Extension tender..Reasonable?

ipri

Hi...we have had an architect sort out an Ext. to kitchen....they said it would be difficult to give accurate price, but suggested at 19sq metres ( £2000)...plus vat ....would be in region of £54,000. We have included central heating to whole house and underfloor heating to new bit since then...but got a shock when cheapest quote came in at....£87k...plus 5% of build cost to architect and VAT...there is a £10k contingency included. I work this to be about £110,000....some difference...and...already paid £8k on architects fees so far!....£118K!!

Does the 5% of build fee to Architect get based on the £87,000?...which includes internal fittings /flooring/ electrics etc.

any help appreciated.

mymedi

You can try to guess-timate costs a priori, but that will always be wrong. It's not really the architect's fault that the costs are that much higher. Partially it is - it was his choice of who to tender with (I'm assuming it was). I'm sure you could get lower quotes if you went with different companies. However, architects usually try to work with good quality people knowing that they will do a good job, so there is safety in that both for them and you!

When you're estimating costs, never factor in architect's fees or a contingency - building costs estimates usually exclude these.
However, even without that your quotes seem quite high to me for a 20sq.m. extension. You should have a sit down with your architect and have him explain why so much and why such a difference...

And, yes, the 5% fee would be off 87K.

theGrinch

if you have time you will find something better i.e. lower profit margin. I took 2-years, then found 2 similar quotes about half of the others with me project managing. The works completed to a very good standard.

£2k per sq metres is quite high, but I guess it depends on the location and finish

PasturesNew

Funny how Kirstie/Phil and the Homes under the Hammer type of programmes always seem to get quotes for work at £15-30k

nicka99

our single storey extension is ~21 sq m and cost ~40k including the old galley kitchen area re-modelled into 3 sections for study, utility and new back door/fridge area. This also included 4k for new boiler, water softener, water main upgrade through driveway, pressurised hw system and underfloor heating for the new part. the rads were not changed in the rest of the house.

price also covered decorating & floor tiling (but not paint & tiles/grout etc) and a new soakaway.

on top of this were the costs of lighting and electrical outlets & switches since we didnt want bog standard white plastic & pendants. then a further 20k for the kitchen & utility supply, fitting & all appliances.

we had 2 other quotes for the building works around a similar price (berks/surrey area)

teneighty

Generally the architect's percentage fee is based on the total cost of the project within the architects scope of works. So if the internal fittings, flooring, electrics etc. are part of the design and shown on the drawings and included in the specification and schedule of works then should be included in the fee calculation. If these are just ancillary works that are being organised by yourself or others then they should not be part of the fee.

An £8k fee for a small domestic extension upto tender stage seems very high, thats one of the reasons I do not believe employing a registered architect for small domestic projects is cost effective. However, its now time they earnt that high fee and explain to you why their pre-tender estimate was over 62% undervalue and what can be done to obtain some more reasonable tender returns. £87k for a 19 square metre extension is extremely high, did the architect specify gold plated bricks?

southcoastrgi

£8k on architects fees before a spade has touched the ground, he didn't see you coming did he, i hope you have asked how he has justified those costs

mymedi

In my experience, architects usually front-load their fees charging most of it before construction stage and then gradually earn it (or not...)

southcoastrgi

at the rate he is charging he will pocket £12k for a basic extension, to say he is ripping off the OP is a major understatement

mymedi

southcoastrgi wrote: »

at the rate he is charging he will pocket £12k for a basic extension, to say he is ripping off the OP is a major understatement

Technically, he's not. Standard RIBA(?) recommended fees range between 10-15% of the construction budget, which for the quoted budget would give you 9-13K in fees. So, it's totally fine for the existing situation.

Another matter is why the build is so expensive and why so much of the fees were charged upfront...

Mind you, I'm not saying these fees are justified or that you cannot get it done cheaper. You obviously can if you look around. But I think the OP is well past that point.

System

it does seems expensive, both in fees and construction costs - however since the op hasn't given us any idea of the complexity involved, location, any technical issues etc etc, and the only people that have seen the documents are pricing it high - to me anyway, suggests that there is some complexity to the job, or that the op is in an area with higher than average skilled labour costs