How Much Does An Architect Charge?
It’s a complicated answer but I’m going to try to keep it SUPER simple…
There are two main ways for an architect to charge:
#1 FIXED FEE
Total Architect’s fee is a…
Percentage of the predicted construction value (I usually hear of architects charging 5-15%, sometimes 20%+)
OR
Price per square foot of the predicted house area (I don’t actually know of anyone who charges this way so I don’t know a normal per SF cost. Also, if it’s a remodel, do you base it on total or additional SF? There’s no clear answer.)
Fixed fee is usually billed at phase intervals. For example, you pay for the whole Schematic Design phase before it starts.
Fixed fee is great because:
✔️ More predictable for the client
✔️ Leaves room for architect to make more money
Fixed fee is not so great because:
ⓧ Requires a very detailed contract
ⓧ Forces the architect to charge a money “buffer” in case it’s a pain in the ass project. Consequently it’s usually more expensive than hourly.
In my opinion, fixed fee leaves a lot to be desired. It’s in the client’s best interest to keep the construction cost and square footage down. It should also be in the architect’s best interest.
#2 HOURLY with estimate
Total architect’s fee is based on the hours worked, only.
Estimate for total services is provided before a contract is signed. Then the hourly charges are billed periodically (usually every month or 2 weeks).
Hourly with estimate is great because:
✔️ Easy clients are rewarded with a smaller fee! I like easy clients.
✔️ It’s very flexible. We can start and stop the project relatively easily. And if the client wants to add a service to their package (example: interior design) or take away a service (example: they want to DIY the permit meeting), there’s no extra paperwork or contract revision.
✔️ I like to be efficient with my deliverables. If it turns out we can skip a meeting we thought we’d need or I can drop an unnecessary drawing from the plan set, let’s do it.
✔️ We only need a basic contract.
✔️ You get the estimate for budgeting purposes and it’s very likely the architectural design will end up costing close to the estimate.
HOURLY with estimate is not so great because:
ⓧ It’s less predictable for the client. Sometimes, projects require more hours than expected and the architect will get paid for those hours.
ⓧ Many times the architect is leaving money on the table. Good for the client, bad for the architect.
And now for the juicy part…
How much do I charge?*
This makes me feel so vulnerable (usually you contact me for this info!) but here it is…
My rates:
$160/ hour
The friends & family & locals (I’m in a very rural area) rate is $10/hour less.
I often use consultants. Their current fees:
Drafter Designer $50/hr
Consultant Architect $100/ hour
Building Scientist $150/ hour
Structural Engineer $175/ hour
The estimate for any one project ranges hugely from around $3500 (not including building scientist or engineer) for a very small project to $25k (not including engineer) for ground up houses or commercial projects with all the fun services.
More info:
I am less expensive than most architects of high performance homes.
I am more expensive than drafters.
If you’re looking for “drawings”, I’m not your architect.
If you’d looking for a “design” (which will include drawings), let’s talk.
*Bear in mind that my pricing comes from a rural town in Maine. If your architect is in a city, they’ll almost certainly charge more than me.