OK, what is happening lol.
I had NO idea architects would be so much money. I'm sorry, but some of these fees could almost buy a whole house. Like, what?
What I've learned through interviews is the VAST range of skills sets of architects.
Some architects simply just take a stock plan you bought off a website, and manipulate it to your desires - tweaking the elevations, move a closet or bedroom, adding a bathroom, etc. I'd say the fee for these people I spoke to was about $1 per square foot ($2,000 for a 2,000 square foot home). Additionally the drawings were not sealed by a licensed architect, which may or may not be required by township ordinance (it is not for mine, but depends on square footage of the home).
Moving up a notch would be architects who will design the house from the ground-up with you, but may not be as artistically creative. They may take on a more traditional appearance. And these architects only work in 2D without 3D renderings/CAD. The drawings may or may not be 'sealed'. These architects were roughly $3-4 per square foot.
Moving up are architects at actual firms, with a team of people who will have their hands on your drawings, providing more sets of eyes. The ones I spoke to also had 3D capability. They are more artistic, providing more expertise to get to your desired look. These quotes came in at $6-8 per square foot.
At the top tier of those I spoke to were the extremely artistic architects. Those who had "Instragram-worthy" portfolios, thus a good reputation. They may be individuals and some were firms. All with 3D capability. These actually went by percentage of construction costs, and ranges were from 5%-15% of the construction cost. So for a $500,000 home, the max fee was $75,000.
So for us, with the goldilocks approach - too much, too little, just right - we ended up right in the middle. Actually to the left side of the middle, with $6 per square foot.
I just did not realize throughout the process that there would be such a range in fees. I really thought it would be all $20,000 or less.
So the question for you is - what do you need? If you are OK with a stock plan and just have some things to modify, then great!! I just cannot justify paying so much of the cost to build on the design. There's enough talent in this field, and inspiration online, to be able to find a timeless design that works for you without completely breaking the bank.
So lesson learned - that architect on Instagram with the gorgeous feed, charges so much money because maybe they only take on a couple projects per year, to get that daring, award-winning house design.
I don't need to win awards. But I do need to see my house in 3D. I can't imagine only seeing the house in 2D before construction.
So I sought out an architect for exactly that.
GOOD LUCK and hopefully you don't waste your time in so many interviews as did I :)
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