Lauer's estimate of the Architects fee at 7 - 8% is about the average in the market. Branded or award winning Architects can charge above 10% of the construction cost. The traditional way is to appoint an architect and consultant team first to help prepare a schematic design and some preliminary cost estimate. The design could then be adjusted accordingly to fit your budget. The architect will prepare tender drawings and documents to call tender for a builder. A few builders are invited for the tender. Although the architect will provide the tender report and evaluation, you have the choice to decide which builder to use. Now a days, many people look for an all in one builder. The correct term to use is Design and Build (D&B). You appoint the D&B contractor and they will appoint or have their own architect and consultant team to do the design and authority submission. Going this route, the architects and consultant fee is cheaper as they do not have to provide the service of calling tender and evaluation. Also, the contractor may provide most of the design and drawings leaving the consultant team to just check and do the authority submission. Hope the above info is useful. Cheers
