Architects Drawings

[Millwright]

A while ago, I paid £500 for a set of drawings for an extension.

Can I ask of you, what should I expect of an architects drawings for a domestic property? All I got was one page showing elevations, floor plan and section, but I feel lacking detail.

There are no dimensions detailed, doors and windows which showing are not illustrative of what I want. For a builder to build me what I want, I'm going to have to make my own drawings, I feel this is £500 wasted and a lesson learnt. The architect is terrible at communication so I don't think I'll get anywhere with him on this one. What I would like to do is get my money back and throw the drawings at him.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You would be lucky to get some planning drawings for£500 let alone a set of drawings you can build from. As for him being crap at communication that's just down to the individual.

 

[Nakajo]

What did you agree in writing with your architect?

 

[Millwright]

What did you agree in writing with your architect?

That the drawing would have everything needed for a builder to build from.

You would be lucky to get some planning drawings for£500 let alone a set of drawings you can build from.

Well thats what he said he would do.

 

[Nakajo]

In which case consider referring the case to the ARB

 

[Millwright]

Thanks, whats Arb?

 

[Nakajo]

It's the Board responsible for maintaining the UK Register of Architects

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

In which case consider referring the case to the ARB

You still haven't read the prescribed procedure have you?

 

[Nakajo]

What procedure? If you have a complaint, you can make a complaint. Also, is it just me, or does everyone find that the ads on the diynot pages crash the browser every few minutes.

 

[^woody^]

A registered Architect with a capital A would not be doing drawings for £500. Lots of people call any old plan drawer an 'architect'.

It depends what the customer instructs the designer to do. The drawings may only have enough detail to get planning permission or building regs approval. And that detail may also be enough for a competent builder to build from.

If the OP wanted a more comprehensive design and specification beyond that required just for the statutory approvals, then that might be at extra cost.

Alternative, he could just be a lazy crap idiot of a designer.

 

[London Mike 49]

We paid our architect about £1000 for the elevation plans ( which we tweaked ) to get planning permission and about the same for building regs plans.
I don't think any architect would draw up both plans until you have planning permission, otherwise he would be wasting his time if they weren't approved or had to make changes to them.
Take it a step at a time and if you want better communication with your architect initiate it yourself proactively or change him if you don't think he would be able to support the build .

Mike

 

[tony1851]

Top and bottom of this is that OP has been ripped off.

We all know that there are plans...and plans. Most lay persons can't be expected to know the difference between Planning plans and Building Regs plans - to them, plans are just, well......plans.

The surprise comes when builders and Building Control get involved.

But let the OP get back to the architect or plan-drawer, and all he'll get in response is 'you wanted plans - you've got plans, Good bye'.

 

[Nakajo]

We don't know what was agreed, so we don't know whether the OP was ripped off or not.

 

[DMHarchi1]

Take your plans to an architectural technician and ask him for building control plansand working drawings (assuming the plans you have, have passed planning) they will work up the designs to a more comprehensive document your builder can build from. But yes likely to be another £700-£1000. He will want to re survey the property in question. £500 for planning drawings on a simple job is a good price.

 

[^woody^]

All I got was one page showing elevations, floor plan and section, but I feel lacking detail

Tbh, that's what most drawings come as.

You'll have to expand more on this feeling you have.