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The Global Insight

How many hours does architect work?

Author

James Williams

Updated on March 27, 2026

Work Environment Architects work 40 hour weeks, often working extra hours and weekends to meet deadlines.

Do architects make their own hours?

Many architects work standard forty-hour weeks. Very often, however, they must change their schedules to meet deadlines. They may also work nights and weekends. Self-employed architects generally work longer hours and often meet clients during the evening.

How much do architect charge per hour?

Architect Costs Per Hour Architects usually charge $80 to $150 per hour if you hire them on an hourly basis. If you hire a principal, who typically runs an architectural firm, expect to pay closer to $150 per hour. If you hire a junior architect, prices typically hover around $80 per hour.

Does architects travel a lot?

Architects spend a lot of time in comfortable offices developing reports and drawings, communicating with clients and working with other architects and engineers. Travel is sometimes required in order to oversee the progress of a project. Approximately 1 in 5 architects work longer than 50 hours per week.

How much should I expect to pay an architect?

Architects’ fees vary widely, depending on the project, the local economy, and the architect’s experience and reputation. Fees typically range from $2,014 to $8,375, with an average of $5,126. But fees can be much higher than that, depending on the size and complexity of the job.

How are architect’s fees calculated?

Typically, an architect’s fee is calculated as a percentage of the project’s final cost of construction. Architects’ fees range from 10 to 20 percent for residential projects. Total project cost is the sum of hard costs (construction) and soft costs (fees and testing).

How much does an architect charge per hour?

So, let’s look at the Residential Architectural Fees page and review those percentage fee ranges and see how they stack up next to the hourly rates charged by many architects. Let’s establish an hourly rate somewhere in the middle: $150/hour.

How many hours a week do you work as an architect?

This was a disappointing 162 hours (which is approximately 8% of my time in the office). Finally a look at the actual amount of time that as billed to an actual project. About 90% of all my projects are hourly and so this number is kind of important. So just how much time did I spend working on projects that I can actually bill?

Where does an architect do most of their work?

Most of the design work will be done from an office, but there will also be visits to clients’ offices, meetings with planning offices and local government, and of course site visits. Depending on whether they are freelance or employed by a company, an architect may work from their own office,…

Is it worth it to hire an architect?

In fact, an architect can help turn your dream home into a reality and ensure your property is functional, stylish and attracts buyers when the time comes. Before calculating the cost of hiring an architect, remember that they are university qualified professionals.