# Price Range for Architect to Design House?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/price-range-for-architect-to-design-house/257600
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 30, 2004, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/price-range-for-architect-to-design-house/257600 "2004-07-30T15:23:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/price-range-for-architect-to-design-house/257600/1 "2004-07-30T15:23:23Z")
I am in the process of purchasing a piece of real estate with some dramatic qualities. More specifically, it adjoins a cliff, with an escarpment below and a dramatic view.
I would hate to waste such a great lot by putting a boring, cookie cutter house on it, and would prefer something more dramatic, more lasting (stone, perhaps), and more artistic. Something that follows the contours of the land and takes full advantage of the great view.
Problem is I have no idea how much it would cost me to hire an architect to design a house for this lot, or whether it would be economically feasible for me to do so.
Does anyone have even a rough ballpark idea of how much I might expect to pay for such a design?
---
### Author:  [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/price-range-for-architect-to-design-house/257600/2 "2004-07-30T15:26:03Z")
Hmm. “Adjoins” was not the right word. The lot _includes_ a cliff with escarpment.
---
### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/price-range-for-architect-to-design-house/257600/3 "2004-07-30T17:14:46Z")
Generally, the cost of design will be about 8-15% of the estimated cost to build. The more complicated the design, the more expensive the house. If you give the architect the desired square footage and the amount of money you have to spend, he can then produce some concept drawings for you.
---
### Author:  [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/price-range-for-architect-to-design-house/257600/4 "2004-07-30T17:43:24Z")
I live in California and I built a house on a hill, very dramatic, designed by a high priced architect that cost me over $30K in design fees… or about 5% of the total build cost (not counting the lot)… also that price doesn’t include structural or civil engineering fees.
For my new house, which is not on a hill and will be simpler to design, I am using a designer who was an architect but let his license lapse… and it will cost $15,000 and be closer to 1.5% of the build cost (it’s a bigger house). … that price doesn’t inlcude structural or civil engineering fees.
We’ll see if it is worth the savings or not…
---
### Author:  [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/price-range-for-architect-to-design-house/257600/5 "2004-07-30T19:07:29Z")
Thanks for the replies, y’all. Very helpful information.