Engagements and fees

This page sets out what an engagement covers and how it is priced. It does not replace the written proposal you receive after the visit — it lets you arrive at that visit knowing what is being discussed.

What a full engagement covers

A full engagement runs from the survey of the existing space to the clearing of snags: design, drawings and specifications, tendering, permits and building-association filings, site supervision, handover.

It can be split. Some clients commission the design only and run the site themselves; others arrive with drawings and want supervision alone. Both work, provided the split of responsibility is written down from the outset.

How fees are set

No figure is quoted before the visit. The same floor area does not mean the same work: the condition of the fabric, structural and building-association constraints, and the real extent of the job all change it. A number given over the phone would be wrong.

Two methods are standard in the profession: a fixed fee, when the scope is clear from the start, or a percentage of the construction cost, when it is not yet. The method and its basis are stated in the proposal.

That proposal is written and firm: scope, phases, amount, payment schedule. Anything not in it is not billed to you without a variation you have signed.

What falls outside

Architect's fees are separate from the cost of the works, which you pay the contractors directly. Also outside: specialist engineering studies (structure, thermal, acoustic), statutory surveys, administrative filing fees, and furniture bought off the shelf.

The schedule

Between the first visit and handover, a flat refurbishment is counted in months, not weeks. Design and permits take their share of the time, the site takes its own. The schedule is set phase by phase in the proposal, with its dependencies — building-association approval and lead times on materials being the most common.

Before you write

A first conversation is useful even when the project is still vague. Describe the place, what you want from it, and the order of magnitude of the budget you have in mind. I will tell you plainly whether the job is mine — and if not, who to ask.