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Architects

5131 Views 40 Replies 16 Participants Last post by  CostelloBuilds
I know pricing questions are a no no. This is me of a question as to if this guy is charging fairly. The guy building the building is a friend of mine and asked me to find out. I haven't dealt with an architect on a cost basis so I don't really know. He is wanting 6% of the total building cost. He designed the building but did not provide any blue prints for the mechanicals. He said the electrician/plumber/hvac guys can come up with their own plans.
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Kinda late to be asking about price.......
That isnt bad here, depending on how big a house.
He hasn't signed anything yet. But it is kinda late to be thinking about it.
That isnt bad here, depending on how big a house.
Its commercial. Drs office...
Its commercial. Drs office...
Should include MEPs imo. But different areas.

I remember in the boom archys getting 10% for commercial. Meps included.
He hasn't signed anything yet. But it is kinda late to be thinking about it.
Not the way I read it.

.......He is wanting 6% of the total building cost. He designed the building...
I see that in his proposal it does seem to say the the plumbing, HVAC & electrical are to be designed by the contractors.

At least, that is what I see.

Andy
So he will make the 6% even on the stuff that he's not designing? In other words the MEPS are included in the total cost of construction but he's not designing them. I think he should get a percentage of the things he designs and that's it.
So he will make the 6% even on the stuff that he's not designing? In other words the MEPS are included in the total cost of construction but he's not designing them. I think he should get a percentage of the things he designs and that's it.
Thats what I think too. And he came up with the $395k on his own. My proposal has a different amount. A lower amount actually. So he definitely shouldn't get the full amount the way I see it.
It will depend on many factors, but I regularly hear of 15-20% on commercial projects. Years ago I wanted to be an architect, but I found out that it is really easier to become a doctor than an architect pulling in those types of numbers. Residential architects I don't feel get nearly as much as commercial architects. Just imagine the architect fee on a skyscraper like the burj tower. :eek:

This is a fairly good document describing architects fees. To go straight to the poop, head to page 10 and it will break down architect fees based on percentage.

http://www.aapei.com/pdfs/RAIC-Architectural-Fees.pdf
So he definitely shouldn't get the full amount the way I see it.
Well...WE think he shouldn't get it, but I assure you that there is a high probability that he will. Architects live in a completely different world than we do. There are a few that I have met that don't buy into this, but they are very far and few between.
Well...WE think he shouldn't get it, but I assure you that there is a high probability that he will. Architects live in a completely different world than we do. There are a few that I have met that don't buy into this, but they are very far and few between.
This is true. The guy I'm building the building for is a doctor (obviously since its a drs office) and he somewhat understands that since he charges for what he knows as well. But like he said im fine with getting charged like that if its the norm. Just dont want to get phvcked.
Honestly, I think that is a reasonable fee he has there. He took away the administration, which is fine. You should have someone there handling the job anyway, he doesn't need to.
That's fairly typical of what we see on commercial projects. 10 to 12 percent includes all civil and MPE.

There was an architect around here that was doing cookie cutter school designs for the county back in the 90's when we couldn't build em fast enough. The county figured out that he was getting the same fee and all he was doing was making the same building fit different sites.

The county sent out a Request for Proposal to architects to design a new prototype school. They hired the guy who said he would do the first one for 12%, and any others after that for 7%.

Anyway, if the MPE design is left up to the subcontractors, you probably won't even know what they are paying for design fees. Unless you ask them to specifically break it out it will be include in a lump sum bid.
That's fairly typical of what we see on commercial projects. 10 to 12 percent includes all civil and MPE.

There was an architect around here that was doing cookie cutter school designs for the county back in the 90's when we couldn't build em fast enough. The county figured out that he was getting the same fee and all he was doing was making the same building fit different sites.
A friend of mine worked at an architectural/engineering firm doing mid-rise commercial projects and that was exactly how they made their money. The roof details and exterior materials were different from project to project but the floor plans (offices) were exactly the same. Not sure if their clients knew or even cared, but it was a very successful business model.
EmmCeeDee said:
A friend of mine worked at an architectural/engineering firm doing mid-rise commercial projects and that was exactly how they made their money. The roof details and exterior materials were different from project to project but the floor plans (offices) were exactly the same. Not sure if their clients knew or even cared, but it was a very successful business model.
Once they design a building the Archy owns the rights to the drawings. It's protected by copyright laws.
If the archy has nothing to do with the MEP's who is going to resolve issues/conflicts when they arise?

With no design what are the MEP subs bidding on?
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If the archy has nothing to do with the MEP's who is going to resolve issues/conflicts when they arise?

With no design what are the MEP subs bidding on?
They just looked at a floor plan and bid it off of sq ft.
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