Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

What do you think of these architect fees?

27 replies

ilikeyoursleeves · 14/12/2009 19:07

I've had a few quotes for a 2 storey side extension to our 3 bed house. We already have drawings from the previous owners & planning permission so it's just a case of tweaking it slightly to meet our needs & resubmitting.

One architect is quoting £1800 all in for survey & drawings for planning resubmission and for building warrant. This is including VAT but excluding the council fees for PP & BW.

The original architect who did the drawings for our houses prev owners is quoting £1400 exc VAT & exc council fees. I don't get why he'd charge so much since he's already done half the work?

I really don't know if these fees are reasonable or not- any idea? Thanks

OP posts:
DaisymooSteiner · 14/12/2009 20:53

Why not try a technical drawer/draftsman? We used one for our extension and iirc it cost about £500 for all the plans inc VAT exc council fees.

Original poster
ilikeyoursleeves · 14/12/2009 21:34

Was that for all the technical drawings for the building warrant application too?

OP posts:
DaisymooSteiner · 14/12/2009 23:41

Well it's not called a building warrant here, but yes, it included the plans for the building regs. It might have been a bit closer to £600 now I think about it, but still much less than the architect we approached first, who charged us £450 for some (poorly thought out) sketches!

somethinganything · 15/12/2009 09:47

Have you checked with RIBA? They give official guidelines about what rate architects should charge - I can't remember what they were I'm afraid but I know we got quotes from 3 architects before embarking on a loft conversion and it was really useful being able to check against them. They also explain the charges a bit as I recall and you could probably give them a call and ask someone there in person if all else fails

www.architecture.com

TheGoatofChristmasPast · 15/12/2009 09:53

you are paying for the architects professionalism and insurance. you will probably consult abit during teh build.

i think original guy is taking the piss.

as well as drawings there will be negotiation with the planners etc.

if you go with a technical drawer etc chances are there will be no insurance.

orangina · 15/12/2009 10:01

A good architect has design skills. Is usually worth the money. If it is just drawings you want, go with the draughtsman.

In my experience, "it just needs tweaking to meet our needs" can mean anything from changing a door swing, to redesigning the entire thing! I would go with whoever you think best understands your needs. They don't seem too expensive. and whether or not the original guy has already done half the work, well, he may have the original drawings archived somewhere, but it usually requires time to find the original information, and then the work is exactly the same as what you are asking the others to quote for.

ReindeerRusso · 15/12/2009 10:10

I am using an architect at the moment and am paying £600 for survey, £300 for sketches, and £600 for building regulations stage. We do not require planning. So as such, the fees you are quoting sound reasonable but it is not really taking into account the fact you already have drawings. I would try and push the original architect on his fee because that does sound a bit steep. They are quite keen for the work at the moment, so you might be able to get the price down.

DaisymooSteiner · 15/12/2009 10:11

Well, this is only my experience, but the plans our technical drawerer did made far better use of the space than the architect and his ideas just made better sense.

cece · 15/12/2009 10:15

Our acrchitect fees were about the same as your quote.

somethinganything · 15/12/2009 10:19

I should just add that we've found the money spent on the architect to be a real investment. He's done somewhere in the region of 20 different versions of the layout for us for one reason or another. You might find the tweaks that you're envisaging end up being rather more extensive that you think they'll be.

Daisymoo - I'd heard good things about technical drawers to but in the end couldn't locate one who was able to do everything that needed doing. I got the impression that these days they tend to be part of an architectural practice but it's increasingly unusual to find them working independently. But it's possible that's just a central London thing and elsewhere they're still going strong

carocaro · 15/12/2009 11:03

We had to use an architect in the end as we could find no one else to do any drawings, we paid £2,000 all in for a doubel height side and single story rear out and round the back. He was excellent and came every week to check the details and progress, not project manager, but to ensure all was done as it should be. Build regs. He also knew the planners and building control at the council well so it made for a good working relationship on site.

This was very reassuring as someone down the road had an issue with the size of their extension being too big, bigger than the plans and they had to knock down and rebuild (they had only done the foundations and a few layers of brick but it was still abog cost).

LastTrainToLapland · 16/12/2009 00:53

I am an architect and the quotes seem reasonable IMO.
Firstly, the architect cannot (should not) use drawings from the previous owner, there is no way he can then guarantee that the measurements were right. He will have to do a survey to base his design on, so he can guarantee that the new design works. Secondly, the planning process will require a lot of discussions with the planners. This could be a simple matter, but could be complicated depending on the proposed design. Thirdly, thee toughest bit is the Building Regulations. This requires a lot of work to ensure that the Regulations Officer is happy with the end result. It often happens that the officer visits the site and condemns the works because it isn't up to regulations. An architect is up to speed on current regulations and he is the best guarantee that the works is up to scratch.

An architect is the best investment when doing any sort of building works. Unfortunately, lots of people are scared off by the quote and don't want to see the benefits he/she brings to the table. It is money well spent IMO (but of course I'd say that )

orangina · 16/12/2009 14:04

I'm with you Lapland (being an architect as well.... )

Original poster
ilikeyoursleeves · 16/12/2009 14:13

Hi Lasttraintolapland- the drawings we have were previously done by the architect who is quoting us £1400 exc VAT. Should that price not be lower given he already did lots of work with the previous owners and got it through planning?

What do you think of the whole architect V architect technician thing?

OP posts:
LastTrainToLapland · 16/12/2009 18:59

Ah! That changes things somewhat. I thought that the drawings you referred to were ones passed on from a previous owner or from a previous proposal. If your previous architect (let's call him Mr.A) has done the drawings FOR YOU, then yes, his quote should be lower to take that into account.

Did he do a survey when he drew them up? This is very important to know if what he did classes as a "sketch" or as a "drawing" (ones that he or any other architect would happily base their design on)

LastTrainToLapland · 16/12/2009 19:06

Just saw your other question re. technicians.

OK, this is how it works in an architectural office, and/or on bigger projects. The architect liases with the Client to determine what the brief is and draws up sketches to illustrate it. Then starts a long drawn out consultation with Planners with lots of to-ing and fro-ing with them and the client and finally the design is nailed down. Then the job goes out to tender. At this point, detailed sketches are required. An architectural technician is brought in for his detailed knowledge of how materials work and join together etc etc. An architect can also do this, but only to a certain extent...it is better use of resources to keep him designing and pass on the detailing to the technician (which is what HE is good at)

In a house extension/alteration, things depend on how complicated the job is. If it's a simple extension (converting a garage into a room for example) requiring no design, then a technician can and will do the same job an architect would. But if the proposal is a major re-jig of internal spaces, then I would recommend going to an architect, at least for the design part. While a technician can obviously pick up a lot of design skills simply through experience, it is not something they are trained to do, and their scope and ideas will be limited compared to an architect.

I hope that makes sense?

HerHonesty · 16/12/2009 21:18

yup we've had around the same quotes. unfortunately we had one who just never turned up for meetings and then we started again with another who 8 weeks down the line is still due to deliver the initial sketches. clearly i am in the wrong business - if i treated my clients like this i wouldnt be in business anymore.

sweetkitty · 16/12/2009 21:27

ilikeyoursleeves - we are just about to see an architect about a double storey extension as well, hence I am hanging around these threads, have no idea on prices yet but thanks for the heads up

LastTrainToLapland · 16/12/2009 21:42

HerHonesty, that is very poor showing, I agree. Especially in these times when work is very very thin on the ground. I treat my clients much better than that. I'm freelance, so if I lose a job due to inefficiency, that's my own money I'm losing (if that makes any sense?)

Original poster
ilikeyoursleeves · 16/12/2009 22:03

Thanks for all that info Lapland! I'm still not sure if we are on the same songsheet so to speak though?

The situation we are in is that we bought our house 2 years ago and it came with planning permission for a 2 storey side extension, these were drawn up between the architect (Mr J) and the owners of the house. I called Mr J to come back out for a chat as we now want to proceed with the extension. He brought the plans he originally drew up (which are quite detailed I think, but obviously not detailed enough for the building warrant application yet)- these plans were approved by planning so they are good enough. We just want to add a small room at the rear too so we have an L shaped kitchen / diner and knock down a wall- these are the only changes to the plans that were approved.

So IMHO I think £1400 is quite £££ given he has already taken the measurements etc (I assume he did a survery before?), and only needs to add in the additional bits we want. Or is that not how it works?

Thanks

OP posts:
LastTrainToLapland · 16/12/2009 22:38

The best thing to do, I think, is to give him a call and say exactly what you said in your last post and ask him what he based his quote on. Until then we're just second-guessing him, and our assumptions may be way off the mark. If any of my clients called me to query my quote I'd be more than happy to talk it through with them - it makes for a transparent and happy working relationship.

FWIW, I suspect that he has given a concession in the quote for work already done. The Building Regulations Application is what requires a lot of work and time, and that will be the major part of the fees. I guess the difference of £400 covers the planning drawings he's already done.

Don't be afraid to say that you think the quote should be lower. At the worst, he'll stick to it and won't budge. At the best, he may bring his fees down lower!

Oh, also, all other things equal, I would recommend sticking with the same architect - he knows the building inside out (or he should!) and will hit the ground running. Of course, if you strike a chord with the other architect, then go with him - it's important that you get along with whoever you choose

Original poster
ilikeyoursleeves · 17/12/2009 10:25

thanks again lapland, i'm going to try to get a meeting with mr j next week to discuss it all. i have decided to go with him because i got on well with him and he has already done some of the work, plus he is cheaper overall i guess! i had another architect out yest who i didn't take to at all- he was here for 5 mins, barely looked around, hardly spoke and wouldn't even give me a ball park figure for his fees! he is going to write to us but i'm def not going with him.

cheers again

ps baby on boob hence all lower case....

OP posts:
atb · 05/02/2010 13:56

I'm an architect and would add this - would anyone query an invoice from either a solicitor or accountant? No. Why? Because people think a 'few drawings' are not worth these excessive fees.
Yes, seven years training, professional body fees, insurance costs for a sketch on a fag packet.
Also a solicitor or accountant are generally viewed as saving us money - an architect spends it....

Architects4homes · 14/07/2010 15:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

ReshapeWhileDamp · 14/07/2010 15:47

... What are 'newly parents', anyway?

Have reported all your spam, Architects4Homes. It'd be really irritating if this very useful forum became junked up with commercial spam and ads like this.

Swipe left for the next trending thread