Our Fees

Fees can vary considerably depending on your project, so we don’t have standard prices for our services. However, we know how important it is to talk about costs early on, and we’re always open to discussing pricing with you.

We calculate fees for each project individually, taking into account factors such as complexity, risk, resources, and the value we add. For most domestic projects, such as new builds and renovations, our fees usually range from 8% to 16% of the construction cost, though there are always exceptions. We will agree a breakdown of the overall fee for each stage of the project and bill monthly based on progress.

Besides our fees, you’ll need to budget for other costs like consultants, local authority fees, surveys, and reports. We recommend setting aside 10% to 20% of your project budget for these non-construction costs.

One other thing: We talk about fees as a percentage of construction costs because it's a helpful benchmark, but in most instances where projects are reasonably well-defined, we'll agree on a series of lump sums with you so you know exactly what fees to expect.

Example

Let's look at an example project with an estimated construction cost of £500,000 and a construction duration (i.e., the time the builders take to undertake the work) of 12 months.

Let's assume the overall fee comes to £50,000 (i.e., 10% of the estimated construction cost). It might be broken down as follows:

  • Design and planning (RIBA Stages 0-3): £17,500 lump sum*

  • Construction information and contractor selection (RIBA Stage 4): £17,500 lump sum*

  • Construction and handover (RIBA Stages 5-7): £1000/month + £3,000 after completion.

*billed monthly in accordance with progress.

Factors that influence our fees

Project size

Smaller projects usually don’t benefit from economies of scale and often need more custom solutions. This means the fees are often a higher percentage of your total project costs.

Complexity

As your architects, we coordinate all design work, including input from consultants and specialists. Projects can become complex for many reasons, like site conditions or special requirements. Working on existing buildings is usually more complicated than new builds, especially with heritage properties.

Location

The further afield the work is from our studio in Malvern, the more time and expense we need to allocate to cover travelling to and from the project site.

Project risks

We manage risk for you as your architects, and the time and effort involved is included in our fee. For example, getting planning permission for a new home in the countryside is likely to take much more time and effort than a modest extension to an existing home.

Scope of services

We adapt our services to fit your needs. For custom homes (new builds and refurbishments), we offer three main service levels: Essentials, Bespoke, and Performance. Each has its own resource needs and fee level.