Remodeling: Design Fees

Worth It: Increasing the Feasibility Fee Better Covers Design Costs

Fri, 8 Feb 2013 02:34:02 EST

For one Indiana remodeler, clients are willing to pay $1,000 to $1,500 to see if their project is feasible.

Sales Alchemy: Getting Prospects off the Dime

Fri, 8 Feb 2013 09:52:01 EST

Several remodelers offer suggestions such as offering bath packages, using seminars to sell, and offering financing to help prospects make the decision to remodel.

Retracting the Retainer

Fri, 8 Feb 2013 10:20:36 EST

In response to the price-shopping, budget conscious consumers in its market, one remodeling company temporarily stops charging design fees to remain competitive.

If I Had a Camera: How to Hire an Architectural Photographer

Fri, 8 Feb 2013 12:27:44 EST

A high-resolution point-and-shoot camera doesn't make you a photographer any more than your client's socket set makes them a remodeler. Hire a pro to capture your hard work in high-end photography.

Busines How-To: Paper or Plastic? Accepting Credit Card Payments

Fri, 8 Feb 2013 12:18:48 EST

Should your business accept credit cards or not?

Drawing Investments: Benefits of Having Architectural Drawings Created as Part of the Sales Process

Fri, 8 Feb 2013 10:11:24 EST

A New Jersey remodeling company wins more bids by investing in architectural drawings during the sales stage.

Have I Got a Guy for You: Referral Programs

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 11:14:31 EST

Don't be afraid to ask for referrals or pay referral fees.

Sales School 101: Defending Your Markup

Fri, 8 Feb 2013 11:52:50 EST

Homeowners know they can find any remodeling component online for less than you need to charge to cover your overhead. Sales expert Michael Lee explains how to sell your added value.

Lead-Generation Services: Make Me a Match

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 10:57:57 EST

Many full-service and design/build remodelers are inclined to try lead providers — once.

SecondLook: David Heaney

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 10:19:06 EST

This Delaware remodeler has diversified his business by providing customized space plans and estimating services for health facilities..

What design/build means

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 09:11:20 EST

When a remodeler says his company is "design/build" what exactly does that mean?

Developing a design process starting with sales

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 08:46:07 EST

Todd Jackson of Jackson Design & Remodeling, in San Diego, developed a design process that starts with sales. “If you just turn a client over to a designer, they'll fall in love with a beautiful design that's over budget and can't be built,” Jackson says.

Design can be a profitable venture

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:08:06 EST

When he started out 16 years ago as a practicing architect and partner in Socha Builders, Rob Adler did not charge anything for the creative phase. “We charged nothing so as to get noticed, and we agreed in advance that if the client was pleased with the design, they were only obligated to pay for the construction documents,” he says.

Refer Madness

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 08:37:20 EST

Could it be any easier for homeowners to find home improvement contractors? Only if the online referral industry maintains its current torrid growth rate. Having emerged in the 1990s and then largely imploded in the dot-com bust, this industry is back and bigger than ever. Hundreds of services exist today, from national behemoths that “match” contractors and consumers automatically to one-person companies that know every client by name.

Fee (Not So) Simple

Mon, 5 Apr 2010 02:05:43 EST

For some remodeling clients, the concept of a volume discount extends to remodeling projects. They argue that there are efficiencies of scale or that expensive finishes don't increase a remodeler's risk proportionately. Faced with a design/build remodeling project estimated in the million-dollar range, should you reduce your design fees?

Three aspects to design fee

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 08:18:38 EST

When you first begin charging for design, the fee is often seen as more of a client's commitment than a profit maker. “When you look at your efficiency in doing the design and moving the client through effectively,” says Mark Richard-son of Case Design Build, Bethesda, Md., “that's an indicator that you can start to look at the design fee more in terms of its profitability.”

Charging up-front for design

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 08:16:53 EST

Mark Richardson of Case Design/Remodeling says Case has, over a 30-year period, evolved a process for charging for design — preliminary design, for which the client is charged .5% to 2%; detailed planning, which is 6% to 8%; and construction. But Case didn't start out that way.

The Business of Design/Build

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 08:08:50 EST

In June, six design/build remodelers got together to talk about the business. Eavesdrop on their conversation.

Charge For Design Services

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 08:05:17 EST

Charging for design and other preconstruction services is growing more common among remodeling companies, but the design/build concept is rarely executed the same way twice. Design expertise is valuable. Get paid for it.

Whether hiring staff designers benefited your company

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 07:48:22 EST

We hired a kitchen and bath designer with 10 years of experience working in a manufacturer's showroom. Clients want better products, and there isn't enough time to do everything else and help the client make selections.