The Cost of an Interior Designer

The cost of Interior Design services in today's DIY-minded culture is a minefield of confusion. What services are you paying for and should you pay for and how do you know that you are getting a good, value-for-money service from a guaranteed professional? The hardest part is probably to compare the pricing you get from different designers and to compare them like for like, since every designer charges and prices their services in different ways.

There are a few industry standard ways of charging clients:

Hourly rate: This means simply charging per hour design services. An average hourly rate could be between £60-£100 per hour. This is a standard way of charging for design work that is mostly consultancy work. On home refurbishments, hourly rates can create stress and headache for the client, not knowing what they will be charged for their project.

The Flat Fee: This is a single price that may be broken up into payments for the project. A deposit would most likely be taken at the start of the project and then further payments at certain phases during the work, with a final payment at the end of the project. This is a good way to charge on smaller projects with a clear start and finish with not many projected delays.

Percentage of Entire Budget: A popular way for architects to charge clients but this fee basis is also used by interior designers on projects of considerable value with long lead times. A typical percentage could be anywhere between 15-30%, depending on the size of the budget. This way of charging is probably most suited to commercial work as many private clients are put off by the uncertainty of paying their designer in this way.

Hourly Fee + Contingency: This is where the client charges hourly for design work but there is an estimated time that the Designer must not go over. In addition, the designer will charge re-sale charges on merchandise purchased at trade prices. This is a good way to charge for those on a relatively strict budget but wanting a high-quality designer (as it's often the senior designers that charge on a time basis).

Flat Fee + Contingency: This is arguably the most popular as well as the clearest way to charge in terms of knowing the cost of design services from the onset. The designer charges a flat fee for an agreed schedule of design services, as well as a contingency on top of the trade discount received from suppliers.

Many designers tend to mix and match aspects of the above but as long as the fees are clearly outlined and time-charges and extra fees agreed in a signed contract, any of the above are perfectly acceptable industry standard fee structures.

Ardesia Design tends to use a flat rate fee and contingency, with an additional time charge for work beyond a certain number of agreed working hours. This structure works for the types of projects we work on (residential, mostly) and works in favour of both client and designer. The number of hours and flat fee are agreed following the initial brief discussion. The additional time charges would kick in if more than the agreed number of revisions were made to the brief and the designer has to put in additional work hours. The contingency fee can work to the client's benefit and we often try to structure a project so that  the designer's trade discounts can be used to offset the cost of the designer's services - in essence, the discounts received are greater than the flat fee charged by the designer. This of course depends on the size of the project but as a rule of thumb, this is what we aim for. Happy client, happy designer.

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Choosing the Right Tiles - An Article by Milena

Bathrooms require more durable materials than the rest of the house as they are constantly under strain from water. So far, the most popular materials for these rooms are stone, ceramic, porcelain, and glass. All of these materials are beautiful, strong, and come in a variety of shapes and colors.

To narrow down in size and material you need to know exactly where the tile will be placed. Most commonly, stone, ceramic, and porcelain are used for counters and floors. Glass is mostly used for walls and backsplashes.

Ceramic tile are tiles made from thin slabs of clay or other inorganic materials, hardened by oven firing and usually coated in a glaze. They are a good fit in bathrooms or other moisture-rich environments, as well as in kitchens as they do not harbour bacteria. They are easy to clean and install, waterproof, sturdy and great value for the price.

Porcelain tile is actually a subtype of ceramic tile and now a very a popular choice for bathroom floors. Porcelain is a denser, more porous, and harder option that offers greater stain and water resistance than ceramic tile. The manufacturing process of porcelain provides many more design possibilities than ceramic tiles. As a harder tile, it is also harder to wear down.

Ceramic tile vs. Porcelain tiles

These two types of tiles might often look the same but below the surface lies a world of differences. The main difference is hardness rating and porosity. Ceramic tiles are made from natural compounds and therefore, are softer and easier to cut than porcelain. Porcelain tiles are much harder to cut and due to their low porosity, they require a special compound for setting. Although porcelain bears the perception of high quality, it is not always the best choice for a residential application and tends to work better in commercial settings, as its toughness is unnecessary for domestic kitchens and bathrooms.

Glass tiles are a common choice for bathrooms today because they are easily recycled and come in a wide variety of colors and finishes. Mosaic tiles are usually shaped in rectangles, squares, or "pennies". However, in terms of installation costs, they are more expensive to fit and also harder to maintain as there is a lot of grout, which means a lot of area that can get cracked or stained.

Natural stone wins in durability and its natural beauty, and since no two stones are exactly alike, a natural pattern will emerge on tiled floors or walls. Natural stone requires more maintenance than ceramic, porcelain or glass. A smooth stone works better in kitchens, where surfaces will need regular wiping, but a textured stone floor will help prevent slips on a bathroom floor. Attention must be paid to the cleaning products used on natural stone as some chemicals will stain or bleach tiles, but natural stone requires regular, careful cleaning to prevent limescale and other residue build-up.

How much do they cost?

Tiles vary wildly in price range, from £10-£15 per square metre for very basic tiles, up to 100's of pounds per square meter at the luxury ceramic and porcelain tile end. For a good mid-range tile, you should look at spending anywhere between £35-£50 per square metre.

How to find a good tiler?

A bathroom fitting company who are providing a tiling service within a full bathroom refurbishment is likely to charge you much more for installation than a sole trader / independent tiler. However, whether you will get the same guarantees from a sole trader is debatable. A good tiler will give you a written quote detailing all the specifications. It also mentions the time required to finish the job, number of tiles needed, additional materials required, and so on. The best is to compare the quotes offered by the three to five recommended tilers in the area and choose the one that suits you best. If you are working with an interior designer, your designer will take care of finding the best tiler based on their experience. 

 Limestone tiles laid in a herringbone pattern

Natural blue slate tiles

Ceramic tiles 'folded' from Italian supplier Mutina

Ceramic tiles printed with patterns to imitate

encaustic concrete tiles

Glass tiles as a kitchen backsplash

Porcelain tiles from Mandarin Stone

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Information on Planning Permission

Planning Permission has always been a subject that has eluded many renovators (and designers) but even in London today, depending on what works you are planning, you may be surprised to find you will not need planning permission. Permitted Development (PD) rights entitle homeowners to make changes to their home without needing planning permission and include a number of renovations, including extensions. This is not to say you will never need planning permission for an extension (heavens no!) as there are a number of limitations and exceptions to the rule, for example, if you live in a Conservation area or a Listed building.

For listed buildings, all alterations (including internal ones) require consent. Depending on the size of your extension, you may require planning permission and listed buildings consent.

However, in general, planning permission will not be required for an extension as long as

• The extension will not exceed 50% of the total land area around the original house - this calculation should include sheds and other buildings.
• Single storey side extensions do not have a width greater than half the width of the original house
• Single storey side extensions do not exceed 4m in height
• Extensions within two metres of the boundary are built no higher than 3m
• Single storey rear extensions do not extend beyond the rear of the original house by more than 3m for an attached house, or 4m for a detached house
• Single storey rear extensions do not exceed 4m in height
• Exterior materials are similar in appearance to those of the existing house
• The roof pitch of extensions more than one storey should match that of the existing house

There are a number of other details that apply to extensions of more than one storey.

All extensions will require Building Regulations approval, which ensure that minimum design and construction standards are being met and cover things such as fire safety, insulation, drainage and access. Your interior designer or architect can help you submit a Full Plans Submission, or you can do this yourself. A building inspector will visit the site at various stages of the project. Alternatively, you can submit a Building Notice, giving the council 48 hours notice that you intend to start works. A building inspector will visit the site at various stages during the project and you will need to be prepared to correct work that does not meet the regulations.

For more information on Permitted Development, visit www.planningportal.gov.uk.

Reference:

Homebuilding and Renovating Magazine

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Estimating Build Costs

Estimating the cost of your renovation is a fundamental part of the planning process but can be very difficult, as there are always a number of factors so prices are very project-specific.
Factors include the size of your house, the level of your own involvement, location, materials and then the specific list of works that need to be done. Using these factors, one can start to formulate rough build costs.

In order to get started when estimating build costs, there are a number of sources for advice. Firstly, we recommend picking up a copy of Homebuilding and Renovating - they post a table of costs in every issue that estimates the build cost of your project based on location, square metres and the type of builders involved (DIY, subbies, main contractor etc). The table is based on information supplied by the Build Cost Information Service (part of RICS). Of course this is just a rough estimate but it is at least a starting point. For example, using this table for a project in Greater London of around 75-80sqm, the table estimates the following figures:

Main Contractor: £115,000

Builder and subbies:£110,000

Subbies: £105,000

DIY+Subbies: £85,000

Of course, the table does not outline what works are included but it is based on a full refurbishment or average sized extension.

Homebuilding and Renovating also provides two other, more detailed ways to estimate costs. The first is the My Building Project Estimating Service (www.mybuildingproject.co.uk), a full analysis of your costs based on specific plans. Prices start at £199. There is also an online Build Cost Calculator at www.homebuilding.co.uk/buildocosts which can be used for free advice.

For more detailed information, refer to this Article.

Of course the best way to get an estimate would be to submit the same Schedule of Works to a number of builders or contractors to see the range of prices that professionals would offer - however, this is very difficult to estimate until the Schedule of Works is quite specific. Many clients ask us what we think the cost of their renovation will be - it's one of the first questions asked and obviously of high importance but it puts us in a difficult situation where we can normally only offer a range estimate or show a case study of a previous, similar project. We advise our clients to view as many case studies as possible and to keep in mind a budget when entering this stage, as ultimately it's the Client's budget that defines the Schedule of Works. Unless you are planning on going the DIY route, it's always advisable to work with at least one professional, such as an interior designer, architect or surveyor - your interior designer or architect can guide you through the entire process and make sure you know the costs clearly - often, people overlook costs that would be spotted by professionals and costs rise above the expected. Check with your designer, but often designers pass on their trade discount to their clients and the savings accumulated more than make up for the designer's fees! Not to forget that your project will also be designed and dealt with by professionals who take the stress of budgeting and managing off your shoulders. 

If you are planning a renovation, we suggest you get in touch with us for a site survey and brief discussion on your building requirements so that we can give you a free cost estimate.

Resources: Homebuilding and Renovating

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