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Design Phase Descriptions

 

Preliminary Design Phase Description:

 

  • The fixed fee of $1,400 includes the scope of work listed below. From experience, the Preliminary Design Phase most commonly takes seven (7) 8-hour days for a total of 56 hours at $25 per hour. The maximum duration at the fixed service fee is 2 weeks. Service Time after 112 hours will be paid by the hour ($25) or a new proposal will be provided depending on how much work still needs to be done. 

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  • Programming and Initial Space Planning with pencil sketches. This includes going back-and-forth with the client to come to an agreement on where each room will be placed in a New Build home. For a remodel the space planning would consist of back-and-forth discussions with the client to determine the approved layout of furniture and millwork within the remodeled space.

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  • Pinterest and/or Houzz Boards set up for clients to view anything Interior Designer Pins or wants to suggest for their new Space.

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  • For a remodel most likely there will not be a digital copy of the current floor plan. In that case, the Interior Designer would visit the home being remodeled and field measure every wall, window, door, light switch, etc. unless the client is working with an Architect. If the client is working with an Architect then the Interior Designer would kindly ask the Architect to provide a .dwg file to the Interior Designer.

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  • If the client does already have a digital copy of their current floor plan then the Interior Designer would visit the home being remodeled to verify the dimensions in the drawing provided. To verify that the drawings provided do indeed match the actual layout. 

 

Schematic Design Phase Description:

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  • The fixed fee of $2,800 includes the scope of work listed below. From experience, the Schematic Design Phase most commonly takes fourteen (14) 8-hour days for a total of 112 hours at $25 per hour. The maximum duration at the fixed service fee is 4 weeks. Service Time after 224 hours will be paid by the hour ($25) or a new proposal will be provided depending on how much work still needs to be done. Prior to starting the Schematic Phase, approval of the space plan (ie: approval of where each room will be within the home) is required.

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  • For New Build projects further program discussions will occur, in multiple meetings back-and-forth with the client. During which the Interior Designer will present PDF space plans for review, which will show millwork and furniture layouts for each room in the home.

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  • Design Concept options are presented to the client for one to be approved and used throughout the Interior Design process as a guiding light. See below for examples of a Design Concept.

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  • Continued use of Pinterest or Houzz idea boards.

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  • Coordination with Architect who may need certain details decided on, that require major plumbing or structural changes, to be included in his drawings that are submitted for permit.

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  • Initial meetings with the appliance, plumbing fixture, door/window, millwork, and interior or exterior finish providers.

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  • Preliminary grayscale 3D views that help make decisions on space planning but do not have finishes included at this time.

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  • Furniture Lookbooks and Interior Finish/Lighting/Special Feature Lookbooks started for each room but focused on the most important rooms first, getting approval along the way to work as efficiently as possible.

 

Design Development Phase Description:

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  • The fixed fee of $4,200 includes the scope of work listed below. From experience, the Design Development Phase most commonly takes twenty-one (21) 8-hour days for a total of 168 hours at $25 per hour. The maximum duration at the fixed service fee is 5 weeks. Service Time after 280 hours will be paid by the hour ($25) or a new proposal will be provided depending on how much work still needs to be done. Prior to starting the Design Development Phase, Architect drawings need to be approved and submitted for permit. The Architect should share their drawings with the Interior Designer and coordination should ensue between them both from this point forward.

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  • Furniture and Interior Finish/Lighting/Special Feature Lookbooks revised after back-and-forth meetings with the client during the schematic phase, completed and approved in this phase.
     

  • Sketchup Interior Design Drawing Set includes: Cover Page, General Notes Page, Finish Schedule (partially filled out), Lighting/Plumbing Fixture/Appliance Schedules (partially filled out), Furniture Legend (Blank), Demo Plan, Wall Finish Plan, Floor Finish Plan, Electrical Coordination Plan, Reflected Ceiling Coordination Plan, Furniture Plan, Elevations (Blank), Details (Blank). The pages that are only partially filled or left black within this phase are normally started and completed in the Construction Documentation phase.
     

  • During this phase, there is continued Coordination with the Architect, Contractors, and Sales Reps.
     

  • Realistic Renderings or virtual reality animations are recommended to help the client make decisions and feel confident with their decisions because the renderings give them a look at how the design will all come together. These are optional deliverables. 

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  • As a separate deliverable, the Interior Designer can be asked to go along on shopping trips to purchase furniture for the new space(s). It is recommended to purchase furniture for a multi-room project from Furnitureland South in North Carolina. The Interior Designer would go to North Carolina with the client and their airfare, hotel, and rental car accommodations would be taken care of by the client. A two or three-day trip is recommended. By the end of the trip, the client should ideally have all furniture pieces selected and all fabrics and finishes decided on so the purchase of all furniture is completed on the last day of the trip.

 

Construction Documentation Phase Description:

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  • The fixed fee of $4,200 includes the scope of work listed below. From experience, the Construction Documentation Phase most commonly takes twenty-one (21) 8-hour days for a total of 168 hours at $25 per hour. The maximum duration at the fixed service fee is 5 weeks. Service Time after 280 hours will be paid by the hour ($25) or a new proposal will be provided depending on how much work still needs to be done. Prior to starting the Construction Documentation Phase, a building permit has to be approved, a builder needs to be hired and all Interior Design finish, furniture, and equipment (FF&E) selections are approved. Any changes requested from the client after the construction drawings are submitted will result in a change order fee of $25 per hour. 

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  • Final Interior Design Drawing Set includes: Cover Page, General Notes Page, Finish Schedule (with final selections), Lighting/Plumbing Fixture/Appliance Schedules (with final selections), Furniture Legend (with final selections), Demo Plan, Wall Finish Plan, Floor Finish Plan, Electrical Coordination Plan, Reflected Ceiling Coordination Plan, Furniture Plan, Elevations, Detail drawings.
     

  • Send out Detail drawings for millwork to the vendor and request quotes and shop drawings.

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  • As an experienced Project Manager, all aspects of the construction preparation that has to do with the interior space will be managed by the Interior Designer.

 

Construction Administration Phase Description:

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  • The time allocated to this final phase is different for every project, so an hourly rate of $25 is provided and the Interior Designer keeps a detailed timesheet to track time spent. This is the longest phase in the design process because it lasts as long as the construction does. However, several weeks can go by without needing the management of the Interior Designer. Therefore it is not calculated by the overall span of time, it is calculated by actual time spent here and there. 

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  • The Interior Designer will project manage all aspects of the Interior Design construction process.
     

  • Coordination with the contractor to review construction progress and conformance with the Construction Documents.
     

  • Finish and shop drawing submittals approved or sent back with revisions.
     

  • Respond to questions from Contractors and issue revisions to the Construction Documents as needed to provide clarification or document changes.

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