Key Points

A remodel should start with a paid design phase because you’ll know exactly what you’ll be paying for your new space.
Design produces measured floor plans, 3D renderings with 5 revision stages, a showroom visit where you handle the actual materials, and written selections that stay yours whether or not you build.
The in-home consultation and design starts at $1,000, and is applied as a line-item discount if you move forward with us.
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Paying for Drawings Means Paying for a Guaranteed Price

Should you pay a contractor for the drawings and renderings they’ve produced for your project?

Are they so important that they deserve a charge separate from construction work?

In this post, you’ll learn what a paid design phase with Frei Remodel and Design produces, when your first renderings show up, why every material gets chosen before demolition, and how the fee comes off your construction contract.

Why Do Some Remodelers Charge for the Design Phase?

Design isn’t something we do in our heads between site visits.

There’s a designer on it, drawing your floor plans, building your renderings, and sitting with you through material selections.

If we did free remodeling design, we’d be covering the cost for every homeowner who takes the drawings and walks. It’d be like a doctor’s office not charging you for time spent with the nurse if you decided to leave before the doctor saw you.

However, if you choose to move forward with us after you approve the design, the cost is discounted from the total construction cost.

How to find a reputable contractor.

Why a Real Remodel Starts With a Design Phase

Nobody can price a remodel accurately until the layout is settled, measurements are taken, and materials are picked.

An estimate given without this is just a ballpark guess based on the contractor’s experience. No materials have been chosen, no measurements have been taken off the walls, and nobody has checked whether the layout you want is possible.

We want to give you a real price, not a guess.

Our team will walk through your space, go over what you want, and check for anything that could get in the way of the project we discussed on the phone. From tile layout to cabinet design to appliance selection, we bring in the designers and vendors your project actually needs.

Then you get a contract that has a breakdown of what’s going into your kitchen so you can see what you’re getting and at what cost.

That means the price you see is one you can trust.

More on our design-build process.

What Your Design Phase Actually Buys You

Paying for our design gets you:

  1. Joe Frei, the owner, and an interior designer working with you to craft your kitchen design.
  2. 2D floor plans showing the new layout from above, drawn to real measurements.
  3. 3D elevation renderings in full color, detailed down to the tile, the hardware, and the cabinet doors.
  4. A showroom visit where you handle the actual cabinetry, flooring, countertop, and fixture samples.
  5. A detailed construction contract with an exact price.

If you go through with the design and then decide not to build with us, the plans, renderings, and specifications still stay with you.

Projects our design phase produced.

How Soon Will You See Your Home in 2D and 3D Renderings?

First drafts land about 2 weeks after you sign the design agreement.

From there, you get up to 5 rounds of revisions, whether it’s moving the island, swapping the tile, or changing the vanity. We want the drawing to match what’s in your head.

After 5 rounds, additional changes move to an hourly rate.

Why We Lock Every Selection Before Demolition Starts

Locking every selection before starting the demo helps keep your project timeline and budget on track, short of an act of God or finding something unforeseen inside your house.

Materials take however long they take to arrive, and a change made after work has started means your crew waits on the replacement. It also means we have to write up a change order to reflect the new material cost.

Say we tentatively pick a material and start bathroom construction, then partway in you decide you want something different.

A bathroom that should have run 4 to 5 weeks can take 8 to 12 instead because we have to stop work to wait on materials. Then we may have to reschedule the trades, too.

Locking selections helps reduce change orders, too. Since you’ve already made all the decisions and seen everything in 3D, you’re less likely to want something different, which can change the timeline and the cost.

Get a Real Price for Your Project With Frei Remodel and Design

Design costs money because people need to get paid to do the work, and a remodeler who gives it away isn’t planning for that.

If you’d rather know your number before demolition than after it, let’s talk about your project.

Fill out our contact form, or give us a call today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use your designer, or can I bring my own plans?

We work with outside designers regularly, and we keep a list of local ones we trust. In that setup, you hire and pay the designer directly, and Joe Frei, the owner, stays in the design meetings to make sure what's drawn can actually get built.

Do I have to buy my materials through you?

Materials come through us because we buy as a vendor at wholesale, and that pricing is built into what we quote you. If you source the same materials retail on your own, the cost of the project climbs fast. It also means we can't stand behind lead times or replacements.

Do the design documents include what I need for permits?

Yes. Your design package includes a full set of plans for permits, along with the spec sheets, material selections, and renderings. Everything is covered in the design price, and the documents are yours to keep.

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