Advice required
Discussion
Write back to the nice man, asking him to explain the invoice, as you don't seem to have any copies of contracts with him, you haven't received any output with his name on, i.e. calculations etc, and you are slightly confused as to why he thinks you owe him money. Keep it nice and friendly, you can always get cross later on.
It's unlikely your builder would have started work on the project without a set of structural calculations otherwise he'd have no idea as to what steels to order, where any load bearing walls need to go, etc. Building control wouldn't sign off on it without seeing them either. Therefore I suspect the services of a structural engineer were engaged at some point or another by either yourself or the architect.
That was how it worked when we had our extension done, we had the architect do the plans and the submission to building control and then he engaged his preferred structural engineer who we were instructed to pay separately. The architect did inform as of all this though before we agreed to anything.
That was how it worked when we had our extension done, we had the architect do the plans and the submission to building control and then he engaged his preferred structural engineer who we were instructed to pay separately. The architect did inform as of all this though before we agreed to anything.
While the architect was still working for you, had you given him the OK to instruct a Structural Engineer to deal with the structural engineering requirements?
Obviously different companies will have slightly different working practices. Our Terms and Conditions are pretty well buttoned-down in this respect: we make it clear that the relationship with 3rd party consultants is directly between the client and the 3rd party, and while we are happy to seek quotes for such work and instruct on the client's behalf, we always copy the client in on the correspondence and gain their explicit agreement before instructing.
Our T&C's make it clear that our involvement with a project can be terminated at any time, but that we will invoice for any work done up to that point.
In your case, I would suggest that the matter will hinge upon:
1) Whether you authorised the architect to instruct the structural engineering work on your behalf.
2) Whether this work had already been completed (not necessarily issued before you terminated your in relationship with the Architect and;
3) Did the Architect promptly relay notification of your termination to the Structural Engineer, to prevent him from doing any further, abortive work on the project.
Obviously different companies will have slightly different working practices. Our Terms and Conditions are pretty well buttoned-down in this respect: we make it clear that the relationship with 3rd party consultants is directly between the client and the 3rd party, and while we are happy to seek quotes for such work and instruct on the client's behalf, we always copy the client in on the correspondence and gain their explicit agreement before instructing.
Our T&C's make it clear that our involvement with a project can be terminated at any time, but that we will invoice for any work done up to that point.
In your case, I would suggest that the matter will hinge upon:
1) Whether you authorised the architect to instruct the structural engineering work on your behalf.
2) Whether this work had already been completed (not necessarily issued before you terminated your in relationship with the Architect and;
3) Did the Architect promptly relay notification of your termination to the Structural Engineer, to prevent him from doing any further, abortive work on the project.
garyhun said:
My guess is that architect advised OP that structural engineer was needed and OP has authorised without realising.
Or architect has done this off his own back and now that the relationship has terminated he wants the money as he cannot include as part of his fees.
Yes, quite possibly.Or architect has done this off his own back and now that the relationship has terminated he wants the money as he cannot include as part of his fees.
But if so, I'd be inclined to ask the Struct. Eng. for to provide documentation to show that he (the OP) instructed him, or agreed to the instruction.
We are always very careful about this: a verbal instruction alone isn't worth the paper it wasn't written on.
Equus said:
garyhun said:
My guess is that architect advised OP that structural engineer was needed and OP has authorised without realising.
Or architect has done this off his own back and now that the relationship has terminated he wants the money as he cannot include as part of his fees.
Yes, quite possibly.Or architect has done this off his own back and now that the relationship has terminated he wants the money as he cannot include as part of his fees.
But if so, I'd be inclined to ask the Struct. Eng. for to provide documentation to show that he (the OP) instructed him, or agreed to the instruction.
We are always very careful about this: a verbal instruction alone isn't worth the paper it wasn't written on.
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