Building a small extension Architect or Not

Staplor

I'm looking to add a very small single story extension to my L Shaped kitchen to square it off, not much more than 3 metres x 5 metres the building will be somewhere below 20K, it's not a major job, do people think I should I get an architect or not? If so what would their costs be.

BryanF

Staplor wrote: »

I'm looking to add a very small single story extension to my L Shaped kitchen to square it off, not much more than 3 metres x 5 metres the building will be somewhere below 20K, it's not a major job, do people think I should I get an architect or not? If so what would their costs be.

less than a F*-up or mad variation in costs by a builder:)
from 3 lines of text id be foolish to answer this... but imo no more than few hundred quid, what you seem to be saying is 'how much for a tender/construct dwg and some spec. BUT first what you would need to work out is whether planning is required, and if will the rest of the house actually requires more work than expected..

Staplor

Thanks for the response, there's no PP required. It's very straight forward from what the builders have told me, I've heard horror stories from my sister about the costs going up and up without an architect and am wondering what the general advice would be.

sinnerboy

Tricky one.

A small project badly done can cause a lot of headaches and ideally should have an Architect.

However even a reasonable fee for an architect of say €1,000.00 will constitute a large % of the overall spend.

For this reason Architects are rarely involved in such small scale works ( other than for friends and relatives )

Staplor

Thanks for that, I was wondering why the one or two I had rang were quite cool about the project, I whould have though work's work. But if they aren't usually involved I can understand that.

sinnerboy

From an Architects point of view small projects can have a disproportionate amount of work for them. The required time and therefore fee means they are priced out. In the absence of an architect try your best to seek out the most reliable and honest builder possible. Don't seek the only the cheapest.

mal_1

Staplor wrote: »

Thanks for that, I was wondering why the one or two I had rang were quite cool about the project, I whould have though work's work. But if they aren't usually involved I can understand that.

Put out the request here for recommendations in your area.

martinn123

There are many Contractors who are capable, to build an extention, to an agreed spec, and budget. Previous works, references etc should be checked obviously.

If however the works involve structural changes to the existing house, or works adjoining a boundary with your neighbour, you might be recommended to at least consult an Architect before you commence.

You might also want a Cert. of Compliance with Building Reg's and a Cert that Planning is not required, should you consider selling the home in the future. In this case expect to pay for 3 site visits, and pay 4-600.

While 1000 is over the top, an Architect paying 3 site visits, for Certs should not charge too much extra to keep an eye on the project.

I am not including drawings, tender, doc's etc,

you are right, work is work, and an underemployed Architect should be grateful to generate some additional income.

sinnerboy

I suppose if the project was very , very simple no drawings would be required. Personally I would always prepare a drawing and perhaps a spec before works to make sure that all parties know precisely what they are signing up to - including whats in the price and whats not. Much much easier to avoid conflicts later.

So 2 days can easily be eaten up with client meeting , measure up , draw , meet again , revise drawing . Very , very often clients change their mind you know , even on the smallest projects.

€1000.00 time / fee can soon be eaten up / earned by the Architect please let me assure you. But the truth is as I have said the vast , vast majority simply get the builder in . It often works out fine - it often does not.

wirehairmax

Im a Project Manager/Building contractor, and I much prefer working on a project with an Architect involved. I would say a good Architect adds value to a project so you have to ask yourself can you justify and/or afford their fee. That said, your proposed project may be a bit on the small side to employ an Architect who would find it hard to justify his/her fee in the overall cost of the project especially if there is no planning permissions involved. For a small project in which there is no Architectural involvement, I normally like to prepare a basic set of CAD drawings and specification for construction and contract purposes after quoting on the customers specification. This way the customer knows from the start what they are getting and stays within budget. Choose your builder carefully.

janmc

sinnerboy wrote: »

Very , very often clients change their mind you know , even on the smallest projects.

I'd add about 10 more 'very's to that sentence

OP It might still be worth another couple of calls to architects/technicians as someone who doesn't have much on at the moment would possibly do it to try and get their name out there. Plus you will probably need a cert of compliance for your records and will have to pay for that anyway.

Staplor

Thanks to all for the advice