Archictect Failure

RSAudi

Hi all, Has anyone ever fired an Archictect?? I have asked my Archictect to design a contemporary style house but all of his ideas are dreadful. I have lost all confidence in him..I did not sign a contract just paid an initial retainer. Am I within my rights to fire him at this stage?

aidan_walsh

If there is no contract and you are not happy with his work I don't see why not.

actuallylike

Reminds me of an architect my dad had to fire years ago (more like kick out on his arse!). He had a building in town that he wanted to make into some sort of a medical centre (GP on one floor, dentist on another, physio on another, etc.) so he got an architect to do up an initial plan. Architect came back with a plan and after looking at it, my dad sheepishly enquired

"sorry, but I don't see any toilets"

to which the architect responded straight faced

"you never asked me for toilets"

RSAudi

I guess I am wondering how many chances do I give him, and when do I finally say thats enough! My next problem will then be trying to find one that fullfills my expectations of an Archictect.. someone with Imagination and clever yet simple design concepts.. Is this too much to ask??

looksee

I employed an architect and agreed that he would draw up initial plans, then if it was feasible in terms of costing etc he would get planning permission and draw up the detailed plants.

He did the initial plans which we paid for, and he gave us a written estmate of the cost, on which we said he should go ahead and do the next phase. However when he tried to find a builder they all laughed at him and said that the actual cost would be two and a half times greater than the estimate he had given us. We had anticipated the estimate might be say 20% low, and were prepared for that, but we could not take the costings the builders were offering.

He then suggested we should pay for the full plans that he was working on, but we refused on the gounds that they were not fit for purpose. He argued a bit, but I consulted a solicitor and he said we were well within our rights.

If you are looking for a particular style or approach, OP, you should ask to see previous work by the architect and see if you can find one sympathetic to your requirements. Only engage in one meeting initially and pay for one or two meetings (the first one might well be free) as you go, until you find someone you can work with.

I think you have some obligation towards your architect, as the fact that you asked him to go ahead suggested that you accepted the type of work he did. You are not saying that the plans are bad, just that they are boring, which is a very subjective thing. I think maybe you should talk to him before you waste any more time, but I would think he would be entitled to some payment.

antoinolachtnai

Well, if it's just not going to work out, the sooner you get him to stop working on the thing and find an architect you are happy with, the better for everyone. It may be just a matter of taste. Or maybe your expectations are unrealistic. Or he might just be not that good.

Unfortunately, there are few truly great architects. There are even fewer great architects working on one-off domestic projects. It just isn't a profitable business for a great architect.

I'd see if you can find a way bring this whole thing to an end as amicably as possible.

Sponge Bob

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

Unfortunately, there are few truly great architects. There are even fewer great architects working on one-off domestic projects. It just isn't a profitable business for a great architect.

You could always give the Borg a ring instead of an architect, they do be assimilating in Crumlin

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/property/2010/0429/1224269269706.html

Grumpypants

RSAudi wrote: »

Hi all, Has anyone ever fired an Archictect?? I have asked my Archictect to design a contemporary style house but all of his ideas are dreadful. I have lost all confidence in him..I did not sign a contract just paid an initial retainer. Am I within my rights to fire him at this stage?

You can change at any stage you may loose some money.

But did you give him any more instructions about what you want than just asking him to design a contemporary house. Maybe you should draw up some sketches or get some pics of things you like and give them to him so he has an idea of what you are looking for rather than expecting him to read your mind.

It must be very flustrating for him to go away design a house and come back only for you to knock back all his idea's. By the sound of things he has gone away and redesigned the whole house a few times so is probably already loosing money on the job just to get it. If i was him id have pulled out of the deal he will struggle to make money working with a client that doesnt know what they want.

RSAudi

Your name is quite as grumpypants?!!
Quite the opposite in fact, I know exactly what I want but he is just unable to transfer it into a 2D design, not to mention giving him an exact brief and many images and sketches.. if he was anywhere near the mark that would be a start but he is miles off! I am of the opinion I am paying for a Heart Surgeon but in return getting a Tree Surgeon. Many thanks for all your worthwhile and constructive feedback!!

eth0_

Sponge Bob wrote: »

You could always give the Borg a ring instead of an architect, they do be assimilating in Crumlin

Oh my god. I cannot believe that thing is real! How on earth did they get planning permission for that abomination of an extension? Can you imagine living next door to that house?

Grumpypants

Id go to someone else then. If you have drawn what you want and he cant copy that to a 2D drawings then he isnt much of an Architect. Didnt mean to come across too Grumpy!:D its just your posts sounded like you told him to design you a contempory house then when he did you didnt like it. If i had known you designed the house for him then thats a different matter. In this case i would skip the Architect altogether. They do very little anyway. Get a good engineer to help you it will get you what you want and save you a fortune in lost fees to Architects.

MunsterCycling

eth0_ wrote: »

Oh my god. I cannot believe that thing is real! How on earth did they get planning permission for that abomination of an extension? Can you imagine living next door to that house?

Exactly what I was thinking, WTF were the planning dept on when they approved that!