Architects, at least in Malaysia, is responsible for the building which the plans he put signature on it. No matter how similar it is there are things you will need to adjust, review, recalculate. The plans which you submitted and approved by one local authority may not be approved by another authority. Similarly, with the ever-changing and updating acts and by-laws, the plans which you submitted 2 years ago may not be qualified for approval under current regulations.

The plans submitted for approval will typically be just enough to comply with all the legal requirements. So the information inside is very limited. The architect will then need to prepare a set of detailed construction/tender drawing to allow the quantities of building materials and cost of construction. He will specify each components of building materials in the construction drawing. Then an architect, or assisted by a quantity surveyor, will prepare the bill of quantities. The architect will need to study and understand each and every piece of building materials, how they function, look, feel, cost, whether they are certified by the CIDB/ISO/SIRIM/Bomba etc, as well as any new technologies applicable to make construction possible or faster.

When the bill of quantities is ready, the potential contractor will tender for the projects. Cost is important but not all, so the architect will have to evaluate which contractor is the best fit for the job, ensuring the contractor has good reputation, mobility, cash flow, etc to sustain the project over the contract period. So most of the time the job will not be awarded to the lowest bidder, because the architect understand the market to know that "the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten", the architect will avoid this kind of shoddy contractors.

Once the project is awarded, the architect, usually with the assist of a QS, will prepare the documents required for contract binding, and although the building contract is between the owner and contractor, the architect plays an important role in the contract. The architect is the qualified person to administer the contract, issuing instruction, inspect the site and construction progress, ensuring the contractors is not cutting corners and building not according to the plans. The architect will based on the valuation of construction work done, issue to the owner a certificate of payment, telling the owner to pay such amount due to the contractor on a monthly basis. Inevitably, there are details which may not been fully resolved, so intermittently the architect will supply the contractor with additional information if and when required. And the contractor, for them to earn a even higher profit, will always counter-propose alternative building materials or methods, the architect has to go over each and every one and decides whether to approve or reject, subject to owner's decision. Also, owner being owner, they have the mindset of being the paymaster, it is very likely that they will have a change of mind anytime during the construction period. Maybe suddenly he wants to add another couple of rooms, maybe he wants to change the brick wall to glass wall. Capturing these information and properly documenting them is a time-consuming process.

When construction is finally done, the architect will inspect the building to identify any defects or deficiencies in workmanship, and instructing the contractor to rectify as such. When the architect is satisfied that the building has been constructed according to to approved plan, and safe and fit for its intended purposes, the architect will issue a certificate of completion and compliance (CCC) to the owner, with copies sent to the local authority and Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia. This certificate is basically a lifetime guarantee of the safety of the building. The architect will be liable and can be sued, if down the road, the building is defective as a result of design deficiencies (for example, he specified/approved a building material which does not prevent water leakage from the window; or another example, the metal staircase railing caught your young child's head and caused bodily injury; etc etc).

The scope of work for an architect is the longest and broadest in the construction industry. Your architect is there from the very beginning until the very end; it is not just put signature and stamp.

At the outset the discussion was about building a new house, now suddenly it become renovation. A sensible architect will not leave everything up to the contractor, because you see, the architect is the one person who will be responsible on the buildings which the plans he put signature on. If for some reason, the contractor decided to change the foundation to tin kosong, or use inferior rebars, which eventually caused the building to collapse and hurt the occupants, apart from the fact that the contractor is liable, the architect (or engineer) is also liable for failure to supervise the project which he submitted. The liability I'm saying here is suspension or revoke of license (or practicing certificate), hefty fine or serious cases may involve jail time.

Daylight robbery or not is subject to agreement. If you think an architect is expensive then there is no deal. Simple as that. If you can find RM200 architects then there's no problem with me. I doubt any architect is willing to charge such low fee when charging low fee is actually an offense under the Architects Act 1967 and Architects (Scale of Minimum Fees) Rules 2010, where the penalty outweighs the low fee.

Now many contractors offer design and build, including contractors who do renovation and includes submission of plan for approval. Whether you like it or not, you will still need an architect's services in plan submission and issuing certificates. However, because the contractor quoted the owner a lump sum which includes the architect's fee, most owners do not see how much the professional fee is. Chances are that the contractors payment encompassing everything is so inflated that it is more expensive than engaging an architect and contractor separately, because the architect is working for the interest of contractor more than the owner's interest in this case. Most of the time you see the contractors are richer than the architect, so you can go figure who is actually doing daylight robbery.

On payment parts, it is entirely up to the owner and contractor whether they want to use a building contract, or only verbal agreement which is easily subject to dispute. That is also why you see so many upset homeowners complaining about shoddy contractors in the reno & ID forum. If the owner choose not to use a building contract, and prefers to deal with contractor directly, then yes, the architect is not responsible as a stakeholder in payment disputes. However, he is still legally obliged to ensure the construction works is done according to the approved plans.

On the other hand, since you suddenly drift into the renovation like kitchen extension or widen porch, most local authority in KV has a template plan (not for DBKL). These template plan do not require architect input or endorsement. You can just go to the building department of the respective Majlis and ask for it, pay a fee, and get your permit along with payment for a roro bin, then you can start work. Every other plans which require the architect's input, is bespoke works.

If you have engaged an architect, for sure he will have a letter of acceptance outlining his scope, fees, payment, etc. Check if the agreement includes regular site visits or not. You can choose to use the architect's services for project management and regular inspection, or you want to supervise yourself if you are capable of doing so. Even if the architect is not engaged to do this, he should have a final inspection after work is done before CCC is issued.

Talk to the architect and make sure the services including up to the issuance of CCC. Because issuance of CCC means the architect certify that the building has been done according to the plans. The CCC has to come with 21 forms known as Form G1-G21, and depending on the scope of construction, some may apply some may not. Some of the forms require the contractor to sign, so ensure you engage a contractor with CIDB license. Ask them to furnish you a copy of their license before engaging them.

If you look at the internet, there are people selling some template plans. You may even no need to buy because there are books, magazine, websites etc where architects publish their works, including photographs and plans. But whether or not the design suits to your own needs is another story. Note that the services provided by the architect is not merely design. So the value substance of an architect's service is much more than drawing plans. If you are not prepared to afford the services of an architect to design your house for you, it is more cost efficient to just buy a ready-made house to suit your taste. Trust me, it is much less hassle than having to manage a team of consultant and contractor.

Let me use an analogy of a suit. You can shop in any departmental store or clothing shops for your suit - they are still designed by someone, made using a fixed template, but even the best ready-made clothing from big brands like Hugo Boss or Armani may look perfect on a model or mannequin, but they may not fit the buyer best. A local tailor may made the suit to your size ensuring best fit.

Truth is, most people who do renovation doesn't actually need the service of an architect, unless it is a major one or complete remodel which require the design expertise of an architect. The only reason they have an architect in the picture is because the law authority says so. So if you do not know how to supervise project, it is wise to find someone who does. The architect's drawing typically does not include these information, and most architect wouldn't know because these are expertise of the engineer. Spend some time and read the Reno/ID forum and you can learn a lot, and it may be obvious, but reading the product manuals reveals a lot of things. Google is also at your disposal. Usually reno is only inspection by eye and by touch, and you should be arranging with the contractor. You can be visiting any time because it is your right.

fellas can I ask how much is it to hack,remove and dispose a 17ft old kitchen concrete top?

anyway to get pre-mix concrete? meaning buy a bag of cement, sand, stone mix?

c'mon construction itself is a field too big to master in, TS have some queries to ask regarding premix concrete and coincidentally there's a concrete expert here in the forum. Nothing wrong to it as long as we're learning from each other.