Architect consultation fee
Is it standard for architects to charge a consultation fee to come to the house? I feel that if we are interviewing someone that they shouldn’t charge us–but maybe I am wrong. What is the norm? Thanks.
Is it standard for architects to charge a consultation fee to come to the house? I feel that if we are interviewing someone that they shouldn’t charge us–but maybe I am wrong.
What is the norm?
Thanks.
2:45 You obviously don’t know many architects because I’ve interviewed 5 so far and will interview at least 5 more, but I will not and have not been asked to pay any for these meetings.
You also know nothing about the market. Given the new constraints on credit and decreasing equity people will do less remodeling. If you have more work than you can handle, you do not work efficiently and probably have a tiny crappy firm. Besides if it were true that you had so much work you would not be reading brownstoner and would not need to charge any unreasonable fees like this.
Right now in NYC it’s a seller’s market. I and every other architect I know has more work than he or she can handle. Hence, our time is valuable, hence we feel we should charge for consultations. I always make that clear, and also note in my proposal that the fee for the consultation will be deducted from the overall fee, not that it amounts to very much. As the client you will come away from your meeting with the architect with more knowledge and more to think about than you had before. Since you are benefiting from our experience, you should be willing to pay for it.
They are coming by to see the space to provide us with an estimate.I certainly don’t expect people to work for free, but I would expect a pitch/initial consultation to be free…
I think it also depends on the size of the job.
Doctors don’t do spec work so the comparison is ridiculous. Architects will come check a place out and write up a proposal/estimate for free. Don’t work for anyone who insists you go to their office to see their work. You want to talk to them on site so you can tell if they know what their talking about when it comes to your specific situation. I interviewed many on site before deciding who to work with and none charged for this.
I think its abnormal. This is just a normal marketing endeavor.
Honestly, it depends. In my experience, it depends on the level of consultation the person is offering. If they are just coming by to ‘check out’ your space and talk to you about how they work (pricing, contractors, etc.) there should be no charge. If there is an expectation that they will be assembling a moderately detailed proposal with sketches after your initial meeting, then I would expect a charge.
In the latter example they are doing some degree of work from which you could benefit. This protects them in case you decide to walk away but they have already put in some work. Most will deduct the consultation fee from the overall project price.
A written estimate should be free. I’ve received written estimates from contractors and service providers for years, and have never been charged for one.
It’s not normal at all. If you are being charged for a one time consultation, get out as fast as you can. The contractor, architect dialog always starts off with a conversation before a business relationship is formed. If they’re charging for that initial conversation either they’re too pricey or not worth your time