Architect wants more money after we have paid him
kellyapte
8 years ago
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Comments (29)I've just thought of a new one. There are quite a few more feminine oriented topics and articles in here which is totally understandable given the demographics and followers, but I think it would be nice to have an article on styling a bachelor pad for us male fans of design. Not necessarily cliche ones with interiors showing pool tables, photos of cars and gadgets as not all men are gadget obsessed, just a good quality article showing more masculine colour themes, textures etc. I'm always inspired by interiors by Tom Ford, Natuzzi and Bo Concept as good examples....See More£1500 for a new steel that architect and structural eng missed on plan
Comments (18)Hullo Masklin, it does sound like a tricky situation, and I'm sorry to hear about these additional costs. Building work is always expensive to begin with, and additional and unexpected costs are never welcome. In respect of whether there is scope to obtain costs for this from your architect and structural engineer, this will most likely come down to the original appointment, their scope of involvement in the project, and whether they where direct appointments with you - or whether the SE was appointed through the architect. If the architect and SE were appointed to undertake planning and building regulations drawings with no exploratory or invasive works (ie stripping back existing structure in the house to assess structure before the project was tendered) then there will have been a number of reasonable assumptions on their part, which will only have been assessed when a main contractor started. The conversion of the attic would have added some additional loading to the property, but certainly less than adding a whole additional storey. There is every chance that additional bedroom space at this level would have less weight implication than someone stuffing their attic full with storage. SE's are notoriously cautious, so their assumption for the attic should have taken into account any additional loading, and if an existing (previously completed) opening needs to be reinforced, it might suggest that the existing opening was not designed appropriately to begin with. The flaws in existing structural design would generally fall into 'unforeseen' items, which is generally where contingency funds are intended for use. However, as others have suggested, if you are unhappy you can always pursue this further through the ARB, or RIBA (if your architect is a member of these bodies) or through the body that the structural engineer belongs too - but it is always worthwhile starting a discussion with the architect and SE and asking them to clarify how this happened. They will no doubt want to try and address this and have the opportunity to resolve this with you direct. Check your appointments with them, and what they were briefed (and paid) to undertake on your behalf. It might also be worthwhile trying to source any information you can about the original works and structural beam that got installed. Hopefully there will be a positive outcome from it all. Good luck! K :)...See MoreLayout dilemma. Have we missed a trick?!
Comments (16)Hi Lauren, That's probably the biggest utility room I've seen on a house of this size! I think its a bit over kill and being right in the centre of your house it will clog up the flow and make the house feel disjointed. In order to have a functional house with good flow and lots of natural light you are going to have to rethink the whole floor plan. I don't think the split level idea is worth considering unless your ceilings are very low. Random steps in the house look great magazine pictures and in some limited scenarios are useful but they are not practical for kids, prams, elderly, disabled and the poor delivery guy that has to deliver your washing machine and take away the old one! You've just added an unnecessary trip hazard to your home. I would instead consider raising the patio at a later date when finances allow. In a house of this size a single level floor is safer, will make your house feel more open and coherent. So firstly I think you need a new tape measure! I couldn't work with any of your measurements. None of them add up! I had to base the plans on the measurements the architect labelled and work from there. So my solution for your house is a simple one but I think it will have a big impact and that is to change the stairs from straight to quarter turn at the bottom... Now you can utilise the space next to the front door and I would use this space for the wc. The next few steps could be omitted if the budget is too tight but I do think they would really make your house work well for you. I would build a small porch and remove the existing front door and opening. I would place the coat closet/ storage in the porch. I would reduce the size of the living room by extending the hall by the amount of space taken by the WC. This would create a spacious entrance great for prams, school bags, and shopping trips etc. I think the lounge should be small and cosy, used for watching Tv, reading, quiet time etc. I would remove a large section of the lounge wall and replace with a sliding wall or glazed doors. This means you can have the whole house open plan when you want it that way and the lounge closed off when you want a quiet cosy space. I'm not sure why you say you need a side entrance but I've left it in and created a small utility entrance with storage there. I would move the washing machine and dryer under the stairs. (I have made doors are transparent in the drawings to show their location). I would remove the living room window as I think with the bi fold and the huge skylight, the window is unecessary, as it faces a wall so won't be adding much to the light levels in the house. This leaves the remaining area completely open plan and able to accommodate a large kitchen with island and bar stool seating with 8, extending to 10 seater dining table and a comfortable lounge area. The thinking behind this layout was to take all the centralised "utility" area and divide it up and place it along the edges of the house, freeing up the centre for a spacious open plan living area. If you consider the porch storage, side entrance, wc and washer/dryer stack area, you actually have more "utility" area than before, but here it goes unnoticed and doesn't clog up the flow of the house. The sliding wall, along with the spread out utilities would help create a home where you and your husband get what you both want from it. With the sliding wall open, a large spacious home with great sight lines through out and utilities that aren't in your face. And with it closed, the same spacious home with lots of useful storage and utility space, and a nice quiet retreat to get away from it all. Sliding wall closed: Sliding wall open:...See MoreCommunicating with architect - Our awkward house.
Comments (47)You can't have folding doors over a staircase!😆 I'm beginning to understand the problem here. You shouldn't be "totally stumped" on anything. That's the architects job! You just need to take your wishlist and suggestions to him/her. They will do a number of amendments until you are happy with the result. You can do some simple sketches but generally speaking you just need a bullet point list of things you don't like about the current design. Coming up with the solutions is the architects job. There's no point paying them if you're going to do the work for them. Everything else is in place and you've done the right thing by choosing them based on their previous work. It just seems like they might be a bit busy and aren't able to offer the amendments quicker. A professional firm will have already budgeted in the amendments so they don't lose anything by changing the design for you. I don't think they are trying to fob you off. The amendments will always be limited by budget, planning permission, health & safety and site conditions etc. If you really aren't happy with their service maybe consider taking what you have and speak another architect. The current firm have done all the hard work so the new firm won't have to do much to tweak the design....See Morekellyapte
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