ Posts
I'm tired and clicked off this thread, but came back to save some from falling for all this.
Hired an architect and was quoted an hourly rate, which he estimated to be 1 to 2% of the total cost of the house. Expected to spend $700K, thus I was thinking a cap of 14.
After spending hours completing a 30 page questionaire, we had a 3 hour initial meeting. I was excited, the guy was great. Didn't hear from him for 2 months, then we scheduled another meeting. At that meeting, he had 3 basic crude pencil drawing of footprints of a house. It was obvious it was the first time he had seen them. He couldn't remember our first meeting, and he didn't review the questionaire. We were disappointed, but again, he seems like he was interested,but totally unprepared, and we kept going.
Didn't hear from him for 6 weeks. Scheduled another meeting in 2 weeks, but I was out of town, so my wife and builder went to the meeting. He was pissed the builder was there (despite talk about the" team" and how they need to work together) and essentiallly kicked him out. He had nothing done, and after 30 minutes, my wife left. She was in the parking lot, talking with me on her cell when he came out to meet someone in the parking lot. It was someone who was tinting the windows on his Porsche.
After that, got a bill for $3,800. Paid him and fired him. Hired a draftsman, and very pleased. The house is 50% done and all is going well. Architects are WAY overrated, and some have a super big ego.
Good luck, but be careful. BTW, 5 to 15 % is HIGHWAY robbery.
Hired an architect and was quoted an hourly rate, which he estimated to be 1 to 2% of the total cost of the house. Expected to spend $700K, thus I was thinking a cap of 14.
After spending hours completing a 30 page questionaire, we had a 3 hour initial meeting. I was excited, the guy was great. Didn't hear from him for 2 months, then we scheduled another meeting. At that meeting, he had 3 basic crude pencil drawing of footprints of a house. It was obvious it was the first time he had seen them. He couldn't remember our first meeting, and he didn't review the questionaire. We were disappointed, but again, he seems like he was interested,but totally unprepared, and we kept going.
Didn't hear from him for 6 weeks. Scheduled another meeting in 2 weeks, but I was out of town, so my wife and builder went to the meeting. He was pissed the builder was there (despite talk about the" team" and how they need to work together) and essentiallly kicked him out. He had nothing done, and after 30 minutes, my wife left. She was in the parking lot, talking with me on her cell when he came out to meet someone in the parking lot. It was someone who was tinting the windows on his Porsche.
After that, got a bill for $3,800. Paid him and fired him. Hired a draftsman, and very pleased. The house is 50% done and all is going well. Architects are WAY overrated, and some have a super big ego.
Good luck, but be careful. BTW, 5 to 15 % is HIGHWAY robbery.
shrevehorn
25+ Posts
Txhookem....... I expected a quick response from architects. Bottom line and I know this, it is personal service and if you get the right person who spends the time and delivers a superior and unique product, I''m sure the fee is well worth it. That didn't happen to me. The guy I used has a good rep and is trying to cash in on it without doing the work necessary to earn the fee. I had a bad experience, but I suspect many others, if not most, will have a better experience and get their moneys worth. Everything is relative....... good service is expensive, but some are trying to get the dough without doing the specialized work.
BurntOrangeOrder
100+ Posts
Sorry you had a bad experience Shreve. Sounds like the guy totally didn't do his job. It's a shame that people like that operate and thus bring the profession down. Hope things work out well for your house.
Weekly Prediction Contest
* Predict HORNS-AGGIES *
Sat, Nov 30 • 6:30 PM on ABC
Recent Threads
-
Thoughts on Fidium Fiber?
- Started by Dionysus
- Replies: 10
- Horn Depot
Prediction Results Threads
