Make room for an architect




'A lot of people would be surprised at how little an architect may charge,' says Angus Macdonald, director of practice at the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (Rias). 'Someone told me recently that a car mechanic was charging £75 an hour, and I think many architects, particularly in the domestic sector, charge considerably less than that.'

Nevertheless, many people remain daunted by the thought of engaging an architect and by issues such as where you find the right one, how you brief them, and what they actually do.

The first step is to make a shortlist. The Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) and Rias websites have free client advisory services, which suggest three or more architects for a project, based on location, the type of property and period, and the style (traditional/contemporary/ cutting-edge).

'Clients find us through various means,' says Andrew Budgen of architects SpacelabUK, which designed a timber and glass house on Grand Designs. 'The people on Grand Designs came to us because we had done a commercial job and they liked it, so they asked us if we did domestic work as well.'

With a shortlist in place, it is important to look at examples of an architect's work and talk to previous clients. 'Personality is also important, especially on domestic jobs, where you develop a personal relationship with the client,' says Budgen.

Another key factor is exactly what services an architect offers. Most can help clients to obtain planning and building consents, and some will manage and monitor the builder's work through to completion - but not all are able or willing to do so.

Jacqueline and David Conlan are having a timber-framed house built in the Scottish Borders. The design is based on prefabricated frames from Norway, using plans and configurations provided by a local self-build firm working with a local architect.

'We found that a lot of architects and self-build firms would just offer to do the drawings and source the frame, but when it came down to it, they didn't offer anything else, such as project management or a full build service,' says Jacqueline. In the end, they engaged a Borders firm, Fjordhus, on the basis that it could manage the building process.

But it is unrealistic and possibly detrimental to expect an architect to take total command of a project. According to Macdonald: 'In many respects, successful projects rely on the client as much as the architect. You find that good clients take an interest and get themselves involved at every stage of the process.'

In particular, he warns that clients have to do their own 'legwork' in terms of detailed budgeting: 'A lot of people seem incapable of identifying how much they want to pay. That does cause huge problems.

'An architect can't design in a vacuum, he has to know what the cost will be. Quite often disputes that arise later on over costs stem from the problem that the budget wasn't properly identified in the first place.'

The key, with both budgeting and the overall success of the project, is preparation and getting the brief right. The Riba and Rias websites contain useful information on areas such as budgeting; what to ask an architect at the first meeting; and how the design stages work. The Riba also publishes a booklet, A Client's Guide to Engaging an Architect (£3.50), which gives information on engaging an architect, conditions of engagement, and fees.

In most cases, architects' fees are based on a percentage of the total construction cost, and, according to Melanie Mayfield, spokesperson at the Riba, for a new house with a building cost of £250,000, the fees could be anything from 8 to 12 per cent, according to the indicative fee scales published in the Riba booklet.

Works to existing buildings can cost more than this, as can work carried out by big-name architect practices. But some of those fees can be recouped once the project is completed, insists the Rias: 'Professional attention to detail will achieve value through the most efficient use of space, and careful selection of materials and finishes. Environmental sensitivity, energy efficiency, low running and maintenance costs can bring extra benefits to your project.'


RIBA [NB not] 020 7580 5533

RIAS 0131 229 7545
SpacelabUK 020 7684 5392
Fjordhus 01896 668050