Wanderdüne
2013-12-16 21:54:13
- #1
@ Ben1000: I can only share my own experiences; I cannot give legal advice, for that there are specialists who also review contracts.
You once hinted that the requirements of the property are not simple. Especially then, an exciting building with high utility value can be created with a good architect. Good luck!
Regards WD
Good idea, that's why I am a fan of phased contracts. That way, you can commission individual, consecutive work phases. But be careful, clients do this to be able to part ways with an architect if the chemistry is wrong or the result is not feasible. However, the contract could state that although commissioning can be done in stages, if planning continues, it must be exclusively with the architect from the previous stage, which is hardly desirable.We thought we would first hire the architect for a preliminary design.
You should specify the budget from the start and include it in the contract. Then the architect is responsible for ensuring that the planning complies with the budget. A tolerance is allowed for the architect; if the budget is significantly exceeded, the claim to fees from the previous phases may be questionable. By construction costs, architects often mean only the pure costs for the building, excluding land, expert reports, fees, etc. But this is well discussed in the forum.First, we want a reference point to see whether our budget planning is even realistic and to create a basis for construction financing. Second, I can honestly only say whether we get along with the architect once we work more concretely with him.
That also sounds good to me, but every architect can potentially take advantage of a one-time client without them noticing. However, architects also care a lot about their reputation and cannot afford deceitful conduct. Therefore, I once again recommend having contracts reviewed by specialized lawyers; it does not cost much and creates clarity.In the first meeting the architect mentioned that he would initially offer billing based on hourly rates, capped by the HOAI. That is, if HOAI would be cheaper for us, billing would be based on that; if the hourly service is cheaper, it will be billed accordingly. To me, that sounds fair at first. Now I wonder whether there is anything legally to be considered here?
You once hinted that the requirements of the property are not simple. Especially then, an exciting building with high utility value can be created with a good architect. Good luck!
Regards WD