ETC

Water off a duck's back @saveasteading @Dave Jones- sh*t advice - as usual.

Both correct!! Beautiful building but far far too many people inside and outside in the plaza. Inside it’s quite bland - the cathedral in Bologna is much nicer and quieter. €30 to climb the Duomo but fully booked this week. Ponte Vecchio wasn’t too far away but again heaving with tourists.

Very bad advice.

I'm not practicing at the moment - so no. On a flip side - how may members on here actually know who the governing body is for architects, (big hint - it is not the RIBA) what the difference is between an architect and an architectural designer is? or if members know that they can complain to our governing body about the service they get.

What about vets fees?.........................listen to Jeremy Vine about the subject - some people paying in excess of £10k!!!!

I give up!

Doesn't comply - forget it!

Rubbish.

According to @Dave Jones you can get a design for £1000 and construction drawings can be done in half a day. Don’t tell anyone but I’ve got this big red button on my laptop that when pushed will spit out a complete set of working drawings in about 10 seconds! I really think some people need to be shown the detail needed for a proper set of construction drawings and the time it takes to do them not to mention the years tracing required to get to that level of competence.

Me too. My wife is still waiting for the big bucks after all these years!

I once met a guy on site who boasted to me that he’d paid his architect peanuts and went on to tell me how much he’d spent on his heated drive! He had his priorities sorted.

7 years @Big Jimbo 7 long and hard years!!! And thanks for the kind words. I continue to work in the background helping where I can.

Lol. Just stirring the pot. As others have said just cut the brick at the bearing points only - you won’t need to do the whole row just the length of the required bearing for the lintel. Level up with cut bricks and mortar or cast in an insitu padstone for the lintel.

Firstly fire the bricklayer. Secondly take the brick down and start again this time with a proper level string line.

Rubbish.

Very very cheap. Please share where you can get a design for £1000 and construction drawings for an extra £250-£300.

And if the costs came in lower?

I agree wholeheartedly - the higher the cost estimate the higher the fee. No incentive to design something cost effective.

Never ever agree on a percentage fee - it’s a lazy way to determine a fee. Get them to actually work out what it will cost them to do the work.

I am very sorry to hear of your experience - it really isn’t - or shouldn’t be the norm. You should have determined your contract with them and made a complaint to ARB and RIAS. There is no place for incompetence in the profession. Smacks of inexperience to me.