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 |  | Low: $700-$1,000 |  | Medium: $5,000-$10,000 |  | High: $50,000-$75,000+ |
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Typical costs: | - Architect's fees depend a great deal on the project and the location, and can vary in both amount and type:
- Hourly charges may start at $50-$150 but can go up depending on the type of work (from creating drawings to inspecting a construction site), location, and the architect's training, experience and reputation.
- Fees can also be based on 5 to 15 percent of a project's construction expenses. Designing a 25x25-foot room addition that costs $165,000-$200,000 to build could generate an architect's bill of $8,250-$30,000; using this pricing method, the fee for a $750,000 custom-built new home could be $37,500-$112,500.
- A negotiated flat fee can be as low as $700-$1,000 for up to a specified number of hours spent creating a concept design. Or an architect might agree to design a 25x25-foot room addition for $5,000-$10,000, or a 3,000-square-foot custom home for $50,000-$75,000 or more, no matter what the final construction price is. The architect may charge extra for project-related expenses such as long-distance phone calls, photocopying, soil tests, plant surveys, etc. Negotiated flat fees vary a great deal depending on the local economy.
- Government fees for plan review, building permits, impact charges and design review (or homeowner association fees for similar services) are paid separately by the homeowner and can add $5,000-$15,000 or more to a project.
Related articles: Home Addition, Interior Decorator, Kitchen Cabinets, Bathroom Remodeling
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What should be included: | - According to BetterHomesandGardens.com, an architect develops a design, guides your project through the approval process, refers you to contractors and helps you select the right ones, and oversees the construction to make sure the plans are followed correctly.
- BobVilla.com[1] gives on overview of how to choose the right architect for you and your project. You will work closely with this professional throughout the project; be sure it's a good match.
Shopping for an architect: | - Have a clear idea of how you want to live in your room addition or new house, but let the architect decide the technical details of how best to accomplish those goals. Gather photos of styles and layouts that you like.
- The American Institute of Architects[2] offers a free referral service.
- Get several estimates, making sure you understand exactly what's included in each bid, Interview each architect personally; good "chemistry" between you is important. Find out about their training and experience, and their personal style of design. Ask to see previous projects which are similar to yours in size and type. Understand how each firm will approach your project and who will be working on it. Ask for and contact references.
- The written contract should include the work to be done, a schedule, a construction budget, the architect's fees and exactly what those fees cover, and a payment schedule.
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What People Are Paying - Recent Comments |
| Posted by: a user in Toledo, OH. | Posted: October 7th, 2020 12:10PM |
| Type of Project: Residential | Number of Rooms: 3 |
Paid $500 for Custom home plan for 1200 sq ft Ranch |
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| Posted by: a user in Chapel Hill, NC. | Posted: July 7th, 2017 11:07AM |
| Type of Project: Large renovation | Number of Rooms: |
| Type of Firm: Full Service |
Renovations are trickier than new builds. We're working with a firm for a large scale renovation to our existing house. There will be about 400 ft addition, complete kitchen remodel, new bathroom created in existing footprint, roof remodel and site work.
The cost covers 4 architectural phases.
Phase 1- This includes existing site/conditions survey, analysis with the county, section drawings for initial county permits.
Phase 2- Schematic design & development, construction documents, they'll meet with contractors with us to vet and help select.
Phase 3- Select final design, frame plan, new roof/overhang plan, sheet plan, site drainage, plumbing allocation, mechanical engineering plan, interior elevations, demo plan,
Phase 4- Construction administration |
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| Posted by: a user in san jose, CA. | Posted: November 22nd, 2013 11:11PM |
| Type of Project: 500 sqt build | Number of Rooms: 2 |
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| Posted by: looking for quality at a bargen rate in Long Beach, CA. | Posted: March 15th, 2013 07:03PM |
| Type of Project: New construction | Number of Rooms: 4 |
| Type of Firm: full service |
I'm an employe for city building and planing department and I was looking for an architect, for a while and had a referal was given to me for a designer i just had to meet. He is an architect that is a true master builder, did research on him and very impressed, he graduated from Sci-arch which is the top ranking architectrue school in the world and desgined me a house under budget, spent about 190k, for 2 story house with 4 garage in long beach, ca, he gets jobs only by referals and take on one project at a time. His service includes: all trypical working drawings with structural calculations and title 24 energy calcs. permit/plan check fees are extra, but still was a deal. if you need him is email is [email protected] but his in the Los Angeles area only |
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| Posted by: Heather Mullholland in Lawrence, KS. | Posted: July 25th, 2012 05:07PM |
| Type of Project: Residental | Number of Rooms: 1896sqft |
We paid $50 per hour. The simple house plan took 30 hours to complete. To have our plans printed was $2/page. |
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| Posted by: 2nd story homeowner in san jose, CA. | Posted: April 26th, 2010 03:04PM |
| Type of Project: 2nd story addition | Number of Rooms: 5 |
| Type of Firm: full service |
Had an architect design a 600 sqft addition and remodel of another 300 square feet of area in northern california. This included helping to manage the contractor and full detailed drawings..It would have been about $7 to $10k less without the full drawings and management |
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External Resources: | - www.bobvila.com
- architectfinder.aia.org/
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