"Architect-designed houses are not accessible to all." This is a myth championed by the building industry. Alternatively, why not focus on the key benefits architects bring to a project. Here are a few for you: • Appoint an architect to your project and you’ll gain a home designed for the way you want to live.The alternative is a builder-designed home that suits what the builder is used to building. Quality builders will ask for plans and specifications to be thoroughly documented so that they can go ahead and do what they do best, which is build. Working out with the owner what you’re going to build and why is the architect’s role. • An architect manages planning approvals. This process is complex, often arbitrarily applied by many Councils, fraught with pitfalls for the novice and is ramped up every year with new hoops to jump. If you want a professional on your side who knows the territory, will go in to bat for you and will forge a way through this minefield, you need an architect. • If you’d prefer to put the works to tender to a number of builders rather than having to accept the quote of the builder you started the process with, you need an architect. • If you’d prefer to protect yourself with a proper, architect-managed ABIC contract that works equally for both parties and is legally enforceable, you need an architect. • An architect will minimise costly changes during construction as he or she will produce a proper level of drawings (expect 20 x A3 pages for a new home, rather than the 1-2 pages you’ll receive from a drafting service.). The reasons for this are that you have on paper exactly what you want to build. Without this, you are entering a contract with a builder with none of the details resolved. You wouldn’t do that if you were buying a house, so why do it when spending an equally significant amount of money? Unfortunately, some builders see this approach as an opportunity to happily accept constant changes from ‘project managing’ owners because it’s just another variation that he can charge for. The longer he is there, the better for his margins, particularly when there’s no contract to speak of. Finally, an architect is a specialist with a professional duty of care, irrespective of financial gain. In other words, they’re there to support and protect you, without benefit to themselves. No one else in the building industry can provide this.

You could always ask the architect the fees, rather than rely on what your friend says about somebody elses's sevices. I would be very surprised if it was 40% extra. I was recently involved with an interstate project where I could not be on-site. A local architect was engaged for the contract administration. The builder had not had an architect involved with the contract administration before. The architect saved the client tens of thousands of dollars as a lot of work was not up to standard, with the builder cutting corners, and substituting materials, which had to be rectified. This included pouring a concrete slab over a neighbours boundary! This appeared to be their standard practice as they were not used to having their work carefully scutinised, and payments withheld, as part of a contract administration process. At the end of the day I don't know if the builder made any profit, but the client did get the building work that they paid for, so received excellent value from the architect's contract administration services. I am sure that lots of people in Houzz who have horror stories of renovations that have developed problems, sometimes due unforeseen circumstances, and have ended up in a confrontational manner with a builder. There are also clients who have unrealistic expectations about the level of finishes that are physically achievable when working with an existing building (which is never square and perfect). If building work goes wrong it can be very expensive, and confrontational. Engaging an architect for contract administration is like an insurance policy and puts a buffer between a builder and client so things stay civil. The architect can work as a third party to administer any changes and variations that invariably creep into the building process in a fair and equal manner to both builder and client. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

having the space in the roof is one thing, but a whole other exercise converting ceiling structure into floor structure and getting the structure down to the ground, supported etc...even more complex on smaller jobs, not to mention finding space for stairs which typically involves collateral knock-on effect to lower level layout.......best you arrange a consultation/visit from an architect to discuss the practicalities a realities of costs involved........these things are usually possible, but ultimately dictated by costs......... In regards to the process, as architects we begin with several design stages (& if required Planning/DA) and then eventually move into working drawings once a design has been finalised and refined. There is a bit of a process involved and typically fees/costs will be ballpark anywhere from 5-15% of the construction cost of the project, depending upon the scale and complexity. On smaller jobs like this the % fee will be at the higher end of the scale and if it's too small often an hourly rate or fixed/packaged fee basis is the only way to render services Hope this gives you a bit of an idea, but best to do some homework and speak directly to a few local design professionals/architects to get some idea of what their process and fee structures are, because ultimately everyone operates and services projects differently... Good luck Cheers PD :)

Update: This is now going before the Tribunal as after months of broken promises, shoddy workmanship and numerous attempts to just get the job finished, work is still not complete. Apparently this builder is not licensed and no contract was provided before work started. He also has most of the full fee not just the deposit. So, can anyone please advise how the Tribunal may judge this case given there was no contract and no builders licence? There is email and text message evidence of the agreement, cancelled meetings, negotiations etc. Should my brother retain legal representation? Who would be responsible for legal costs? Any guidance on this matter would be very appreciated. Kind regards Lisa