Architect fees in Sydney are hard to compare because no two proposals quote the same thing. One practice offers a percentage, another a fixed fee "to DA", a third an hourly rate, and usually none of them includes the surveyor, the engineer or the council. This guide explains how fees are worked out, what you get at each stage, what homeowners report paying, and the costs that sit outside the architect's fee but still land before a brick is laid. It's the general picture. Our own fees are on our fees page.
How are architect fees in Sydney worked out?
There is no official fee scale in NSW. The NSW Architects Registration Board tells homeowners to clarify the fees before engaging anyone, "mindful that the cheapest fee quoted does not necessarily mean the best", and notes that architects expect you to get a few quotes. The Architects Code of Professional Conduct requires the architect to set out in a written agreement, before work starts, how the fee will be calculated and paid, and how changes to the service will affect it.
Most proposals use one of three methods, or a mix. The Australian Institute of Architects' standard client agreement (2024 edition) describes them like this:
| Fee method | How it works | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of the cost of works | The fee is a percentage of the build cost. It's updated as the estimate changes and adjusted against the final cost at the end of the project. | If the build cost rises, so does the fee. Under the Institute's agreement, fees already paid for completed work aren't refunded if the project later shrinks. |
| Fixed fee (lump sum) | A set amount for a defined scope, often split into stages. | It stays fixed only while the scope does. If the service changes, a new fee is agreed in writing. |
| Hourly (time-based) rates | You pay for the hours worked at agreed rates, and you can ask for timesheets. | Fine for small or uncertain tasks. Hard to budget for a whole project. |
Mixing them is common, for example a percentage fee for design development and a monthly time-based fee for contract administration.
Which is better, a percentage or a fixed fee?
In a 2021 survey by the Australian Institute of Architects, over 61% of clients said a fixed price agreement was their preferred fee structure. A fixed fee can be budgeted. It also answers a common worry among homeowners: that an architect paid by percentage has no reason to keep the build cost down.
In fairness to the percentage method, it tracks the size of the job. If the project grows because you added a room, the fee grows with it, which is reasonable. The trouble is that it also grows when prices rise for reasons nobody chose.
A fixed fee has its own catch. A low fixed fee for a narrow scope, with a long list of exclusions, can end up dearer than a percentage for the full service once the extras are billed hourly. Compare what is included before you compare the number.
Our approach is a fixed fee for each stage, set out in a written proposal, so you know what each step costs before you agree to it.
What do you pay for at each stage?
The Architects Registration Board describes three broad phases: design, contract documentation and contract administration. You can engage an architect for all of them or only some. On a house, the work is usually split into six stages, and each one ends with a decision you make:
| Stage | What happens | What you get | Your decision at the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Concept design | Brief, site analysis, planning controls, layout options | Concept plans, often two or three options | Is this the right idea, and can we afford it? |
| 2. Design development | The chosen option is resolved, with the engineer and other consultants | Developed plans, elevations, materials | Is this what we'll ask for approval? |
| 3. Approval (DA or CDC) | Reports gathered, application lodged, council's or the certifier's questions answered | Approved plans and conditions | Do we go on to building drawings? |
| 4. Construction documentation | Detailed drawings and specifications for the construction certificate and for builders to price | A full construction set | Are we ready to tender? |
| 5. Tender | Several builders price the same documents and the quotes are compared | A tender comparison and recommendation | Which builder, at what price? |
| 6. Contract administration | The architect administers the building contract for you: site visits, progress claims, variations | Certified payments and a defects list | Is the job finished? |
Stage 4 matters more than people expect. Under a development consent you can't start building until a construction certificate has been issued, so a DA project always needs construction drawings. A CDC combines the planning and construction approval in one certificate.
Because the work is staged, the fee usually is too, and a staged fee gives you a natural stop point after concept design. That is the cheapest moment to find out the idea doesn't fit the budget. One Sydney homeowner reported a $25,000 fee for a renovation of about $1 million, split as roughly $5,000 for sketch design, $11,000 for design development and $9,000 for the DA and construction documents. It's one example of how a fee can divide across the stages.
How much does an architect cost for a renovation?
Sydney homeowners have reported these figures in recent years, and they are consistent enough to be useful:
- Design through to council approval on a typical renovation: roughly $15,000 to $30,000.
- Percentage fees quoted to Sydney homeowners range from single figures to more than 20% of the build cost, depending on how much of the service is included.
- Small changes are often charged by the hour. One homeowner reported a rate of $180 an hour in 2026.
- In the case CHOICE reported (updated January 2023), a Sydney couple paid their architect $28,000 on a renovation budgeted at $300,000.
A renovation architect fee depends on difficulty as much as size, and the architect cost for a home addition is no different. A second storey on a semi or terrace usually needs more engineering coordination, and more work on overshadowing and privacy, than a ground-floor room at the back. Expect the design fee to reflect that.
What isn't in the architect's fee?
This is where many budgets go wrong. Every project needs some of the following, and you usually pay each one directly:
| Cost | When you need it | What sets the price |
|---|---|---|
| Survey (detail and boundary) | Almost always, before design starts | Surveyor's quote |
| Structural engineer | Any structural change | Engineer's quote |
| Geotechnical report | Some sites: slopes, new footings, uncertain soil | Consultant's quote |
| Stormwater design | When roof area or drainage changes | Engineer's quote |
| BASIX certificate | Alterations and additions valued at $50,000 or more, or a pool or spa over 40,000 litres | Designer's or assessor's fee |
| Heritage impact statement | Heritage items and heritage conservation areas | Heritage consultant's quote |
| Arborist report | Trees on or near the work | Arborist's quote |
| Quantity surveyor's cost plan | Recommended at the end of concept design | CHOICE cites "in the order of $2750" for one cost plan for a house renovation (2023) |
| Council DA fee | Development applications | A state scale based on the estimated cost of works |
| Certifier | Construction certificate or CDC, plus inspections | Certifier's quote |
| Long service levy | Building work of $250,000 or more, including GST | 0.25% of the cost of works |
| Local infrastructure contribution | Only if your council's contributions plan applies | Section 7.12 levies are capped at nil up to $100,000, 0.5% from $100,001 to $200,000, and 1% above $200,000 |
To put numbers on the statutory items, take a $600,000 extension under the 2026/27 rates. The maximum DA fee works out at about $2,584 ($2,420 plus $1.64 for every $1,000 over $500,000), before any notification or other charges your council adds. The long service levy is $1,500, and it has to be paid before the certifier will release the construction certificate or CDC. If your council's plan applies a section 7.12 levy, that could be up to another $6,000. None of these is the architect's, and none is optional once it applies.
What will you spend before building starts?
This is the figure that catches many homeowners out. These are reported totals, not quotes:
| What people describe | Reported spend before building |
|---|---|
| A small heritage terrace job in Sydney | About $10,000 to $20,000 all in |
| A larger Sydney extension | About $30,000 to $80,000 all in |
| An extension where the architect's fee came on top of about $20,000 of consultants | About $38,000 to reach DA |
| A Sydney renovation budgeted at $300,000 | More than $50,000 on designs, reports, fees and approval |
The spread comes from heritage reports, engineering complexity, the number of redesigns and how much council asks for. So plan for the total cost before building starts, with the architect's fee as one part of it. When you set your budget, take out the pre-construction costs first, then a contingency, and only then decide what the build can be. Our guide on avoiding a design you can't afford to build shows how.
How do you compare two fee proposals?
Put the proposals side by side and check:
- Do they cover the same stages? One may stop at the DA while the other includes construction drawings and tender.
- Which consultants are included or coordinated, and which will you pay directly?
- How many design options and rounds of changes are included?
- What is the hourly rate for work outside the scope, and how are changes priced? The Code requires the agreement to say how changes affect the fee.
- Is the deposit 10% or less? The Code doesn't allow more unless you have expressly agreed.
- Is GST included? Ask for the GST-inclusive amount, because as a homeowner you usually can't claim the GST back.
- Who is the registered architect responsible? Their name and registration number must be in the agreement.
- Can you stop after each stage, and what do you keep if you do?
If you're still deciding who to hire, our guide on architects, building designers, drafters and builders compares what each offers.
What we charge
Our fees vary by stage and depend on the project and its complexity, and every project gets a written proposal with a fixed fee for each stage. Our fees page has the detail.
Most people start with a free 15-minute call to see whether we're the right fit. If the project needs it, the next step is our feasibility study. It costs $1,200 + GST and takes 3 business days. It looks at your property's planning controls, CDC or DA, heritage and what your budget buys, and the fee is credited against our design fee if you go ahead. You can see the kind of work it leads to on our renovations and extensions page.
What this means for you
- Ask for fee proposals by stage, with the scope of each stage written out.
- Make a list of the consultants and fees your project is likely to need, using the table above, and get rough quotes early.
- Set your budget from the top down: start with the total you have, take out the costs before construction and a contingency, and what's left is the build.
- Get the concept priced before you pay for approval drawings.
- Keep a written record of every change you ask for, so fee changes never come as a surprise.
Questions people ask
Do architects charge for the first meeting?
Practices differ. Many homeowners expect the first conversation to be free and talk to several architects before choosing. A site visit with real advice is often charged, because it is real work. We offer a free 15-minute call to see whether we're the right fit. Anything that needs a site visit and research goes into our feasibility study, which costs $1,200 + GST and is credited against our design fee if you go ahead.
Are architect fees quoted with GST?
Not always, so check. Ask to see the GST and the total including GST, because a homeowner usually can't claim the GST back. On a $25,000 fee, the GST is another $2,500, so it's worth knowing which figure you are comparing.
What happens to the fee if the build cost goes up?
It depends on the method. A percentage fee rises with the cost of works and is usually adjusted against the final cost at the end. A fixed fee stays the same unless the scope of the architect's service changes, in which case a new fee is agreed in writing. Hourly fees follow the hours actually worked.
Can I hire an architect for the design only and manage the build myself?
Yes. The Architects Registration Board says you can engage an architect for all of the design, documentation and contract administration phases, or only some of them, as long as the services are agreed in writing first. Many homeowners stop after approval or construction drawings. If you do, make sure the drawings are detailed enough for builders to price the same job.
Sources
- Working with your architect, NSW Architects Registration Board
- NSW Architects Code of Professional Conduct 2017 (PDF), NSW Architects Registration Board
- Approvals, NSW Government
- Schedule of planning and development fees and charges for 2026/27 (PDF), NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure
- Making a section 7.12 contributions plan, NSW Planning Portal
- About the long service levy for the building and construction industry, NSW Government
- BASIX: alterations and additions, NSW Planning Portal
- Client Architect Agreement (CAA2024) user guide (PDF), Australian Institute of Architects
- New report unearths candid insights into what clients really want, Australian Institute of Architects (August 2021)
- Five steps to house plans that won't blow your budget, CHOICE
