Floor plan corner bungalow 150m² with expansion possibilities

Or am I wrong with my half-knowledge googled and is the architect cheaper?

An architect ultimately pays off.

That's how he has to think himself and after all, he has studied for it.

The architect, mind you – not the "architect" aka draftsman (that is a vocational training).

So can I probably assume that the price a carpentry company names for the house as a "shell construction" already includes the costs for their own planner and that if I now only go there with my sketch it is a higher amount than if I present the finished plan of the architect?

You want to commit yourself to one carpentry company?

An architect ultimately pays off. The architect, mind you – not the "architect" aka draftsman (that is a vocational training). You want to commit to one carpentry company?

I am definitely curious about the architect, my husband knows her through his work (not as an architect, but she used a service from his company), I have not met her personally yet. I am definitely hoping for a good basis due to the personal acquaintance. The other one is then the draftsman, right? We have a preferred carpentry company in our village, but if others are significantly cheaper I am not fixed on that. I know the owner, or rather my family and I know him personally quite well, so I already have a good basis of trust. And if he messes up, “I know where his house lives”… namely just one street away ;)

I am definitely curious about the architect, my husband knows her through his work (not as an architect, but she used a service from his company), I don't know her personally yet. I am definitely hoping for a good foundation through the personal acquaintance. The other one is the draftsperson, right?

Yes, draftsperson is the correct term. Here many homeowners respectfully call anyone who copies their sketches "architect." Reciprocal deals, friendship, family ties, or schoolmates: I can't even decide which of these I consider the most dangerous ;-)

Yes, draftsman is the correct term. Here many amateur builders respectfully call anyone who copies their sketches right away "architect". Revenge dealings, friendship, kinship or schoolmates: I really can't decide which of these I should consider the most dangerous ;-)

And then there is village life, including gossip and rumors… there is also a reason why we haven't knocked on the carpenter's door and discussed our project yet… we don't want the whole village to know what we're doing before we even really start :eek:;)

Maybe as a thought to take with you before the conversation: currently you want two offices (which could also be acoustically separated with reinforced walls, by the way), possibly children at some point, for which office space would then be repurposed - but would you then need new office space elsewhere? That scenario is not yet entirely clear to me.

If that is the case, I would
- either build a standard intermediate house and look/plan again when children arrive and the space requirements are fixed
- build in such a way that an extension or addition is planned from the start, perhaps as a stepped story or similar on top, I can imagine nice variants there

In any case, I would invest energy into the space program, but not into the implementation itself

Once again on the topic: Can you do without an architect? This concerns probably the most expensive decision of your life and, since it’s about your home, likely also one of the most emotionally important. And precisely there, you want to forgo the crucial expert who didn’t study for many years for nothing, acquiring highly complex skills for it.

Just a bit provocatively asked: Do you also plan to draft the contracts yourselves? Did you design your current car yourself or did you rely on the development engineers at the car manufacturer?

I wish you much success with the appointment with the [Architektin]!