Architect fees for home renovation

Doozergirl

You're right, I only read the massive cost as a measured survey!

I'd expect party wall surveyors fees alone might come to that though, if there's an award. The planning and building control fees are easily obtained though.

TrixA

Doozergirl wrote: »

Google?

I've had positive experience working with Boyer Planning in London but I didn't pay the bill

Is that why it was refused then, because people thought it was a PD and just wanted a certificate of lawful development then?

No, it was refused because our designer cut corners. Long story, probably not worth going into as just thinking about him makes my blood pressure rise :mad:

TELLIT01

Using a friend of a friend is also a potentially risky strategy. If things start to go wrong your friend could end up in the middle of the battle, and getting blamed by both sides for things going wrong.

starving_artist

You could try the RIBA's Find An Architect service and mention your budget for both the build costs and fees and see what response you get.

Alternatively some design and build companies offer planning services although I can't suggest anything better than google as a way to find one.

mateja87

1) Does this quote seem fair given the size and scope of the project? - Yes I think so.
2) The architect is including the initial site visit in the first stage of the project - so we would have to agree to engage him before we actually meet him face-to-face. Am I being unreasonable in wanting him to visit and see the house before we commit to working with him? I was wondering if we could ask him to split out the cost of an initial visit and design discussion, and we can decide whether to proceed further on the basis of that conversation. Is that a reasonable thing to ask and how much would be reasonable to pay for this initial visit, I was thinking around £200? - Usually most architects do an initial visit for free or charge a small consultation fee.

Overall, I think the architects fees are quite reasonable for a refurbishment in London with a value of £125k. Fees for a refurbishment are usually higher, as they are more complex. A fee of 3.6% (if that is correct) is actually low - I imagine when you add in the fees for construction phases you may be closer to 6-8%. If you have concerns, you could agree some initial feasibility studies on an hourly rate before committing to something or get a fee from another architect.

Also, check your local planning for website for architects that have done work nearby, as they may have done a similar job.

Hope this helps!
Matt (an architect)