How to Stay On Budget With A Designer & What is an “Additional Service”?

At New Avenue we have determined that the best practice for providing design services for remodels, additions, and new custom homes is to provide detailed Design Proposals with a fixed fee. Our online proposal system structures each proposal with each major task listed as a separate line item.

Both the owner and the designer benefit from cost-certainty.  We state in our design agreement that any increase in billings must be discussed and approved before the owner to be responsible to pay for it.

For example typical Schematic Design will have three schemes: “Schema A”, “Scheme B” and “Scheme C”.  These may take a few weeks each to develop and you have a reasonable expectation that Scheme C is your final design. If you want to go do Scheme D, E, F…. K, L, M then the designer will provide an “Add Service” form estimating the number of hours needed to complete the next Scheme and you, as the owner, will have the option to approve it.

The Design Proposal sets reasonable expectations.  The Add Service Form prevents owners from being surprised by an invoice for work that was not in the Design Proposal.

Other Add Services may include civil engineering, surveys, structural engineering, permit fees, or interior design.

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