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. More
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. More
Estimating from incomplete drawings More
The owner of Daniel's Kitchen Design (www.danielskitchendesign.com) in Anaheim, Calif., says his design services are more affordable than those offered by full-service firms and Home Depot services, including the company's Expo Design Center. More
Professionals pay professionals and know they must. I charge for estimates and keep the money because I believe that a contractor's time is extremely valuable. The homeowners receive 45 minutes to an hour of free consultation during the first meeting. After that, they pay for our time. More
Back in the early '90s, Chicago-area general contractor John Harty of John G. Harty Ltd. considered the custom home contract he'd just signed a godsend. But though the subs Harty recommends are usually the ones hired and though most materials are bought at supply yards where John G. Harty Ltd. has its accounts, Harty neither pays the subs directly nor purchases the products. More
Your design department can stand on its own and earn a healthy margin. The key is to find talented design staff and capture all your costs. More
Architects Michael Menn and Andy Poticha of Design + Construction Concepts, Northbrook, Ill., started their remodeling firm in order to do design/build. Michael Menn and Andy Poticha recently instituted an option for clients to pay 2% of project cost to receive a feasibility study. More
Anna Mavrakis, TNL Design/Build Canton, Ohio We do charge a design fee for any drawings done for a job. I own two businesses, Monson Interior Design (high-end kitchen and bath design/build) and a kitchen and bath remodeling franchise, DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen. More
Would potential clients identify more with verbal repartee between husband and wife leading to a remodel rather than a beautiful photo of a completed job? More
