Planning & architect's fee 2026

Building with an architect: costs, HOAI & service phases

Anyone who builds with an architect gets an individual house – but pays a fee under the HOAI for it. We show you how the costs are made up in 2026, what service phases there are, when an architect is mandatory and how an architect and a prefabricated house can be cleverly combined.

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Plan individually or choose from the catalogue?

The fundamental question already arises at the start of a project: develop the house individually with an architect or choose from a prefabricated house manufacturer's catalogue? With an architect-designed house, a one-off is created together with a planner, tailored exactly to your plot and your wishes. The architect accompanies you from the first sketch to the site supervision and awards the individual trades – shell construction, roof, electrics, plumbing – to specialised craft businesses.

The prefabricated house, on the other hand, comes with largely standardised planning at a fixed price. The manufacturer designs it, produces the walls in the factory and assembles the house within a short time. This keeps the planning costs down and lets the total sum be established early. With an architect-designed house you buy the design freedom with the HOAI fee – on top of which usually comes a higher effort for the separate awarding of the trades. What a prefabricated house costs as a whole is shown by our overview of incidental building costs.

The nine HOAI service phases and their fee share 2026

The basis of the architect's fee is the fee schedule for architects and engineers (HOAI). It divides the planning work into nine service phases, each of which is assigned a fixed percentage share of the total fee. You can commission all phases or only selected ones – such as design and building application. Overall, the fee in 2026 usually moves between 10 and 15 percent of the pure construction costs.

Phase	Name	Fee share	Content
LP 1	Basic evaluation	2%	Clarify the task, consulting, site assessment
LP 2	Preliminary design	7%	First designs, cost estimate, variants
LP 3	Design planning	15%	Worked-out design, cost calculation
LP 4	Permit planning	3%	Building application and documents for the authority
LP 5	Detailed design planning	25%	Detail and construction drawings for implementation
LP 6	Preparation of tendering	10%	Bills of quantities, quantity determination
LP 7	Participation in tendering	4%	Review bids, compare firms
LP 8	Site supervision (construction management)	32%	Monitor the site, schedules, acceptance
LP 9	Aftercare	2%	Document defects, support the warranty period

Percentage shares based on the HOAI structure, rounded for a better overview. The legal basis is the HOAI. The exact amount of the fee is agreed freely between the homebuilder and the architect.

What the architect specifically costs: a worked example for 2026

Let us assume your detached house causes pure construction costs of €400,000. With a full commission across all nine service phases, the architect's fee in 2026 moves between €40,000 and €60,000, i.e. around 10 to 15 percent. If you award only phases 1 to 4 – consulting, design and building application – only the proportionate percentage of about a quarter of the total fee applies. Anyone who additionally commissions the cost-intensive site supervision (LP 8, a good third of the fee) receives expert quality control directly on the construction site.

In which cases an architect is required

A persistent misconception holds that you absolutely need to commission an architect for every house. In fact, the state building codes only require a planner authorised to submit building documents for the building application – this can be an architect or equally a civil engineer authorised to submit building documents. You therefore cannot submit a residential building for approval on your own. With a turnkey prefabricated house, exactly this task is taken on by the manufacturer's planner – you then do not need your own architect. Legal certainty vis-à-vis the executing firm is created by the construction contract under § 650a BGB.

Sensibly combining a prefabricated house and an architect

For many homebuilders the most appealing solution lies in between: you commission an architect with the design and building application and then have the house erected by a prefabricated house manufacturer. This way you get an individual floor plan and pay the fee only for the service phases actually commissioned, while at the same time securing the schedule and cost certainty of industrial prefabrication. Numerous providers allow freely designed houses or cooperate directly with external architects. Anyone who wants to lend a hand with the interior finishing themselves will find a structured alternative with a clear cost split in the shell-finished house.

Architect-designed house: what speaks for and against it

Advantages

A one-off instead of off-the-peg planning
Adapts ideally to the plot and a sloping site
Independent site supervision entirely in your interest
Free choice of materials and craft businesses
Expert support from design to acceptance

Disadvantages

HOAI fee of 10 – 15% of the construction costs
Lower cost certainty than with a fixed price
Longer planning phase and usually construction time too
More coordination effort with separate awarding
Time-consuming comparison of the individual trade bids

10 – 15%

This is how high the architect's fee on the pure construction costs usually is in 2026.

Nine phases

From the basic evaluation to aftercare – structured according to the HOAI.

Application requirement

Only a planner authorised to submit building documents may file the building application.

Combinable

An architect's design and a prefabricated house combine design freedom with a fixed price.

Your home – planned to your ideas

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Important questions about the architect for house building

Answers on architect costs, HOAI service phases and the combination of an architect and a prefabricated house – compact and up to date as of 2026.

What does an architect cost for house building in 2026?

The architect's fee is governed by the fee schedule for architects and engineers (HOAI) and in 2026 is usually 10 to 15 percent of the pure construction costs. For a detached house with €400,000 in construction costs, that is around €40,000 to €60,000 if the architect takes on all nine service phases. If you commission only individual phases, such as design and building application, the fee falls proportionately.

What are the HOAI service phases?

The HOAI divides the architect's work into nine service phases (LP 1 to LP 9) – from the basic evaluation through preliminary design, design, permit and detailed design planning to site supervision and aftercare. Each phase has a fixed percentage share of the total fee. The detailed design planning (25%) and the site supervision (32%) are the largest blocks. You can commission individual phases or award the entire package.

When is an architect mandatory?

For a building application, the state building codes in Germany generally require a planner authorised to submit building documents – that is an architect or a civil engineer authorised to submit building documents. You may therefore not submit a residential building for approval yourself. With a turnkey prefabricated house, the planner employed or commissioned by the manufacturer takes on this task, so you do not need your own architect.

Architect-designed house or prefabricated house – which is cheaper?

A prefabricated house is usually more predictable and often cheaper thanks to the fixed catalogue price, because the manufacturer plans in a standardised way and produces in series. A freely designed architect-designed house, on the other hand, offers maximum design freedom and adapts better to difficult plots, but as a rule costs more due to the individual planning and separate awarding of the trades. Anyone who values a one-off pays a surcharge for the freedom.

Can I combine a prefabricated house and an architect?

Yes. Many prefabricated house providers allow individual floor plans and work together with independent architects. You can commission an architect for the design and building application and then have the house erected by the prefab manufacturer in timber-frame or solid construction. This way you combine individual planning with the cost and schedule certainty of industrial prefabrication – the fee is reduced to the service phases actually commissioned.

Can I commission individual service phases from the architect?

Yes, the HOAI expressly provides for commissioning individual service phases. Often the architect takes on only phases 1 to 4 (consulting, design, permit planning) or additionally the site supervision (LP 8). Since each phase has a fixed fee share, you pay only for what you actually need. At 32 percent, site supervision is the most expensive but often worthwhile building block for quality assurance.

What is the difference between an architect and a construction manager?

The architect plans the building in terms of design and technology and produces the building documents. The construction manager – who can also be an architect – supervises the execution on the construction site, coordinates the trades, checks the quality and accepts the work (HOAI service phase 8). With a turnkey prefabricated house, the manufacturer usually provides its own construction manager; independent construction supervision by an expert is nonetheless recommended.

As of 2026, without guarantee. Architect fees are agreed individually between the homebuilder and the architect; percentage values serve as a guideline. The legal basis is the HOAI. Prefabricated House is an independent comparison portal and not a legal or fee advisory service.