Architect Error - Anyone got any advice?

[marmite14]

Just started some renovations on our house, it's all internal work - few walls coming down to make an open plan kitchen diner. We commissioned an architect to provide a current floor plan and design layouts. She advised that one of the walls would need to be checked with a structural engineer but all others were plasterboard and easy to pull down. That was the extent of the work she did as it's not a huge job. We used a structural engineer to look at the wall she suggested and he provided details for the steel that is required. Roll forward to this week, most of the walls are down, kitchen has been ripped out and we have found that one of the wall isn't made of plasterboard and is supporting wall that requires a huge steel with an estimated cost £15K. This is going to blow the budget and there is no way around it.

Has anyone experienced issues with architects making error ? Does anyone have advise on whether I have any recourse with the architect?

I agree with those that have said it is the structural engineer at fault.

I would have asked the structural engineer to confirm the other walls weren't load bearing. It's not a huge job to check and they're far more likely to know what they're looking at than an architect. Were they aware that you were planning to take other walls down or did you just direct him to the one wall?

I’d be looking closely at the terms of the contract with the structural engineer. They won’t normally give calcs is isolation - professionally their insurance may not cover it - so I wonder if this was informal advice or an engagement to work out load bearing calcs.

If helpful I paid for:

• official site drawings with elevations, room sizes etc. This was done by a surveyor but some architects offer the service. Only visible supports or beams noted


• Architects plans for the design using above


• Structural engineer’s report including structural plans with supports and full calcs needed for building control.

@starlingdarling

This. It's poor from all parties TBH. An architect shouldn't have assumed and ultimately is in the wrong for asking the structural engineer to look at only one wall.

Architects aren't structural engineers but will have an appreciation of the physics and importantly house construction. If not, it wasn't her business stipulating that the other two walls were plasterboard. Total schoolgirl error.

The structural engineer could've been more diligent but may not have been aware of the entire job as they won't need to. If they've only been told about one wall and to size the beam (about £300), they're not going to look at additional walls.

People suggesting it was the engineers fault are perhaps not understanding how subcontracting works.

@NewHouseNewMe

Who acquired the services of the structural engineer?

It rather depends on what you would have done if you had been told at the time that it was a load bearing wall that needed also to be checked by the Structural Engineer. The SE would presumably have told you that you would need a steel for that wall and presumably the cost would have been the same. So the question is - what would have happened then? Would you have abandoned the whole idea, would you have gone ahead anyway, would you have done the work in a way that left the load bearing wall in place? If the latter, is there any reason why you can't do that anyway?

Structural Engineer is a subbie and will have only looked at what he was instructed to look at it. The architect made a (wrong) judgement without checking for accuracy.

I think some people are confused by the relationship between the architect and the structural engineer.

In domestic jobs like this it is very unlikely that the structural engineer is a sub contractor of the architect.

In this instance I would expect the homeowner to have directly appointed the structural engineer and so will pay their fee direct to them.

The architect may have got the quotes/made the recommendations but the appointment contract will be between the client and the engineer not the architect and the engineer.

Either way the architect shouldn’t have made assumptions especially without any caveats. Though it is surprising for a structural engineer to look at things in such isolation.

As stated up thread the best thing to do really is to get in touch with the architect and the engineer and get them to fix it. There may be another, better solution to the one you’ve been quoted for.

I would have asked the structural engineer to confirm the other walls weren't load bearing.

This ^

But it does highlight the trouble when you instruct people separately rather than having someone do that project management for you. Not having an overall saves a lot of cost but these 'falling between the cracks' are what goes wrong.