To expect better responsiveness than this?

[Brian9600]

We're starting a big house project and have engaged an architect.

The work he has done so far has been fine but I'm really struggling with his failure to reply to emails. Eg:

-he told us that he was arranging a builder to go to the property and check something small, late July.

• mid August I had heard nothing so emailed to ask for an update.

• a week passed with no reply so I emailed again. He replied to say he hadn't managed to get hold of the builder but would try another one.

• another week passes. I email to ask what's going on. No reply.

• Today I sent a grumpy email asking him to call me. No reply.

We're paying the guy thousands of pounds. This is rubbish, isn't it, not just me being too demanding? I feel demanding as obviously I've sent multiple emails but he hasn't replied to them. We need him to project manage the job as well so it's going to be hard if he's like this throughout. OTOH finding another architect at this stage will be a pain.

Our whole experience of the building trade has been like this, but usually it starts ok and then goes downhill. If he is rubbish from the start I would start again with someone else.

Thanks. It's so annoying.

I agree. Sack him and find another architect.

Yeah I would get rid now. We spent far too long waiting on a bad communicator getting back to us about a lot of work in our second home. Yes connectivity is bad, we live a long way away etc but we now have someone else who has completed one of the rooms in less than two months, sent photos and messages etc which has been amazing and just what we had initially hoped after a loooong wait with a different person.
It's unlikely to get better now if it has started this way. Maybe send a sort of 'these are my expectations just tell me if you can't meet them, it's ok if you are too busy but just tell me because I have a deadline I am working to' type message but worded nicely. I think people find it very hard it say no, over commit and perhaps work to different timescales as they are juggling a number of commitments

It might be hard starting again, but you know it’ll be excruciating sticking with him.

I agree, try to find someone else. This is bad so early on in the project.

He’s not going to be an effective project manager. Get someone else to do that - someone who can really kick arse and communicate well with you.

Do not engage him as PM - cut your losses. He’ll be exactly the same on the job.

I honestly hate to say this, really, but 3 years into house renovations (on a medium scale) I would say get use to it. So many terrible tradespeople out there who don't seem to want or need work. I could list easily 25 people/companies who have let us down, from not turning up to quote when they said they would, to walking away from the job despite being paid! It has been a real eye-opener and so stressful. Be quick to get rid of people who have displayed shitness, provided there are alternatives available. Good luck!

Get a chartered surveyor, not an architect. So many architects know nothing about designing buildings that actually function and have to employ a surveyor or engineer to do all the calcs anyway.