How is an architect search conducted?

Hello everyone,

we are currently at the point where we have reserved a plot of land and have a relatively concrete idea of the house we want to build on it. That means we have (of course amateurish) floor plans drawn up and would like to show them to an architect to find out whether our construction project
1. can be carried out like this or something similar and
2. what it will approximately cost

An initial meeting with an architect

We had such an initial meeting with an architect who visited us at home last Friday. During the one and a half hour meeting, he took a brief look at the floor plan and a picture of a similar house. In his opinion, the whole thing is feasible. Question: Do we now have to pay several hundred euros for this? Will this meeting be invoiced to us?

He suggested that in a first step, using our floor plans, he would draw up a preliminary draft and prepare a cost estimate so that we can (then of course only approximately) see where we stand. For this, he wants 4000, rather 5000€ (!!!!!!!!!).

Our thoughts

- The architect spoke in a first estimate of 700,000€, possibly more, possibly less. We can afford 600,000€ in good conscience and would like not to exceed this amount. However, the architect could only be more precise after creating the preliminary draft.
- This preliminary draft is far too expensive for us at 5000€ for two reasons: first, the architect (70 years old) works without a modern computer program. According to his own statements, he draws much by hand. For 5000€ we would expect a truly modern design (with cross-sections, 3D views, playing with sun angles etc. etc.)
- secondly, we feel uneasy at the thought that the architect designed an old-school preliminary draft with a few strokes on paper, which actually costs 700,000€ or more (and is therefore far above our budget) and might also not please us. What do you do then? Say, "Sorry, but we don’t like it and besides that, it’s too expensive anyway?" and then you have lost 5000€ (!!!)?

Our wish
- We would find it okay to pay 500€, or if necessary 1000€, for a preliminary draft, but we can’t now pay 5000€ for more concrete information or an insight into an architect’s work at every architect, after which we would only decide whether to even work together
- We would now simply like to hear from at least one more architect (preferably 2-3 more) (in a free initial consultation (!)) how they assess our rough ideas about the construction project, whether the whole thing is feasible with 600,000€, and how they would work with us.

Please do not misunderstand, we are happy to pay good money for good work, but somehow we have the feeling that you buy a pig in a poke this way.

Are we being too naive? Do we have to expect several hundred euros in costs for every initial consultation? Are we approaching this in an unrealistic way?

Thank you for reading and for your answers!

The basis for the architect's fee calculation is the HOAI 2013 and the chargeable net construction costs
- chargeable gross construction sum (cost group 300 + 400): € 600,000
- chargeable net construction sum approx. € 500,000
- commissioned service phases 1+2 (basic evaluation + preliminary design) including cost estimation according to DIN 276 = 9% of 100% of the fee
- fee zone III residential buildings, normal requirements
- fee rate: medium rate
- incidental cost surcharge: 7%
- VAT 19%
- fee according to fee calculator: € 8,099

A serious preliminary design has nothing to do with a few lines thrown together brilliantly on a napkin over coffee. Let a few architects explain their approach and way of working in a free preliminary meeting. That is absolutely fine. However, the planning work will be charged at these fee rates. After all, it is a house whose construction costs would usually be sufficient for 2 modest houses. Effort and fee should be in a more reasonable proportion.

I would consider the following points regarding the matter:

I. Have someone show you from another construction project what the work for the EUR 5,000 looks like and what all he has done for it (especially how he handles details).

II. If you still have this uneasy feeling or cannot give the architect your full trust, then choose another one whose practices you are more comfortable with.

III. There are also architects who work for less than the HOAI middle fee and whose good work can be verified through references. (For me, billing according to HOAI was a deal-breaker because the first 20k to 25k were hidden there).

Best regards and good luck.

A sum of 600-700 k€ already suggests a certain level of exclusivity. Just ask the gentlemen for references... then you can see what it could turn into. Whether 3D, 4D, or 1A with a star, what use is that if the design is rubbish? Do you think people before 1990 only built ugly crap because computer technology wasn’t that advanced yet?

You can be glad to have met an architect with Oldschool. As you can see here: anyone can operate programs, drawing is a talent!

The architectural drawing is the medium of representation; what counts is the built result. It does not matter whether the execution plans were drawn by hand, with ink Rapidograph on tracing paper, or digitally in 2D/3D. However, a digitally created design is not inherently more modern or contemporary than the hand-drawn version if the original idea does not hold. I must disagree with YPG: a layperson cannot "operate" architectural drawing programs. Drawing is indeed a talent, but in the planning and development of a construction project, it is no more than a nice embellishment.