About Design Fees

"What?!!! How Much?!!!"
If you haven't worked with an architect, that may be your initial reaction when you look at an architect's proposal for services. What I say to that is yep, it does look pretty high. But to get past the shock you need to look past the proposed price and then the overall cost of building a project. Compared to the cost of construction it's pretty low, about 10-20 percent depending on level of detail and involvement. And if you think an architect's fees are high, they're actually dwarfed by the contractor's fees, which a competent contractor works very hard and takes on tremendous liability to get.
You also need to look at what you're getting. A good architect doesn't charge a big fee and then whip out a couple of drawings to justify it. What your design professional is doing for you is interpreting your needs into a concise, detailed set of documents that ensures your project is done the way YOU want it. What your design professional is doing for you is making sure that your building complies with local codes, ensuring that it is properly engineered, getting permission for you to build your project (ie permits), and much more.
Furthermore, an architect's job is tough - detailing a project for construction is extremely involved.
Take these things into consideration before closing the door. Of course check into your design professional; make sure you learn all you can about the firm, and know that the fee is not necessarily the be all end all price, but the architect's first sentence in a conversation. Enagage in that conversation and open up to the possibility of quality in your investment. I wish you the best of luck whatever you decide.