FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

In a significant number of countries around the world, the title “Architect” is not a legally protected professional designation, so – especially for many residential projects up to a certain size – architect’s involvement is not necessary and you could as well hire a designer or a trained draftsperson who should be perfectly capable of producing all the drawings required to submit your planning application. And you could save maybe a couple of thousand dollars/euros/pounds! To be fair, if you are doing small renovations, extensions or cosmetic upgrades, using a design-build firm might perfectly do the job.

But let’s think of this question from a slight different perspective that goes beyond the mere production of drawings – what are the costs of NOT engaging an architect?

Whether you are planning to build a new 5-star hotel for your business or a small seaside villa for your family, your investment in construction or property development deserves proper consideration to ensure the building meets certain industry standards and also to maximise your return on investment. Some of these returns are very tangible and measurable – improved profitability, reduced costs, increased revenue and production output… Others, like user behaviour, staff engagement or place-making, can be more difficult to quantify.

Design mistakes can be costly and painful to fix. Imagine ending up with a building that has an awkward room layout and wasted space, bad proportions with windows and structural columns in the wrong place. Bob the Builder loves to overbuild “just to be safe”, makes decisions on the fly and uses more material than needed. Architect’s designs, on the other hand, can help you use your space in a more optimal and logical way, get more mileage for your money (both short and long term), enhance the image of your company (or the social status of your family), raise brand awareness and even serve as an advertisement of your business but, more importantly – they decrease your risk. Costly mistakes, delays and decision fatigue and stress can be prevented by having access to quality building documentation, risk management and expert project coordination with consultants – engineers such as structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, exterior envelope – all this is an inseparable part of the services architects provide. Some costs are actually investments.

Architects typically use one of several fee structures, depending on the type, level of complexity and construction budget of the project – either a percentage of the construction costs (ranging between 3-15%) or a per square metre rate. Many firms these days also charge by the hour, especially for smaller jobs. All these fee methods have one major disadvantage for you as a buyer — they don’t give you the full picture of how the bottom line will look like in the end, as there might be additional non-transparent costs and fees.

That is why we prefer to offer our clients clear, fixed prices as a lump-sum — not estimates — up front wherever possible, so we will never go over your budget and you won’t be left with a feeling that you are being taken advantage of. Our fees are based on the value of the outcome we provide and the ultimate goal of the project, and not on the actual number of drawings (and other deliverables or features) we will be producing for your project.

The total architectural fee is distributed between the following three main phases but the project is usually broken into many more smaller stages and milestones:
Programming and Schematic Design: 30%
Design Development: 35%
Construction Documents: 35%

Understandably, clients always want a timeline in order to be able to better plan their development project.
As we work on unique projects with wide variety of programmes and sizes, it is difficult to give you a standard answer. In general, the full design package of a house, for example, usually takes 2-4 months, all depending on revisions and coordination, whereas as a project for a mid-size multifamily residential building would take twice as long to complete. In any case, we will be keeping you updated on a regular basis and at every stage along the way so you always know where exactly we are in the process.

The short answer is “no”. This sounds more like a drafting-only exercise and a skilled draftsperson might actually be a better fit for your current needs and, they will also cost you less, much less. We’d be more than happy to recommend someone who can help you out. You see, architecture isn’t just about producing drawings — it’s a process of problem-solving, creative design thinking, and technical coordination and supervision. And it is also about good taste and elegance. The plans are simply the outcome of that process. If you’re open to full architectural services that go beyond drafting, we would be glad to discuss your ideas and vision to see if we are a good fit.

Yes. There many different ways we can do business together that don’t necessary include a monetary transaction and that can help you dramatically reduce your investment risk and costs. Sometimes we do pro bono work or we barter for our professional services. Drop us a line if you’d like to discuss non-standard business opportunities of such nature.

For our first conversation you don’t need to prepare a lot of information actually. Some basic site and location information (if you already have a plot of land), ideally a few site photos… But what we would really love to know is more about your goals – what you are aiming to achieve with the project, what is your desired outcome. How urgent and how important is the project for you and your family or business.

The main goal of this first contact would be to start a normal human conversation and to discover whether we are a good fit. As projects can take years to complete, the interpersonal chemistry is very important in this business, as we will be spending a lot of time together either in person or on the phone and no one want to be stuck with a person they don’t like working with.

Yes, we give a 100% guarantee on our work, namely, that the project will be delivered according to our highest professional standards and it meets all regulation and zoning requirement.