Does an architect need to make construction plans... is there a cheaper way?

[bunfighters]

We have planning permission for an extension and now need to have construction plans to show the potential builders so they can quote/tender. However, the quote for the construction plans from the architect seems incredibly high (in the tens of thousands) and I wanted to find out if there was a cheaper route. We have a structural engineer on board and the plans for planning were incredibly detailed.

We are extending and fully refurbishing a 3 bedroom house in London. Our architect has prepared the planning application drawings and is now producing the detailed drawings for the builders to quote. The fees for the architect for the measurement survey, planning drawings/application and detailed drawings is about 3k. I would request other quotes for the detailed drawings. Tens of thousands seems crazy.

When you say construction plans, do you mean building control plans? Around here they’re usually included in the quote for planning plans, so tens of thousands of pounds does sound like a lot.

Our architect drawing includes building control plans. Have you got building control approval? Those are the drawings you give to the builders.

decent builders should be able to price from building regs drawings , no need for a schedule of works as the drawings should have all the info on

sounds like they are trying to have your pants down

You can consult an architectural technician with experience of drawing up cad plans, but surely you already have them for the planning application, and presumably building regs app.

Any decent building firm can price up using the original plans submitted.

Ours was 6k for the lot, which i think was based on a percentage of the estimated build cost. There was a huge amount of detail in the construction drawings and specifications (which the builder mostly ignored) and this was all above and beyond the building regs drawings.

Ours was £3.5k for single storey extension & side return, encompassing:
site survey, existing drawing, proposed drawing, planning application & building control/technical

and £6k for 2 storey plus side return
SE London

I was actually about to post a similar question to this so will comment in here instead.

I take it you are dealing with a high end architect, in London, who typically would have houses on the covers of magazines yes? I think this is a very different concept to the usual £5k architect fees you hear for a standard box extension, as these sorts of houses usually include large amounts of bespoke work throughout and very careful thought to how the space is used, lighting, joinery etc. you can often tell the difference when looking at design and access statements on planning portals - sometimes they are quite simple but the big name architects tend to do quite lavish, lengthy documents that are frankly a joy to read.

How big is your house and from which period? And what’s roughly is your budget?

How big is your project? Fees are often on a percentage basis as the larger/ more complex the project the more work involved to design it and therefore the higher the fee.

To PP - planning drawings aren't the same as building control drawings.
Planning approval is basically about what size your project is and how you intend your project to look particularly in context.
Building Control approval is about ensuring it meeting building standards - so it involves drawing details for the structure, waterproofing, insulation, drainage, fire safety, accessibility etc. and if you want accurate pricing drawings would also need to have joinery details, finishes drawings and specs etc. etc.
That said TENS of thousands does sound a lot unless your project is v large / complicated.