House remodelling and extension cost - architect

J

jcskinner

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I'm looking to put a three storey extension onto the side of my house in Belfast, remodelling the house into three separate apartments in the process. Due to recent development in the area, of apartment conversions, I doubt the planners should have problems with this.
I got an architect to have a look at the site and he has come back to me with a full-service proposal (drawings, pp, overseeing tender and build) of 8% of build cost, which seems a little low to me? Should I be wary of this or jump at the deal? He has good references, has done some nice work in the past which I'm familiar with.
I'm concerned at the cost he's proposing for the build, however. I reckon £125K should be sufficient, but he's talking £200K plus, before even surveying the house or drawing up any plans.
I'm concerned that what I'm saving on his percentage, he's intent on ramping up on the build cost. I'd rather pay him in excess of ten per cent but keep the overall cost down if I could.
Can anyone advise on the cost per square foot/metre of an extension build in Belfast for starters?
And can anyone advise me in relation to dealing with this architect?
 
I'm also concerned about the timeframe the architect is discussing. He foresees twelve months in planning and nine months in build.
That seems extremely excessive to me? Surely a three floor extension shouldn't take nine months to build? And does anyone know whether or why Belfast planning would take so long when virtually everything that goes before them seems to get approved these days?
 
architect fee is low-ish for full turn-key scheme but if you are familiar with him and his work may not be a problem

re him escalating build costs - no harm in asking for fixed price or capped fee

you dont give area of development so hard to say re costs but i would budget about 150stg a square foot and you should be well covered

design and planning is tricky because by the time the drawings are done, revised and submitted and if any queries arise needing further info or changes it could be 12months from start of design to grant of planning. Planners in belfast are not lax by any means, just a bit more structured in how and when they object.

cant comment on build without further detail

i am familiar with this type of project in belfast so if you want to PM me or email I can have a quick look at feasability

M
 
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