Problem with Architect

Mach Two

Is there anywhere I can make a complaint about an architect.

BryanF

https://www.ccpc.ie/consumers/?gclid=CI6jkpTj2tYCFYqT7Qod9IAEFA

DOCARCH

Is the architect registered?

And....what's the problem? A problem shared....:)

Mach Two

Would appeared to have sent in drawing to the local county council for planning knowing that it would not get planning. Purely as a means to extract more money out of us. Drawing had to be changed and resubmitted. I presume that he is registered. Having said that registered with whom.

DOCARCH

https://www.riai.ie/register/the_register_of_architects

If not on that register, then they are not an architect.

Gumbo

Mach Two wrote: »

Would appeared to have sent in drawing to the local county council for planning knowing that it would not get planning. Purely as a means to extract more money out of us. Drawing had to be changed and resubmitted. I presume that he is registered. Having said that registered with whom.

How would he know if it was going to be refused or not?
You don't even get that kind of information at Pre-Planning meetings.

Mach Two

DOCARCH wrote: »

Is the architect registered?


He was in court on the behalf of a client at one stage. Would that be of any assistance to know if he is registered.

Mach Two

kceire wrote: »

How would he know if it was going to be refused or not?
You don't even get that kind of information at Pre-Planning meetings.

That's a bit of a catch 22 situation. I would presume that if you have a lot of experience at your job you would know the ins and outs of the business like the back of your hand.

server down

Mach Two wrote: »

That's a bit of a catch 22 situation. I would presume that if you have a lot of experience at your job you would know the ins and outs of the business like the back of your hand.

Planning been rejected and resubmitted is common enough. Councils have different interpretations too.

Mach Two

DOCARCH wrote: »

https://www.riai.ie/register/the_register_of_architects

If not on that register, then they are not an architect.

I cannot find the architect on the list for the county. They advertise themselves as architects and chartered building surveyors.

BryanF

Mach Two wrote: »

Would appeared to have sent in drawing to the local county council for planning knowing that it would not get planning. Purely as a means to extract more money out of us. Drawing had to be changed and resubmitted. I presume that he is registered. Having said that registered with whom.

So when he resubmitted what was the associated design change and cost?

Mach Two

Modification to the front of the house. A stairwell. Maybe some other minor changes. €1200.

Metric Tensor

If I'm correct you got a "Request for Further Information" from the council and the architect charged you 1200 euro to prepare the relevant drawings and submit a response?

Is your issue that the 1200 was too high for this service or is there some problem with the service itself either at pre planning or further information stage?

Gumbo

Mach Two wrote: »

That's a bit of a catch 22 situation. I would presume that if you have a lot of experience at your job you would know the ins and outs of the business like the back of your hand.

Ha ha
There are many of us here that would know a lot about the planning and development act. And between us all, have probably 100’s of applications of experience. There’s one thing that you can never count on, and thats planners in the planning system. Not to tar them all with the same
Brush, but planning is subjective and one planner might grant something that another would not. And then senior planners can over rule lower level planners. Then the city planner could over rule them all.

Mach Two wrote: »

Modification to the front of the house. A stairwell. Maybe some other minor changes. €1200.

This is a good position to be in. It means the council are considering your application to be ok.

You can’t be serious in wanting to report an architect because the council issued a FI request. These get issued every day of the week.

BryanF

Mach Two wrote: »

Is there anywhere I can make a complaint about an architect.

Have you talked to the arch ? Did they explain the planning process ?

Mach Two

BryanF wrote: »

Have you talked to the arch ? Did they explain the planning process ?

Yes. When he produces a drawing that looks like as if there is a N.Korean I.C.B.M. attached to the front of it you would have to question it.

BryanF

Mach Two wrote: »

Yes. When he produces a drawing that looks like as if there is a N.Korean I.C.B.M. attached to the front of it you would have to question it.

So architect explained planning process.

Did you query design before planning went in?

Or after Council requested additional info?

assuming re-design was caused by council additional info request, It sounds like the arch did their job and you have no case.

Mach Two

I queried the design before it went in. The architect said that it would probably be OK. I personally reckoned that it would not.

BryanF

Mach Two wrote: »

I queried the design before it went in. The architect said that it would probably be OK. I personally reckoned that it would not.

Did you Reckon this out loud?

And you brought this up when arch looked for 1200 for additional info resubmission?

What was the response?

368100

I had exactly the same thing. Mine submitted a design that was never getting through, contradicted rural housing guidlines. I relied on him for this, as he was local and very experienced and a friend of the family.

I ended up reasearching the guidlines, consulting the planners and sketched a house plan in accordance with them. He ignored my phone calls for months trying to get him to do this.

So eventually when the hard work was done he drew the revised plans properly and it went straight through. Then he landed an invoice for double what he quoted because of the 2 applications. €3k a piece. I paid him 3k and told him where to go but I'm still dealing with errors he made on plans with site plan not matching the front and side elevations, front door omitted.

To add injury to insult, he was taken on to design another 2 houses on the same road and used my design that I had researched as he knew it would go through. So he got 3 sets of design fees for sometching he did damn all for.

I wouldn't have been bothered reporting him but it's a small local area and I make sure if im asked to paint the true picture about him. Well within my rights to do that given the above.

Edit: oh and he decided to drag the issue up 6 months later at my mother's funeral so he's not friend of the family any more

Mach Two

The architect is getting well paid to do the job correctly. He is a professional and on a professionals income. It is not my place to intervene. If you were at the dentist would you start telling him how to do his/her job.

DvB

Mach Two wrote: »

The architect is getting well paid to do the job correctly. He is a professional and on a professionals income. It is not my place to intervene. If you were at the dentist would you start telling him how to do his/her job.

I'd certainly voice my concern if I felt the treatment was going in a direction I was unhappy with.

If the process was explained and he talked you through the design prior to submittal & you didn't communicate clearly you had reservations & were aware of the application subsequently being lodged I'm struggling to see where he has been negligent in his duties. He's an Architect, not a mind reader, without input from the end user/client architects are to an extent designing in a vacuum and could produce a design completely at odds with what you require if a proper brief has not been prepared. The fact the planners haven't rejected the application outright & have requested further information suggests the design has some merit, so it cant have been that outrageous to start with as you suggest.

You can lodge a complaint to the RIAI, but based on what you have presented here there's not much to suggest he has a genuine case to answer.