Changing architect, how to proceed?

Hello,

our house construction is causing more problems than the whole thing is worth. In the summer of this year, we talked to the architect and were more or less promised that the shell construction would be completed by the end of the year. So far, we have a partial approval of the building permit and a (in my opinion) faulty tender for the shell construction. It contains items that are unnecessary and not agreed upon (white tank, KfW 40, etc.) as well as references to content that is not even present. Also, not every company to be tendered received the tender at all. Typical copy and paste mentality with a lack of control. The architect repeatedly misses newly agreed deadlines as well. It was also agreed that the decision on the wall thickness would be queried in the tender and then decided. Now this option is not included in the tender and I have learned on the side that a new building application will then be required – of course, the absolute nightmare in terms of timing now. Therefore, I am slowly thinking about changing the architect or handing over the entire construction project to a general contractor.

This architect has now made a plan for us with a certain target budget. I now have concerns that a successor architect will calculate a much higher amount. (Although another architect quoted me approximately a similar amount) How can the change be made cleanly in order to quickly reach the goal and still stay on time and within budget, without releasing the first architect from liability?

Current status of the work:

Architectural design and building application created, but this was only partially approved (carport and basement of the same were not approved).
Structural calculations by a structural engineer done, heat calculation for the KfW application pending for weeks – therefore no secured financing yet.
Tender for the shell construction created but, as mentioned, faulty.

Regards
Roger

Hello Roger,

How do you make the change cleanly in order to quickly reach the goal and still stay in time and budget and not release the first architect from liability?

Staying within the time limit will be difficult; the craftsmen's schedules are well booked.

I can only advise you to make a clean break before you commission another architect or general contractor. It will probably be difficult enough to find out where and by whom which mistakes were made.

Current status of the work:

Architectural design and building application created, but this was only partially approved (carport and basement of the same were not approved).
Structural calculations by the structural engineer done, heat calculation for KfW application pending for weeks – therefore no secured financing yet.
Tender for the shell construction created but, as said, defective.

It must be clarified why the basement was not approved; you can still have a carport built later.

The structural calculations are your property, as is the online application for KfW (if paid for) – for both it must be clarified whether they correspond with the actual approval, since the basement was not approved.

You can stop the tender, indeed you must, because it – according to your words – is flawed, and you are the client.

Then sit down with your architect and clarify how you can part "by mutual agreement." Only when this is properly settled can you look for a new architect/general contractor. Everything else will inevitably lead to complications; especially regarding liability.

Best regards from the Rhineland

Hello Shadowblues,

very important: what kind of contractual relationship do you have with your architect? What does the contract say about unilateral termination by the contractor?

Without time loss you can forget it, but you already have the time loss anyway, due to the building permit not being obtained! From the way it sounds, the new architect or site manager or whatever first has to review the documents, then straighten out the building permit and then do all the tenders! I think you have to pay partially or not at all for the faulty deliveries of the previous architect, but it will be a case of dispute (court).

I don't want to discourage you, it is better an end with horror than a horror without end! We have just taken over a project from another architect here as well and I see what double work that also involves!

Best regards

K.Brodbeck

Hello Roger, after the experiences with the profession in the construction architects forum, I actually thought you were building with a general contractor?

Hello,

then you didn’t quite understand my posts there. I ended up there because I also had some problems with the offers/statements of the general contractors. In the end, I can now say that 2 of the 3 existing offers would not even have gotten past the building application. So my concerns back then were not entirely wrong. The floor plan developed with the architect is definitely more positive/appropriate than those of the general contractors. But of course also more expensive. Whether any of the general contractors would have worked on the floor plan in such detail after signing is of course not predictable. But the development with the architect was not completely smooth either. In the end, the floor plan was mostly done by me and only slightly adjusted. It definitely took a lot of time.

By the way, I just found a sewage lifting station when re-reading the [Ausschreibung]. For whatever reason. The wastewater runs downhill and definitely does not have to be pumped. He said it’s only an option to make it more attractive for the shell builder and to get more offers, but to me it still seems like an excuse...

Regards Roger

Hello Roger, no, I don’t think so. About the architect: how old is he? Is this his first house? You could think so when you read that he includes a lifting station in the tender even though you don’t need one, or don’t know how to achieve KfW 70 and then tender for KfW 40. It’s the same with the white bathtub. Have you calculated what that means in additional costs for you? White bathtub compared to a normal basement already costs around 30,000 EUR, the lifting station costs about 3,000 EUR, and going from KfW 70 to KfW 40 is probably another 30,000 EUR. Does your budget still fit then, not to mention that construction prices compared to last year will probably increase by x% again. If you already have problems with the tender now, how is it supposed to run during the construction process and schedule? My advice: take the floor plan, your static plans, and go to a good general contractor. Tell him what you want and conclude a fixed-price contract.