Architects - how to, we’ll get on with them I guess.

[glasslightly]

Need to do an extension. It’s complex in some ways as will need planning permission, but straightforward in other ways (modern house, extension not wrap around so less structural).

interviewed 3 architects and instructed one pre pandemic. Of two we didn’t instruct, one was unbelievably rude and the other seemed hard to keep on point. All we’re personal recommendations.

the one we instructed decided that planning would be an issue (despite meeting our planning consultant). She then produced drawings building in a different part of our garden. It achieved none of our goals, and I really don’t have words for the batshittery of it as a solution. Then pandemic etc and we’re staying again (with an increased budget of course).

I’ve been looking at local firms and have spotted one that does work we like, small practice but has at leat a few architects. One of our challenges being that lots of the work in our area is on Victorian terraces which we are not. Anyway we mailed them a week ago - making clear we didn’t want to build until mid 2025 so not urgent. Zero response so far…

is this normal ? I work in professional services and wouldn’t leave it that long to simply acknowledge an email and assuming they respond or we find someone any tips on avoiding the craziness of last time or were we just unlucky ?

Sympathies! My involvement with architects - I know they arent all like this! - was that they simply ignored everything you said and asked of them with regard to where and how you wanted the build to be and look, and how much you had or wanted to spend. And then presented preposterously overblown, unsuitable, impractical, overbudget and frankly just not what we wanted schemes months late after pitiful communication and then wondered why we would not pay for them. I said they had not kept to their contract at any point and were welcome to take me to court. They didn't. This happened three times.

In the end, on the recommendation of friends, we went with a fantastic quantity surveyor, a guy experienced in skilled drawings, a brilliant builder with an excellent foreman and crew, and winged it. All was well.

Could you ask friends or your planning consultant for their recommendations? You probably have already. It is the only way. I feel it must be like builders. They do stupid quotes when they don't really want the work in the first place and are not professional enough to say so. But when people show what they are like at the beginning - sloppy - I would not give them a second chance...

Sounds like you don't actually need an architect. Have you tried looking for an architectural technician or "plan drawer"? If you don't need an architect for their "vision" and artistic ability, i.e. if you have a good idea of what you want, then you just need someone to draw the plans to a good enough standard for planning permission, structural engineer and builders to work with. You don't need an architect for that. Architects usually "contract out" to structural engineers, building reg consultants, planning consultants, etc anyway.

Sadly, my experience with architects are that they live in a fantasy world where money is no object and with one eye on winning an award for how outlandish they can be. They're usually not remotely interested in "Bog standard" extensions, so either turn down the work or try to make it interesting for them by incorporating all kinds of unnecessary and expensive gimmicks.

When we used one, we were forthright from the beginning as to how much money was in the budget. Their first attempt was clearly way over budget, we knew that just by watching property development TV programmes! We reminded him of our budget, and his next attempt retained some of the unnecessary expensive bits but he'd cut out the essentials (such as a second floor which we needed for an extra bedroom, he'd just left the kitchen open plan floor to roof!). I don't actually think he ever listened to what we actually wanted. We sacked him and got a "plan drawer" to create the technical drawings based upon the same hand drafted sketches we'd done originally and given to the architect. He came up with the plans, secured planning permission and building regs, and it all came in on budget!