Architects fees

Comments (13)

Tani H-S
5 years ago
Wow ! And I thought ours were expensive. Gulp.

Building regs plans are literally the same plans but with copy and pasted excerpts of standard regs printed on them. Seriously. That’s what ours were anyway :0/ and not worth the £400 we had to pay for them either! So yours seems very expensive unless it’s a new build is it?

We paid about £2700 altogether for a single storey extension although our plans also included some alterations to the roof and extra drawings in the beginning. That was too much really considering the neighbour who did a 2 storey one himself just did a sketch and submitted those to planning. LOL.

Interested to read other thoughts on this and obviously I don’t know how complex your build is.

Re quotes from builders - yes, they would just do it off the regs plans and that’s all they need. You might want to do a specific spec though to make sure every detail is included (from the floor finishings to things like handles even!)
Tani H-S
5 years ago
Ps our build was half your cost.
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Check out the Architects Registration Board (ARB) website to find all architects in your area and call a few. Be aware that if they are not on this list they are not an architect at all: http://architects-register.org.uk The RIBA website will help you find a chartered architects practice, though there are lost of good small architects practices run by RIBA members which (like mine) are are not chartered practices due to the prohibitive cost of registration: https://www.architecture.com/FindAnArchitect/FAAHome.aspx
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I know PP rules are different n Scotland, but here in England in some local authorities it can be difficult to get permission for a new build that is as large as the old plus extension would be. If that is the case for you, it May be worth exploring how little of the old you would have to retain for the build to be classed as an extension. It might be as little as one wall, tho I agree the VAT savings are v attractive on new build.
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I was the same about 5 years ago in that when I was searching online I could only find big architect firms which isn't what I wanted. I think a lot of the smaller technicians get business by word of mouth. Our builders recommend the guy the work with and we have gone on to use him again. Also try your local planning dept as they often have a list. I would say that if you're not exactly sure what you want a architect or designer is better than a technician. Have you looked on some pro pages here around your area?
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I guess we would all like a good architect to design projects for us as the results can be stunning. The problem often lies with the budget which seem to be ever tighter. Architect costs 10% ish and often designs and specifies in a way that pushes the cost up. We price some architects projects, to then be told that the client has given them a budget much lower than the prices. Then things are cut back to suit the budget which is a shame. I guess if you go with an architect be very clear what your top budget is and be honest and stress the fact. we are finding more and more that people know what they want and need someone to execute it well. We generally start with taking people's wish lists, looking at their building and giving them an idea of budget and options . They can then make an informed decision on which way to go.
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Space Cat
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Hi Steve, we're nearing the end of our renovation - week 37 of a 20 week loft conversion and rear extension - and I fully understand your dilemma.

Although we have done more than our fair share of DIY over the years, we were absolute novices when it came to building projects. Completely baffled by the logic puzzle of having to engage various different elements who were all dependant on each other.

You haven't said how you anticipate to manage the project but in our case we heeded some advice we'd collected in our research, that for a project of £100k or more, it's more cost effective to pay someone to manage the project for you. So that's exactly what we did, our architect offers a full managed service.

The initial feasibility study was approx £1400 and then the fee for managing the project from concept to completion is 14% of the contract value. This included all the things you mentioned (e.g. building regs drawings, running the tender process, contract management, etc) as well as coordinating everyone.

That said, had we opted to manage the project ourselves and get the architect to take the plans to the stage you're talking about, then the fees would have been comparable to your numbers - £8k + VAT.

Builders will happily quote from building regs drawings but bear in mind they won't be as detailed as the full architectural plans so there will be a degree of artistic licence from the builder. Also, if you are going to manage the tender process yourself; bear in mind the more detailed the tender, the more accurate the quote. In our case, we had pretty much specified everything down to the actual core materials and method of construction.
Kirsty Kirby
5 years ago
Hi Steve. This seems incredibly expensive. We had a two storey extension and building reg drawings cost £600 and the structural calculations £250. Perhaps you could try approaching a structural engineer directly? We didn't bother with tender documents - we were able to get building quotes just using the structural drawings. I guess it depends on how clear you are on what you want and how good your builder is. 100K for what seems like a relatively straightforward single storey extension seems excessive. Obviously it depends on how high spec you are going, but I agree with Tani H-S, I'd expect the costs to be closer to half this amount. Good Luck!
iyanini14
5 years ago
Wow! That seems pretty expensiv. We renovated our entire house about £130k all in.

Architect didnt cost that much and he was pretty good.
Steve Potter
Original Author
5 years ago
Evening all, thanks very much for your comments and thoughts.

I spoke to our architect today and we're going to go for option 1) and 2) and we'll download a JCT contract and populate that ourselves.

A couple of follow up questions if I may - Does anyone have any experience of filling out a JCT contract themselves? And is it me (the client) that drives the architect to the exact tight specification for the tender documents that they'll produce?

Cheers
Steve
iyanini14
5 years ago
This still sounds pretry expensive for the work you are doing! If all you are doing is building a sun room and opening up your kitchen I’m sure you architect has done this many times. i can’t see how they can justify £2500 on tender documents. To answer your question, it’s your build and your money so ultimately you’re responsible for checking all the detail is on there. Your architect though will have done this many times before.

we just got 4 builders to qoute using detailed plans, we compared them all and queried where things were missing just based on looking at their competitors quote!

If you don’t have the confidence or time then by all means use an architect but make sure it’s value for money. believe me the money runs out pretty quickly!

i used a JCT contract. Pretty straightforward to populate so don’t worry.
PRO
Archimode Architects
5 years ago
Hi Steve, fees seem reasonable apart from the fees for Tendering. The building control/construction drawings, details and spec is what is used to Tender from so I'm not sure what their Tendering fee covers to be honest.

Having said that, the rest of the fees are reasonable. The fee for the contract I can only presume is to administer the contract not for filling in the form.
PRO
Sterling Pillar Construction
4 years ago
Hello Steve

I think the key question is not one of cost but one of time.

The above three things after the drawings are important within their own right.

1- Building Regs drawing will make your building reg advisor fall in love with you and request less alterations to the build.

2- Tender documents ensures that the contractor doesn't cut any corners by being detailed.

It also helps weed one the good from the bad contractors

3- Of all of the contracts that go right on Houzz many more go wrong. I will not only ask for a contract between me and my builder i would also ask for insurance.

Lastly 100K for a Knocking through the kitchen and Sun room seems on the expensive side. You could get the whole project done for half of your budget.

Good luck with your project and share with us the completed project
PRO
Ovolo London
4 years ago
Hi Steve,

To answer your question; yes, this does seem expensive. Should you require a comparison quote - I'd be happy to give you a direct contact number and name for a fully qualified architect I've used several times. Otherwise, best of luck with the work - I look forward to seeing the before and after portfolio.
PRO
Fabric Space
4 years ago
I do recommend you to read this article, as each project is different and it can give you an idea on how the fees work in London

https://architectureforlondon.com/news/architects-fees-in-the-uk/
PRO
Studio O+U Architects
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
It's important to look at the value and not just the cost when engaging an architect. ie what are they bringing to the table that the average builder would not.

Planning for sure . without it your project can not progress .

Innovative ideas

Design quality

Often on small or medium size projects :cost estimation with a quantity surveyor that they bring on board or do themselves

Increasing the net value of your property- which of course is really only a factor when one sells .

Techical Know how

Knowing how to engage a contractor during the contract and stop the cost from running away with themselves

Monitoring the build quality

The last point alone has a reasonable amount of value

I often get asked this question as an architect and now I refer all my clients to this document:

https://architectureforlondon.com/news/architects-fees-in-the-uk/

United Kingdom

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Architects fees

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Comments (13)

Tani H-S

Tani H-S

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Space Cat

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