Design Fee Schedule
A set of reproducible plans for a stock $200,000 home purchased from a Home Plan Service will cost about $1,000. The plans may then have to be adapted to suit local conditions, codes, etc. and may also need to be certified by a registered architect or engineer. Additionally, most homeowners will want to modify the plans to some degree or other - adding possibly an extra $1,000 to the cost. $2,000 or thereabouts for some modified stock plan.
The average design fee paid by developers and builders for home plans is 1.7% of the construction cost - $3,400 for a new home costing $200,000. For this money they may indeed purchase a pleas-ing, efficiently designed home, however, the designer can and often does sell the same set of draw-ings multiple times, either to the same builder or to others. Indeed this is where the term "stock design" arose.
Architects, however, when commissioned to design an individual custom home usually provide a full architectural service (design, construction drawings and supervision through construction) the fee for which is typically between 10%-15% of the construction cost - $20,000-$30,000 for the same $200,000 home. The design may be unique, truly one-of-a-kind, however, not surprisingly many people cannot, or will not, pay the fees involved. Interestingly, these same people seem to have no compunction in paying a Realtor's sales commission of 6% when purchasing a finished home - assuming the land cost to be $50,000 and added to our $200,000 home, the Realtor's fee could be the considerable amount of $15,000.
Fortunately, PSA CUSTOM HOMES offers homeowners another option through our ONLINE CUSTOM DESIGN process. Now there is no reason to force somebody's "stock" home design to work for your family. It makes much more sense to spend a small amount for a true custom home design than to spend money in trying to modify a plan that was designed for another family and in another location. Using the basic 2,000 SF home again as an example our fee will be about 5% or less of the anticipated cost of construction - a bargain surely for a true custom designed home.
All PSA CUSTOM HOMES projects consist of two distinct phases and our fees reflect this:
Phase 1 - Conceptual Design
Phase 2 - Construction Drawings
Phase 1 - Conceptual Design is the critical, creative part of the design process. It is the melding of your hopes and desires, the restrictions imposed by your site and budget, the challenges superimposed by structural and technical limitations into a tangible reality that is unique for you and is the most aesthetically pleasing.
To begin the process please follow these simple steps:
Step #1:
Complete the no obligation Project Information Form
Step #2:
We will contact you by phone or e-mail (whichever you prefer) to discuss your project more fully
Step #3:
Only if you feel comfortable with proceeding further and only if you request it, will we then send to you our Design Agreement for your review and approval. The Design Agreement will show the fee broken down into the two phases mentioned above i.e. Phase 1 - Conceptual Design & Phase 2 - Construction Drawings. Our Fee is based upon the size and complexity of the house and its appendages and will be formulated by multiplying the square footage by a price per square foot. Step #4:
If you agree to the terms of the Design Agreement return it, together with the stipulated deposit, and we will begin working on your dream home immediately.
Computing the Fee:
The gross square footage of the home is calculated using outside overall dimensions and will include all habitable spaces (i.e. heated or air conditioned space - including finished attics and basements). Our square footage rates currently vary between $1.60-$2.00 per SF for the Conceptual Design Phase and $3.50-$4.50 per SF for the Construction Drawings Phase, depending upon size, complexity and location. The larger the home the less the fee will be due to an economy of scale; a more complicated design will obviously take longer to produce and engineer, also it is necessary to charge more for structural engineering in both seismic & strong wind areas. We also calculate the areas of all unin-habitable spaces (areas to be roofed-over, but that will remain unheated or unconditioned, such as storage, garages, carports, covered porches plus decks and balconies) and use a greatly reduced multiplier for these areas - its currently $1.00 per SF.
Changes:
The Design Agreement will state the square footage rates used for your design - if the home is incr-eased, or decreased in area these rates will be used to adjust the fee accordingly.
The Conceptual Design Phase fee includes one major revision. After we have gone through one major revision phase, and you decide to make further revisions, there will be an additional fee based upon how extensive the revision is and how far we are along in producing the final plans and elevations - a major revision typically comprises more than 20% change in the design.
There will never be additional charges or work without your written approval of this work. There will be NO unpleasant surprises.
Payment Policy:
Unfortunately we cannot offer our clients credit, therefore we operate a pay as you go policy, the details of which will be spelled out in the Design Agreement.
Optional Services: The Conceptual Design Phase doesn't include any of the following services and if required they are considered to be special orders and will require payment in advance. Costs provided upon application.
Roof Layout
Shows the complexity of the proposed roof design and locates ridges, hips, valleys and eaves - framing not included.
Preliminary Site Plan
Shows where the proposed building is to be located on your site, including the layout of driveways, property line dimensions, location of existing structures inside the property, and the direction of North.
NOTE: This Preliminary Site Plan does not include water, sewer, and electrical points of connection, proposed service routes and existing utilities on the site. It also doesn't show drainage and grading information.
Perspective Rendering (3D view)
A realistic interpretation of what the building's exterior will look like, viewed from a distance - usually from the street. Cost will vary depending upon black and white drawing or color.
Computer-generated Flyover or Walk-through animations
Both exterior animations (flyover) or interior walk-throughs can be generated using state of the art computer software. Imagine being able is to view your virtual home in detail before even the site is cleared.
This ends Phase 1 - Conceptual Design
Phase 2 - Construction Drawings is the technical phase - architectural, construction and engi-neering choices are critically analyzed, compared and evaluated. This phase may involve us working with a local licensed engineer, who is familiar with local codes, soil conditions, and other local fact-ors that must be incorporated into the final Construction Drawings. These are the construction draw-ings needed when applying for a building permit.
When we deliver the final Conceptual Design drawings we will confirm the cost of the Construction Drawings. The price given in the Design Agreement will still apply unless the design has been altered or the building size has been increased or decreased.
For information on our SCOPE OF SERVICES and to know what is included in each package, click here. To learn the steps to A CUSTOM-DESIGNED NEW HOME,
