Dear Dakota: How Much Time is Reasonable to Put into Preparing a Scope of Work for a Construction Project
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An interior designer recently reached out to us with a frustration. She was in the process of putting together a scope of work for a full-service design project that involved construction, and she was spending quite a bit of time researching the answers to several questions about what could/should be done in this home to meet the homeowner’s needs.
This interior designer didn’t go into a lot of detail about the nature of the questions she was trying to get answers to, but, yes, in a project that involves construction, often there are several considerations that need to be evaluated before the project direction and full scope of work can be developed.
The interior designer who reached out to us didn’t specify what avenues she was researching in order to put together a scope of work for her client, but she DID indicate she was putting in a LOT of uncompensated work merely to get a reasonable and workable SOW developed for her client.
Unpaid work???? Uh, no!
In a situation like this, where the appropriate design direction needs to be investigated, and questions need to be answered (perhaps getting conceptual pricing from contractors) BEFORE a SOW for a project can be definitively determined, a designer should not undertake this investigation as just part of their inquiry or sales process.
Don’t even think about doing it!!!!
Instead, an interior designer faced with needed investigation (determining the practicality or achievability of a particular scheme, getting conceptual cost info from contractors, scrutinizing the financial viability of a particular design direction) should let the client know that something else needs to happen first. In this case: a feasibility study needs to happen first.
What Is a Feasibility Study?
A feasibility study is an assessment of the practicality or viability of a project to help determine exactly what could or should be involved in that project in order to move forward. Within the interior design industry, a feasibility study looks at the aspects of a potential construction project that will impact the direction that a project takes (extent of construction, degree of alterations to be made, and the limits to what is possible).
Why and When Interior Designers May Offer a Feasibility Study
If there are too many questions about the scope of a project for a designer to be able to write a SOW and contract, they should let the client know that a feasibility study is warranted. Then, the designer will be paid for the work of looking into the viability of certain things, rather than just taking this work on as part of the development of a SOW.
Feasibility studies are very common place for commercial building projects. That is because there are often so many unanswered questions at the onset of a project, sometimes even building size and location.
With residential projects, by their very nature, there are often more parameters in place from the get-go: the location, the rough budgeted expenditure, the client’s needs.
But, to any extent that important questions remain unanswered, a feasibility study is an ideal way to define the project parameters to the point that the designer can write a comprehensive scope of work.
Examples might include:
Can this interior wall come down easily? Or, is it load-bearing, therefore requiring structural accommodations if removed?
Will it be possible to add a toilet and full bathroom at this location of an older home at a reasonable cost?
Can a home addition be added here? Will the local building department approve the desired home expansion, or will it infringe on property setback requirements, or impervious surface maximums?
Will the major remodel project that the homeowner desires even be possible within their budgetary/financial limits?? Or, will their vision need to be scaled back before even moving forward?
Pricing a Feasibility Study
Like any other project type with an unclear scope: hourly.
You may be waiting on answers to questions like:
When can we get a structural engineer here to determine the width of wall that can be removed?
When with the city’s building department let us know whether we can get a variance?
When the contractor lets us know the conceptual cost estimate, will we need to look at yet another conceptual option?
So, let the client know that the time spent on the feasibility study will be billed hourly. Once the full scope of work of the project can be determined, your standard fee structure and contract for full-service design will apply, whatever that may be.
Key Components and Deliverables of a Feasibility Study for Interior Designers
This will vary so much depending on what questions need to be evaluated and answered, as well as what other professionals need to be consulted.
It may often be the case that the designer develops a few rough conceptual (very conceptual, meaning not highly detailed like a CD set plan would be) plan options for consideration by the homeowner and contractors. An example might be that the designer develops two options (rough, conceptual level only!!!) for a home expansion—one a larger expansion and one a smaller expansion. Then they have a contractor weigh in on cost, so the owner can decide, "Is $50K worth it to me to get the slightly larger expansion and better layout? Or would I rather save $50K and settle for the slightly smaller expansion?”
The possibilities are really endless as there may be several scenarios that might need to be explored.
Remember the end goal of a feasibility study: to have enough information available to put a fairly fine point on the project’s scope of work. Whatever exploration and deliverables are required to get you, the designer, and the client to that point are what may be involved.
Should I Offer Feasibility Studies as an Interior Design Service?
This is a back-pocket service, something you suggest to a client when a project warrants it. No, this is not a service you would list on your website. Its value exists only in certain circumstances, when it is not apparent what direction a design/construction project could or should go.
But knowing you can offer this service as a standalone service prior to the start of your full-service design + construction will prevent you from having to go into a construction project before all key aspects are known. It is horrible to undertake a project only to be blindsided by unanticipated delays, cost, or scope issues. And it is worse yet to start putting together a full-service SOW only to realize that the direction a homeowner wants to go is not entirely feasible.
Think of a feasibility study as a PRE service (prior to commencing a full-service design + construction project). Your client will greatly appreciate your ability to assist in this major decision-making stage, and help them discern the pros, cons, and practicality of their options. If a homeowner is headed down a path of pursuing a home improvement project that is unfeasible, prohibitively costly, or just plain impractical, this assistance will be priceless.
