David_haswell

Hi Gus Thank you for that detailed response. I gather then that the architect does add value by giving me insurance if something goes wrong with the contractor. Is it also fair to say if I find a good contractor to begin with the contractor would have skills to work around building control without the need of the architect. How I view it is if the Architect is recommending contractors that they have worked with before they must have had positive experiences with them in the past to continue using them. So if I go direct to the same contractors as the architect has used previously I should expect plain sailing ahead? Is it possible for me to purchase an off the shelf contract template that I could complete with the contractor cutting out the architect? When first speaking with the architect I was given the RIBA plan of work. But I have not heard anything about CDM regulations. I think I would be more comfortable if I could negotiate with the architect the 12% fee @ a fixed £100k as that was the original budget. If my quotes come back at £130k I save the 12% on the £30k.

The architect is keen the get the tenders out and they have been contacting the contractors. I have all the contractors details myself. I actually still need the architect as they have submitted the plans for building control approval. But once I receive the building control approval should I just ditch the architect and handle the tendering process myself? I spoke with the QS and he told me to get rid of the architect and let the main contractor project manage as has been suggested here. The QS told me they will do a price list out for a fee. I am wondering should I let the QS quote me for the materials and if he is only charging say £1k go with him. Or would you suggest I get the cost estimate online?

I am about to go out to tender on a revised house extension with a budget of roughly £120k which will include significant garden works. I have already paid the architect for full building control approval which has passed. I have arranged for the architect to "project manage the build", for which they charge 12% (10% + 2% VAT). No where do does the architect actually say that they will project manage the build. What their job will involve will be being the go between between myself and the main contractor. Their role on site will be to make sure the contractor follows their plans correctly and uses the materials they have specified. They are missing the financial side of things and with their percentage fee do not have much motivation to help keep costs down. I have already spent a considerable sum with the architect especially with the changes I have made with the plans. My main worry is if I use the architect with their preferred contractors costs will spiral out of control. I feel the architect loves fancy projects and does not seem to pay much attention to actual costs. I had a set budget in mind but towards the end of the design stage the architect informed me that they thought the costs would exceed my budget. In the end I took the decision myself to reduce costs and did a large redesign for which the architect charged me £65 an hour. Having spoken with a friend who has had a recent bad experience with a builder they advised me to get a quantity surveyor on board to help keep costs down and for them to negotiate with contractors to make sure contractors were not taking the micky. They advised me to get the whole job priced up with the quantity surveyor before I put it out to tender. They also advised that I should try and lower my fees with the architect if I also bring on a quantity surveyor on board. I do not really want to be paying both an architect and a quantity surveyor as well as the high prices a main contractor is likely to charge. I am wondering what to do. Do I just ditch the architect altogether and get a quantity surveyor to project manage instead? Is there any likely hood the architect will agree to lowering their fees if responsibly is shared with a quantity surveyor? Can a quantity surveyor replace the architect at the build stage as they would likely have a lot of the architect skills but with the added benefit of knowing how much everything will cost. Many thanks

That is exactly my thinking. I have had very direct interest from two girls I met at a autism meetup group. One is 9 years older than myself. The other is 4 years younger. The older woman I do not find attractive unless she applies her makeup well. The younger girl is attractive but is small and very overweight and I feel I would want her to lose the weight which is unfair on her. I am not one to judge but I have considered asking the older woman on a date. She already owns her own house, the younger girl rents. Neither of them are on the spectrum themselves. I guess I am a good looking fellow but find it very difficult to know when a girl is interested in me unless it is made VERY obvious over a long period of time. The two girls I met on a once in a month group basis so I guess I have good odds of attracting a partner if I get out and socialise. I have not properly socialised in over a decade due to work commitments which are ending soon. I guess I could frame my conversations with women with the opportunity to develop a lovely house to live in together? The issue is I do not ever want children and I could be considered emotionally unstable and deeply paranoid which are not attractive traits unless I can find someone who shares those same traits.

I have a feeling it will cost £150k all in. The trouble is the back garden is going to be surrounded by a reclaimed brick wall. There will be a patio and also a number of planters. That hardscaping alone I can imagine costing £30k and that is just for the back garden. You then have the probably £7k aluminium patio sliding doors, the roof light will be a few k as well. Underfloor heating going into the living/kitchen/dinning area. The heating will have TRVs in the utility room meaning double the pipework for all of the the radiators. The kitchen is being custom made and probably with a £20k price tag. I have yet to put it out to tender as I am scared at what prices I will receive back. I have the budget to pay for what ever it costs but I probably need to re access my life right now before proceeding. For example I am single and this house would be far too large for myself. I probably need to spend a year looking for a partner and see what they would advise. Though with Aspergers it is very difficult to find a girlfriend. Another option is to remain single and let out a bedroom as an airbnb. The renovated property would make the perfect airbnb really. I think the biggest difficulty would be keeping the place clean. I have very poor executive functioning skills.

The email was titled Brief summary and proposed services, there were no terms and conditions attached. There was no mention of standard form of appointment in the email. My follow up email began with, "I would gladly use your services, Parts A,B & C." Does this mean I am in the clear to cut ties with the architect without fear of being sued for the remainder of the 10% @ £75k.

I have not received an appointment document. At least not via email. I could have been posted one at the beginning but I can't remember now it was that long ago. Surely the fact I have no email copy of it and all of our communication has been via email gives me some hope of exiting early with no extra fees to pay.

The architect is adopting the RIBA plan of Work contract structure. https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/resources-landing-page/riba-plan-of-work I would need to search that for how early termination of contract is handled.

Please see the text below for more details on the fees So from reading that my understanding is the architect would be providing the role of principle designer. I did not know about the CDM 2016 regulations. The architect makes it sounds like I have to use them by law to take care of health and safety responsibilities. I assume the architect would be leaving the project management side of things to the principle contractor. If you read the extra proposed services attached text I have attached it appears that the 10% of construction cost is in Part C which is separate from Parts A & B. So of the £6,875 I have paid the architect £4,750 of this is not included in the 10% fee. In my sums earlier I had included the kitchen in my 10% calculation, but now understand I can exclude the kitchen as the architect had minimal impact on its design. So If we take 10% of a final construction cost of £100k we get £10k excluding VAT. If we then take the £2125 I have already paid towards Part C that means I would have to pay the architect an extra £9,450 including VAT to complete part C. £9,450 is still one hell of a saving in my opinion.

I guess I could tender the project myself as I have everything I need. This is the list of documents I have. Detailed building control drawings Electrical layout including all plugs and lighting Very detailed kitchen design that I did myself Very detailed garden design that I did myself Structural engineers drawings for landscaping and house 40 page schedule of works drawn up by the architect explaining exactly what needs done and when Detailed drawings of all interior carpentry Detailed drawings of both bathroom layouts I am unsure on kickbacks but I have heard it can happen and not something I would want to risk. I do believe I have overdeveloped the house though and after its complete if I were to sell would probably lose £50k - £70k. The best house currently on the street is worth around £300k. With my house I would be adding the extra 9.78m2 ground floor extension enabling me to add a utility room and have a much bigger kitchen and a second shower compared to the £300k house. No idea if that adds much more value on to £300k though.

From speaking to someone who used the architect to project manage their build they appear on site once or twice a week to make sure the builder is following the architect's plans. To me that does not seem worth the 12% fee. BTW it was me who added the numbers. I guess the annoying thing is I have wasted some money on part paying for the project management stage. I can see why they made the payment this way so if you do pull out your penalised.

Should I at least get the three quotes from their chosen contractors? Also if I part company with the architect can they sue me for not completing the contract? I did not sign any pieces of paper but emails are still legally binding contracts and I had agreed they would project manage the build.

I plan to renovate a relatively small three bedroom terraced house. The renovation consists of a 19.25 m2 two story infill yard extension and a back single story 9.78 m2 extension which will have wall to wall sliding doors and a glazed roof. I will be creating a separate downstairs toilet/shower room & utility room within the existing non extended house. For the garden I will be creating a reclaimed brick boundary wall, patio area with a wooden pergola and raised planters. Please see the below before and after plans to get a better idea of what I hope to achieve. I have worked with an architect who has gained building control approval and have agreed via email for the architect to project manage the build. The architect is charging 10% of the final construction cost for project management plus 2% VAT on top. The architect has only recently become VAT registered so I will be paying VAT for the project management having not expected to when I initially signed up with the architect. I have paid the architect £6,875 to date, this amount excludes VAT as no VAT was applicable at the time of the invoices. There is £375 outstanding on the tender process as I have put a hold to it while I wait for the covid situation to become clear. Please see the image below for the break down of costs so far. I seem to have been invoiced for 1/3rd the projected cost of the project management fee. I have a feeling from speaking with the architect that my final build cost will be £140,000. Since my pause on the project I have had time to reflect and I am wondering if I would be better project managing the build myself to save on the remaining 12% fee the architect would be charging me. I have no building experience but have a friend who has some experience when it comes to building work. I have also decided to make use of the Empty building reduced rate VAT scheme. This would save me 15% in VAT if I did the build through a single contractor. The building has not been lived in for a year so I would only have to wait one more year to start the build. I have Aspergers so I am wondering would I be suited to project management. My ability to be detailed and analytic would be my strengths but my weaknesses would be the social aspect of interacting with the various trades in person. From my rough calculations based on a final build cost of £140k including fittings/garden/kitchen my architect would be getting a cut of £110k from that total. This would amount to £13.2k minus the £2,125 I have already paid would give a potential total saving of £11,075 if I project managed the build myself. I have a few worries on ditching the architect. 1. Can the architect sue me for the remainder of the project management fee? as I agreed via email for them to carry out the project management. 2. Do I own the building control plans? I am also wondering should I pay the remaining £375 of the final invoice to get the architect to provide quotes from their list of contractors. Once I receive the quotes from them I could then inform the architect I no longer need them to project manage the build. I do worry about kickbacks the architect would be getting from their chosen list of contractors but I believe this would break the Architects code of conduct. Many thanks