Kitchen renovation “before”.
If you’re renovating or building a home you may be wondering if it’s worth it to hire an interior designer and if so, what does it cost? The real question is can you afford not to?
First, let’s look at the big picture, the world real estate market. As real estate prices in cities around the world continue to escalate it’s not unreasonable to expect the cost of all items associated with the home to also rise. Your property, your investment, is at a higher value and what’s inside it should be, too.
High Quality, High Cost
As the cost of high-quality goods goes up, we’re seeing a proliferation of low-quality goods offered at ever lower prices. In fact, mid-priced items have all but disappeared from many home product categories.
This divide strongly affects how people regard the design industry and the costs associated. If you’re looking for the lowest prices, you’re probably not in need of a designer.
How Designers Price Goods
Designers are more likely to show you products that are high quality, offer better performance and are locally and sustainably made. Investing in better quality means the products will last longer and cause you less stress in the long run.
Kitchen renovation “after”.
Is Quality Worth The High Cost?
Do you really want the hassle of replacing cheaper items over a shorter period of time? This can add up to more time and money in the long run. We think you should enjoy your investment right away and for years to come.
How Do Designer Fees Work?
What about the fees for a designer’s services? All design and decorating firms have their own pricing structures, often less than 15% to 20% of the entire reno or building job. I always remind clients that the main cost of any job is not the designer’s fees so if budget is an issue, the fees are not the real problem.
More Billing off the Top
You may get billed more at the beginning of a project than at the end. That’s when a large part of the work is needed to create CAD drawings, order products, etc. You’re paying for our time and expertise, and these fees can accumulate over billing periods but this is a small percentage of the cost of an entire renovation or new build.
Designers Save You Money
My philosophy is if you are going to renovate or build new, property is too expensive today to mess around with and not seek proper advice from a design consultant.
By making decisions quickly, and working with excellent, efficient suppliers we help keep project timelines on track. This saves a client time overruns which can show up as costs in the building budget.
Another angle of a recent kitchen renovation on a 100-year-old house.
Working Without a Designer Can Be Costlier
I can’t tell you how many times I ended up on a job site with a client after they had begun work with a contractor who didn’t have drawings and had only had basic conversations with the client before starting.
Although it may seem like a great way to save money upfront, lacking proper advice will cost you in planning mistakes and missed opportunities if it doesn’t look great, reflects your needs or is simply poorly designed.
Home ownership is about shelter, a place of pride, and of course, money! Even a couple of hours of talking with an experienced designer can be very enlightening and help you make some preliminary decisions that can save you money. Contact us to learn more.
