Architect performance phase 1-4 - Which documents are required?

Hello,

we have concluded an architect contract with a planner for service phases 1-4. Now, due to various developments, we have decided against the construction and want to cancel the planning contract. The planner has now sent us an invoice or rather simply the amount he wants for service phases 1-4. We are in the range of 12k + VAT.

Now we are wondering which documents he should have at least produced – apart from a final dimensioned floor plan, a positioning on the plot, and the views of the house, we have no other documents. Whether he has already created others, we do not know – I don’t want to exclude it – but he should still be able to deliver them to us. He verbally informed us of construction costs of about ~300k. Surely we went through several rounds for the floor plan and also changed the type of house. Nevertheless, in our opinion, not much has happened so far that would allow us to submit the building application. Since the plot is still being developed, no appraisal or similar has been done yet.

What documents should he at least provide us with?

I would like to clarify that we were aware that the planning costs quite a bit of money – and we want to pay him appropriately for services rendered, that goes without saying. However, he hinted in the conversation that he is now making us “bleed” because we are not carrying through with the construction. He had actually quoted us a significantly lower price for the 4 phases at the beginning. Now we have decided to review his invoice. At present, there is really only the bare price, no explanation, nothing. If he can clearly substantiate it to us, we will write it off as a learning experience.

Thank you already for your assessment!

We have concluded an architect contract with a planner for performance phases 1-4. Now, due to various developments, we have decided against the construction and want to terminate the planning contract.

Apart from the fact that this is, unfortunately, a scope of services popular among clients but very unsuitable, which in my opinion any reputable architect would therefore not accept: a fee will of course also be agreed in the contract, and nothing more is to be paid.

Now we are wondering which documents he should have at least produced – besides a final dimensioned floor plan, a positioning on the plot, and the elevations of the house we have no other documents. [...] Verbally, he informed us of construction costs of about ~300k. Surely we went through several rounds for the floor plan and also changed the type of the house. Nevertheless, so far in our eyes not much has happened so that we would be able to submit the building application. Since the plot is still being developed, no expert report or similar has been carried out yet.

Only one approvable design is owed, no extra rounds over floor plan discussions. For the person in post #1 of I consider any compensation in the world appropriate, provided it was you who butchered the design shown there in post #18 to hospital level until this dreadful massacre resulted. Performance phase 4 only ends with the building application; this naturally includes all documents that complete it. A building ground survey has nothing to do with whether utilities are already laid in the street. At which point did you terminate the planning contract?

Apart from the fact that this is unfortunately a popular but very unsuitable scope of services among clients, which in my opinion a reputable architect therefore does not accept

Hello dear 11ant,

we are currently looking for someone to accompany us until the building application. Therefore, I am interested in why you think that service phases 1-4 are unsuitable and a reputable architect will not offer them. I would be happy if you could "open my eyes" here.

Many thanks
SandraAnne

I would be glad if you could "open my eyes" here.

Hello dear SandraAnne, but haven’t I already done that extensively (in all posts that can be found here with the search term "Gerddieter")? - please let me know which aspect is still unclear to you or where I might not have expressed myself clearly enough.

we are currently looking for someone to accompany us up to the building permit application. Therefore, I am interested in why you think that performance phases 1-4 are unsuitable and that a serious architect would not offer them.

If you really only want to be accompanied as far as that, then commissioning an architect for the scope of services "performance phases 1 to 4" (although still unsuitable) is sufficient. The drawing documents for the building permit serve to inform the building authority about the condition of the building to be approved (in all aspects relevant to the files), nothing more. The approval stamp only means that the realization of these plans is now allowed, but it does not yet make them technically possible. Architects know this (meaning they are aware of the fact that with nothing but these sketches, from a technical point of view basically just sketches, you practically stand naked alone in the forest on the high seas). That is what I mean when I say why a serious architect refuses such an assignment – a responsible surgeon will never leave the operating room before the freshly operated patient is sewn up again! Performance phase 1 requires meticulous work, performance phase 2 requires the expert, phases 3 and 4 are then relaxed house-drawing, and from performance phase 5 onwards, the fee is earned again with diligence and sweat, as well as phases 5 and 8 being a punishment for anyone who has not yet participated in phase 3. Moreover, by the end of phase 4, one has not yet had to prove that the whole building can be completed within an affordable budget. All of that is well known to every architect, and that is why commissioning an architect only for performance phases 1 to 4 is practically a guarantee of 1. having to rely on the improvisational talent of the construction workers 2. delightfully undecorative drywall boxing of all conduit and piping guts 3. cost-cutting efforts by the contractor at every corner 4. nevertheless a high likelihood of budget overruns Do you really want that?

Thank you very much for your reply
I had already skimmed a bit, but I hadn’t actually used the search term gerddieter.
But I will do that now.
I looked at your profile, but there you find the latest posts and unfortunately I couldn’t find the sometimes mentioned modules A B C or a link to them. I also searched for "Hausbau-Fahrplan des Baulotsen" etc. - without success.
Maybe I simply searched or looked in the wrong way, I am just getting started in this forum.
I actually wanted to ask nicely by PM - but that wasn’t possible due to a low number of posts.

If there is a website of yours with a specific post containing an overview about house building (I believe I read between the lines that such a thing exists), then I would be very happy to receive a link via PM. Or a hint on how to find the page/post.

Many thanks
Sandra

I had looked at your profile but there you find the latest posts and unfortunately I could not find the sometimes mentioned modules A B C or a link to them. I also searched for "Hausbau-Fahrplan des Baulotsen" etc. - without success. Maybe I just searched or looked incorrectly, I am just starting to get familiar with this forum. Then I actually wanted to ask nicely via PM - but that was not possible due to the low post count.

You can scroll back through my posts here for almost six years, the baulotse-hoffmann is now called bauen-jetzt, and I am the same at gmx de as here. Anyone who cannot yet send PMs also cannot receive them. But you should be able to open your own thread (and tell us more about yourself and your building project).