Do they generally charge by the hour or the project?
It really depends what kind of project are you looking for. If you’re just adding an addition of 500 ft.² or less it probably will be a fixed price but it can go also by the hour - really depends what kind of project. Good luck.
Architects’ pricing can range drastically. Recently we worked with a homeowner who paid 60k for their custom home plans. As General Contractors, we offer plans for smaller projects like additions and such and charge anywhere from $1,500 - $3,000.
Most architects normally charge as a percentage of construction. In this Miami area, the plans themselves can range from 4% to 10% of the estimated costs of construction.
It depends on how complicated and how large the project is: the more complicated, the higher the percentage; the larger the project, the smaller the percentage.
Also how expensive the engineering is will either raise or lower the percentage. In Miami we need to use structural, electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning engineers to complete any project.