What's the budget for the project? 300K? 500K? 1M? Design fees will be commensurate with the level of the project.

budget is 500k, give or take.

Are you referring to the ID's design compensation only? Or are you referring to the overall amount that will go to design, such as the architect and KD and ID? Who is doing the project management? Is there a general contractor involved? Is the design or project management fee located within the 500K, or is it a separate line item?

Your question is much too lacking in specifics for a generalist answer.

Scope of question is ONLY what a designer would charge on the low end/high end. Not architect, GC or project management. Those functions are dedicated to appropriate specialists.

My guess is that you will pay about $250 per hour and will be able to buy the time in discounted blocks after a flat fee initial design charge for concept, colors, fabrics, layout, etc. I would expect the initial fee to be between $7k at the low end and 12k at the high end. Additional blocks discounted probably to $225 per hour and then the designer's set charges for ordering furniture, lamps, accessories rugs, etc. that is to the trade only. That is often but not always the designer's cost plus 30 or 35%. (Beware, if you end up buying retail you'll spend more than the ticket price for these items unless you are paying a day rate for shopping, then you'll pay retail alone at those places.)

The designer should have a written, standard contract with the fee structure clearly stated, which you will sign before work commences. If he or she doesn't have that take a pass, as the person is not a true professional.

My guess, for the entire project ypu will end up paying overall design fees of
$50k overall which will be embedded in your $500k budget after the initial design work. Be thankful there is a wealth of design talent in Chicago and you won't have to fly someone in, adding to the expense.

10% of the project would be low and 25% would be high, if you insist on a range. But a lot depends on the reputation and resources that the designer has. And the scope of work. And the methodology of compensation. Hourly plus a percentage on the product, or flat fee or straight markup on product. There is still too much unknown to do more than a WAG.

Live wire, my estimate is right in the middle percentile of your range, between $57k and $62k. Same caveats about fee structure and assuming high end but not insanely so, and no furnishings from a previous home.

"Budget is $500k"

"Is that design fee only"

Are you serious? !? How could the design fee be half a million dollars? Lol.

I believe the OP is saying that the project budget is $500k.

"Are you referring to the ID's design compensation only? Or are you referring to the overall amount that will go to design, such as the architect and KD and ID?"

ID's design compensation only. Budget of 500k is for entire project! Sorry if unclear on OP.

This is a discussion to drive me INSANE. Time worth is time worth. If a designer is worth $250 an hour I do not know how it could possibly matter how much money the finishes s/he is picking out will cost?!! That is highway robbery. What the COST of the project is should have no bearing on the designer's fee!!! The designer gets to decide what their time is worth.PERIOD!! grrrrrrr Find one that charges by the hour, and can give you and estimate of the time involvement it would take to complete your project. Any other sort of fees are BS and should not be discussed.

i like your style arcy.

By the hour ususally ends up costing more than by the project.

I don't think anyone was really confused by LWO asking if the total compensation for the project being talked about was being split by a group of professionals, or whether just the ID's fee was being "checked". "Is the design or project management fee located within the 500K, or is it a separate line item?" In other words is the project 500K with a design fee on top of that, or is the project 500K with the design fees being a cost within that total.

Is nothing included in your $500K budget for this part of the job?

When we gutted our 3000 sq ft house down to studs and plywood we used a design/build firm and within the budget a certain number of hours and dollars were attributed to the ID/KD for layouts, meetings with me, etc. She selected all of my finishes and fixtures, paint colours, did my kitchen design work. pretty much everything. But I was an educated client and knew the direction and look that I wanted. She tweaked it for me.

She would bring me two or three selections for lighting or carpeting and together we would choose. She met me at the stone yards and we selected from there. All those hours were included in the initial budget. At the end of the job the project manager was sorta kinda given a tip, she was very well "tipped" by us.

At the very beginning of the job we were charged an initial fee for her initial layouts until we confirmed the contract. All the other hours were then included in the contract.

When that part of the job was finished I then hired an interior decorator to do window treatments and to tie the rooms together using things I already had and for suggestions on necessary purchases (art work etc). I was charged an initial fee for a 2 hour consult and a book of ideas and suggestions for fabrics, installation art, coffee tables, etc. I then chose what I wanted/needed with their advice and that was all done on a piece-fee basis.

thanks blfenton what did those services run you in aggregate? $20k?

This was 2010 - Our initial fee was $3500 and in total we would probably be closer to $25k during the job when I think about the actual number of hours she probably put into the job. I had one interim charge of $2k because she spent one long day shopping with me. It is an option that the firm offers and I took advantage of it.

From start to finish the actual construction time was 6 months when we were out of` the house where she was also hands on but a lot of her work of course, was done prior to beginning of construction.

That would not have included the interior decorators time. That is all separate.

There were also three things that I did take charge of and that was

-choosing our hardware which took a number of hours. (I have early on-set arthritis in my hands which required me to go out and actually touch and try to use all the hardware and find one that was most comfortable. It doesn't really go with our post-and-beam home but....)

-I chose our design for our wrought iron railings which took I don't know how many hours of research on the internet. It got frustrating for both of us in my trying to describe what I wanted and her not being able to find it. They were more than glad to have what I wanted made once I figured that out. They weren't chosen or installed until several months after the job was finished.

-I designed our front door after discounting her choices and again the firm was more than glad to have the front door custom made once that was done.

We were incredibly lucky to have found the firm that we did. One who listened to us and one that we trusted to take care of us and our home.

"Any other sort of fees are BS and should not be discussed."

I don't agree, Arcy. Paying a percentage for materials after the designer's cost is a standard type of fee structure and has been for ages. It also probably works out less than paying by the hour if you have multiple rounds of fabric choices presented. Paying a daily rate for shopping trips, for example, may also be lower than a per hour charge.

It's not rocket science, but for a large and complex project it is not going to be simple, either.

Why would it work out to less? How would you know that? The time spent is unknown and buried in fee structure algorithyms.

Often you are paying an hourly fee and then a percentage on purchases. My understanding is that the markup covers things from ordering to handling any problems that occur. I doubt they are shortchanging themselves. Most people are shocked at the charges. It seems a convoluted approach to billing, to me, that doesn't necessarily reflect an hourly rate for their time/expertise. People like to know what they are paying for and how much, in a direct fashion. Then again, if a designer says they want $300-$500 an hour, that is not going to fly so well with most people, lol. They get paid in part if they sell you something only.

$2,000 for a one day shopping trip is outrageous. I guess that's about $200 an hour. Was there product markup on top of that?

It really comes down to values and what the market will bear. It is very expensive and out of whack with other occupations, imo. Bottom line, expect to pay a lot. And maybe not too clear on the why and what for.

"$2,000 for a one day shopping trip is outrageous."

Not if it keeps you from making mistakes on a reno that involves your whole house it isn't.

Because something is common practice or has been done for years does not prove it is acceptable IMO. Paying for a skill is always tricky I suppose, but if one cannot figure out a way to charge for said skill--it does not follow one gets to tag along on the price of the item chosen. All that does is encourage the designer to offer and choose the most expensive items possible! How is it so impossible to figure out billing/time spent? If a fabric change is needed then yes added time would be put on a designer's bill. How does one justify getting paid for this hassle when it may not happen?? On the other hand it seems to me I am paying an "expert" so I can avoid such issues. At $200 an hour I would expect them to get it correct the first time! Just to put this in perspective what other professions bill out at $200 AN HOUR!? A surgeon does not get a percentage of the gauze, blood, table use charged a patient. Bottom line find a school in your area,tommylicious offer the job to best student there, "senior project". Everyone wins!!

arcy i'll say it again, i like your style.

Professions that bill at $200/hour:
That's low for lawyers and consultants in my neck of the woods. My billing rate was $600/hour. Of course, I didn't see anywhere near that much, but my employer did.

Good Lord, if our lawyer only charged $200 per hour I would dance with joy.

Different professions charge differently for their time and talent---and in this case, ACCESS to goods not available to the public. And access to workrooms and craftspeople you wouldn't find without them. People who are so vehemently against paying a designer just shouldn't. But if you've never tried it.....

I suspect this discussion, like others before it, brings out some heated opinions because for many, the numbers are just not anything that are realistic in our world...not to say there is ANYTHING wrong with spending X, Y or Z thousands or hundreds of thousands. However, if you don't have that frame of reference the costs can seem breathtaking and even impossible to justify/explain. They're not, they are simply a glimpse into a design world that isn't the one in which many folks live.

I remember a friend, 15+ years ago, who remodeled her kitchen in a high end home she had just bought. When she told me she had spent $125,000 on the room I recall thinking first that it was an insane amount and then that it made perfect sense--the property was a multi-million dollar place, they were feeling flush since husband had just sold a business and gotten a large windfall and last but not least she was running with some seriously high end other folks for whom a statement kitchen was pretty much expected. Whether all those reasons made sense *to me*, they did to her and she had the resources to do what she wanted to do.

Anyway, I find these discussions fascinating whether or not I'll ever be in a position to need a high end designer...and I pretty much suspect the answer for me is no :).

Ann