We thought we could whittle down architectural fees to somewhere around $16K for plans for whole house remodel. But it ended up being closer to $35K once you factor in costs for utility drawings and electrical drawings. The $35K is what other architects quoted us originally and they were basically right

We spent $5k for a 200 sq ft addition and kitchen remodel.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. I think my sticker shock on this is probably a good barometer if we can afford the project all together. I would hate to spend $20k just for the builder to tell us we can’t do the project with our total budget and then it’s $20k down the drain.

Usually at about halfway through, there will be enough detail to get very solid pricing. Then if the price is right and you want go ahead, you pay the architect the second half (ish) of the fee to do the permit and construction drawings. Not that paying $8K-$10K just to find our that you can't do the project is great either, but better than $20K.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. I think my sticker shock on this is probably a good barometer if we can afford the project all together. I would hate to spend $20k just for the builder to tell us we can’t do the project with our total budget and then it’s $20k down the drain.

You don't need to pay the full architectural fee to be able to get ball park estimates from builders. You basically need to get to the Schematic Design (SD) phase to get a set together that makes sense for builders to price. If that ballpark estimate is acceptable then the architect can proceed to put together the permit set of drawings and hire the structural engineer for the project. But you will need to invest some money to get as built drawings done of your existing house and get to the SD phase.

Thanks all. I think my sticker shock on this is probably a good barometer if we can afford the project all together. I would hate to spend $20k just for the builder to tell us we can’t do the project with our total budget and then it’s $20k down the drain.

Anonymous wrote:We spent 18K for our entire new home. That’s including the mechanical, electrical and building plans- and included revisions needed through the permitting process. We decided to do an hourly rate with the architect.

This was in DC? I do not see how this is possible.

15% of construction costs for us in NWDC. Will be close to $40k when all is said and done.

I would not think of it in terms of price per sq. ft.

I would think in terms of a percent of construction.

That said there is wide variability based upon scope of work.

Are you hiring an Architect that mainly works with Builders and drafts minimal plans that lack interior elevations and details or

Are you going to want everything detailed.

Are they going to help you with the bid process ? construction admin ?

From a percentage basis I have seen fees range from 8% to 18%.

Depending upon what is exactly contained in the drawing set the initial quote of 20k seems fair.

Look for a small one person shop, you can probably cut that estimate in half.

We spent 18K for our entire new home. That’s including the mechanical, electrical and building plans- and included revisions needed through the permitting process. We decided to do an hourly rate with the architect.

We will likely end up in the $12K-$15K range for a sub-500 square foot addition.

Ours typically caps fees at around 15% of the construction cost.

We are on track to probably spend 25K and are not doing as much as you. We interviewed multiple architects and did not pick the most expensive one.

Anyone?

What is the ballpark price per square foot for stamped architectural plans? Had an architect come out this week for a 1,500 square food addition - adding a 2nd floor - and were quoted $20k. Feels a bit high but we have no frame of reference.