Great article by Erin Carlyle of Houzz!
If you’re looking to remodel your kitchen, working with a kitchen designer could be well worth the investment. These professionals can bring your remodeling project expertise and ideas that can result in a more beautiful and functional kitchen. But how much does it cost to hire one?
The answer, of course, is that it depends. A designer’s fees can vary based on the scope of your kitchen remodel and the price of materials and design services in your area. To get a sense of the range, we interviewed 13 kitchen designers across the country about what they do and how they charge. Here’s what you need to know.
Create design concepts. A kitchen designer will come up with a vision or design concept for a kitchen that looks, feels and functions right for you. They’ll likely ask about the problems with your existing kitchen as well as how you’d like to use your space. They may want to know who in your home cooks and how often. “If I have a client who uses an oven or a microwave a lot, I want to make sure it’s not on the outskirts of the kitchen,” says Bridgette Bennett, a kitchen designer at Signature Kitchen & Bath Designin Cupertino, Calif. They’ll also ask about the styles, colors and materials you gravitate toward.
Create design plans. Kitchen designers can plan everything about your kitchen, from broad changes like a new layout to details such as where to place an electrical outlet on the island. They create drawings and 3D renderings to give you a realistic picture of how your new kitchen will look.
Confirm a realistic budget. Kitchen designers know the costs of products and materials, as well as the costs to make changes to your kitchen’s layout. When you share your initial budget with them, they can help you gain a realistic sense of what that investment will cover. “The budget is helpful so I’m not overdesigning for their space,” says Rochelle Horn, kitchen designer at Estrella Cabinetry & Design Center in Goodyear, Arizona. “I take their budget very seriously.” Once a final budget is established, a kitchen designer can help the client stick with it.
Select and design products, finishes and materials. Some kitchen designers have business models in which they design every detail of the kitchen, whereas others limit their services to designing and selecting cabinetry and hardware. Depending on the scope of their practice, these pros may suggest cabinet door styles and countertop materials, have smart ideas for maximizing cabinet storage, or take field trips with their clients to pick the perfect backsplash tile. They also have access to products available only to the trade (not sold directly to consumers).
Order cabinetry and other products and manage delivery to the home. Ordering cabinetry is a more complex endeavor than ordering a sofa, and a good kitchen designer will ensure it’s done right. They’ll also take charge of tracking materials through delivery.
Ensure the project is properly installed. If regulations in your state, county and city allow, your kitchen designer might oversee a project much like a general contractor would, managing and coordinating the trades on site. However, more often they become a key member of the renovation team, acting as an advocate for the homeowner and collaborating with the builder to ensure the kitchen is installed as it was designed. Either way, kitchen designers see a job through to completion.
How Much Does a Kitchen Designer Charge?
Kitchen designers have different methods of charging for their services, and the way they structure their fees often depends on the way they structure their businesses. The main thing to know is whether your kitchen designer sells products. Many kitchen designers do, while others are independent (meaning they sell no products). Kitchen designers can be found in cabinet and kitchen showrooms, working for design-build firms or running independent businesses. Here are some terms you may hear when you meet with prospective kitchen designers and discuss their fees.
Hourly rate. Independent kitchen designers typically charge an hourly rate for their design work. It may be as low as $65 per hour or as high as $250, but often it’s around $125 to $150. This rate could apply to design time, meetings, phone calls, time your designer spends at your project site and more. “Whether it’s new construction or a remodel, my fee is such a small portion of the overall build that it doesn’t make sense to me that they not use a designer,” says Martha Murray, an independent kitchen designer at Martha Murray Design in Bend, Oregon. “What it will save you is enormous.”
Design retainer or flat fee. The fee that kitchen designers charge for their initial design services is often called a design retainer or a flat fee. These fees cover the time the designer spends planning your new kitchen — though often at a discounted rate. A designer might charge a flat fee of a few hundred dollars for an initial two-hour meeting to brainstorm design possibilities or a design retainer of several thousand dollars to complete a full kitchen plan. The designers we spoke with mentioned fees of $350 to $500 for the initial conceptual meeting. For the full design planning process, they mentioned fees of $500 to $10,000, though $2,500 to $3,500 was typical. Sometimes, these fees are a percentage of the total project budget.
Keep in mind that the design retainer fee may include a specific number of hours your designer will work on the project, or perhaps a specific number of design revisions. Beyond that number, your designer may charge you an hourly rate for additional time they spend on the project. Check with your prospective designer to be sure you understand these details.
Also, these fees are typically nonrefundable. However, kitchen designers who sell products may apply the fee as a credit toward product purchases. Many designers will allow you to keep the plan they create for you even if you choose not to proceed with them. Other kitchen designers don’t hand over the plan until you’ve signed a contract to proceed with them on the project. Again, check with your prospective designer.
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