Complete offer from the architect? Is the price reasonable?

What exactly does the architect's contract state about what he is supposed to do for this money?

What exactly does the architect's contract state that he is supposed to do for this money?

Hello,
according to the offer, he provides the following services:

Scope of services of the architect
1. Building law
- Order site plan, convert etc.
- Clarify framework conditions, including building volume, monument protection, statutes etc.

2. Create the preliminary design / design for approx. 360 sqm GFA

3. Approval planning
- Prepare approval plans with the corresponding entries (section, facade, plan header, site plan, floor plans etc.)
- Prepare the required forms (building description, building application, parking space verification)
- Calculations (floor area ratio, site occupancy index, GFA, living area, volume and cost estimate)
- Cover letter to obtain neighbor signatures

- detailed cost estimate according to DIN 276 is not included, the cost estimate is prepared based on cbm or sqm prices according to BKI.
According to the offer, the energy, fire protection, and structural consultants must be commissioned separately by us.

You basically want a house planned by the architect that is then built by a general contractor.

How is this supposed to proceed? Who is supervising the construction project for you, you seem to be laymen.

Would it be conceivable for you to handle the entire construction (execution planning, obtaining offers, and support) of the project through the architect?
Would it be an alternative to now take your sketch to a few general contractors? They sometimes have planners at hand who work significantly cheaper than an architect commissioned by you (however, this work is always for their client, i.e., not you!).

And now the first doubt arises, because some have already written here that the price is "reasonable," now it’s "quite expensive"... Honestly, for a few drawings etc., I also find 11k plus VAT quite expensive, that’s after all 14,000 € with tax.

Understandably difficult for you to know whom or what to believe here, so here is a brief explanation: You can google HOAI calculators and briefly read up there; the content of the service phases is also explained. You will find that your offer roughly includes service phase 2 and service phase 4. You can enter this in the calculator and you will get about 4,300€ net fee. A star architect wouldn’t even lift a finger for that, a random signature guy from nowhere will also do it for 2,000€. So much for classification. At this price, you can assume it is a reputable architect who will create something special for you – but not a superstar. Regarding your house costs: 360 gross floor area is about 280 sqm living space – that costs at least 600,000€ in southern Bavaria for a standard house. A house for which service phase 2 costs 10,000€ will rather cost seven figures.

Well... Let's assume: 250m2 x €2300 net (should be good standard) results in €529,000 for the house. No garage, no additional construction costs, no outdoor facilities... The architect bases €500k here according to HOAI table. Zone 3 medium. Results in about €74,000 for all LP. 1-4 would thus be about €20,000! And unfortunately that’s not a star architect. Because either they charge the highest rate or place you in another zone... In my opinion, the €11k with an acceptable result is good. Provided the approval would be granted. But the tip was already given. Just let the general contractor plan and see what comes out. If you like it, you save some money

You basically want a house planned by an architect that is then built by a general contractor. How is this supposed to proceed? Who is supervising the construction for you, you seem to be laymen. Would it be conceivable for you to handle the entire construction (detailed planning, obtaining offers, and supervision) of the project through the architect? Would it be an alternative to now go to a few general contractors with your sketch? They sometimes have planners on hand who work significantly more cost-effectively than an architect you commission yourselves (who in any case always works for his client, so not for you!).

Hi, yes we are definitely laymen and not professionals. Everything else should then, if possible, go through a general contractor / construction company, accompanied by an external consultant/expert... Regarding the complete service, we had already considered it, but the architect does not do that (probably not economically worthwhile...), but only phases 1-4 and would then hand it over to a general contractor. The alternative would also not be wrong, we have already had two discussions about this as well, but we were unsure whether they would really plan it as we imagine, especially if they have their own planner?.