Dear Dakota: How to Deal with Outside Contractors as an Interior Design Professional
In a previous email I asked: Do you often get involved in construction administration where things are outside of your control, but you're still on the hook and then end up getting steamrolled?
A designer responded to that email and asked me about a situation she was going through and I wanted to share my response since I know she isn’t alone in this experience. Here goes!
Designer Submitted Question:
“When you asked that question- I realized that I am struggling with this- I started a primary bathroom remodel project- charged the flat fee with a detailed scope and once the items are ordered or selected, rather, I move to a monthly charge for up to 16 hours a month that serves as the "management' or "oversee" position for the project. This is meant to be up to 6 months or when the project is complete, whichever comes first.
The problem is that I did not account for them not making decisions or wanting more selections- I did not account for the contractor to be this delayed and to not provide them with the information that he would have had to do if I were not here (PS. they brought the contractor in, not me). So my biggest frustration is how to know how this could be combatted ahead of time. What should I have done differently? I really thought this would have been a project that we select the materials and order and move on- However, now I am hunting down where to source the right type of shower door and glass and how to design a specific niche for a freestanding tub that is separated with a specified woodwork- and instructions in how to build it- rather than showing it and having the contractor build it out-
Anyway- my biggest question is what could I have done differently in this case- what should have been a selection of surface material only has turned into a mix of full design and mid design work - and because my reputation is on the line, I do not want to step away from these specific needs.
Billing for services will forever be an issue- I do not like hourly for bigger projects, but I also feel like this is a project that I am spending so much extra time on and it is my own fault for not seeing the writing on the wall - working with a client only is one thing, but working with a contractor that a client brings into the job is another hill to climb.
Please write a blog post on how best to set parameters with a client and a contractor that you did not bring into the project so you have no control over how detailed they are or how much expertise they really have. Is there a way to charge for this sort of situation?”
my response
The Construction Administration (CA) phase of the project — which begins once the contractors start their work on-site — can involve many additional tasks for the designer which deal with oversight and trouble-shooting. But, in theory, the design phase should be 100% completed at this point. No more design decisions to be made. In theory.
But, it is human nature to keep thinking about it — the design, that is. Clients are very excited about their home improvements, so it is no surprise that sometimes clients have new ideas during construction. And, if you as the designer aren’t presenting the complete design to them at once, then of course you can’t expect your client to stop thinking about the design and move on to the next phase.
Then, the other thing that can go wrong is exactly what this designer described here: the contractor isn’t operating at the expected level of self-sufficiency, and things that the contractor should be handling fall on the designer’s shoulders. These can be things like those mentioned here: communicating with clients about the progress on construction, sourcing the glass shower door, and detailing the way the custom millwork will be fabricated. Those are things under the purview of the contractor, without a doubt. It can also be things like checking on material deliveries, and coordinating communication between the tradespeople. If a designer is doing these things, the contractor is falling down on the job.
The client doesn’t understand the differentiation of responsibilities: what the contractor should be doing versus what the designer should be doing. Rule of thumb would be: if it involves installation or construction, or building product sourcing or ordering, the task is the responsibility of the contractor.
If something needs to be re-designed due to an unforeseen condition (discovered behind the drywall perhaps), or because of an issue with sourcing or delivery of a product the designer may have ordered (fabric, furniture, decorative items), those are the things the designer is responsible for during CA.
Setting up a monthly charge for the designer’s CA activities (in addition to the flat design fee) — for up to 16 hours per month, and ongoing for up to a six month duration — is an excellent way to handle this! But I would suggest making sure to specify (in the contract) what these hours will be used for: site visits to check progress on the APPROVED design, answering trades’ questions pertaining to design intent, coordination and communication with the contractor.
Then specify that if any work that is required or requested beyond these administrative functions — that is, a DESIGN-related activity (such as you have a meeting and contractor wants you to research glass shower doors, or you need to detail the design for a niche for the tub, or the client has decided on a double-sink vanity rather than a single, etc.) — is to be considered a new scope of work and will be either billed hourly or will be a flat fee addendum.
Be very specific about this in your contract.
Also, (working backward in the project timeline) make sure you have a defined process for presenting and getting approval from the client on your design scheme.
It sounds like — in the case this designer described, where there are still many selections remaining, and opportunities for changes — that perhaps the design wasn’t fully presented, and signed off on by the client.
I could be wrong (don't tell my husband or kids I said that!), but I can often tell a lot about a designer's process by how a customer behaves after presentation. You should present one complete design, with every single selection the client needs to complete that space. After you present, provide the client with a defined time period in which to ask for changes or refinements to what you presented. Call this the “revision request” timeline and include the allowed duration in your contract.
Then, once that period is over, you prepare any final drawings and a spec book and hand it over to the client and the contractor for implementation. Beyond that point, the expectation is that no other design selections will be made unless something goes out of stock, or whatever your policy is.
UNLESS, during the production of drawings, or during CA (after construction begins), the client makes a request for a design change. Or the contractor requests additional design work on your part. Then, as described above, make it clear to the client and the contractor that you have been catapulted back into design development (which is a whole different animal than CA), and you will implement a new scope of work that will be either billed hourly or will be a flat fee addendum.
Once the construction begins, remind the client how the CA fee works: that you will be available for up to 16 hours of oversight time per month for six months. And that if re-design work is requested, that is not included in the CA fee.
ALWAYS collect that CA fee (for the six months) at the beginning of the month, not the end. Be sure your contract specifies what happens with unused hours. And with each monthly billing, include a reminder that this is for management and oversight of the approved design. If they'd like additional selections or design services, those can be billed hourly/as a new flat fee scope.
Having the client understand that there is a design phase, and there is a construction phase — very different activities — will really help in setting boundaries around what you may be asked to do. Or, it will set their expectations to what is involved in a redesign effort.
Regarding contractors, you can certainly dictate that you will only work with your preferred list of contractors, or your own tradespeople. That is not unreasonable at all. Or, if the client insists on using their own contractor, make it clear that you will be diligent in maintaining your own responsibilities during the project completion and will not provide any project management or contractor collaboration with their contractors.
So in short, to establish better parameters around working with outside contractors:
Have a clearly defined client process.
Use a contract that states what is included in each phase.
Specify what is included in your billing (especially if you bill flat fee) and what isn’t.
Present the full design at once and give the contractor ALLLL the details they need so you don’t have to come back months later to try to remember the design or redraw or respec something a million times.
Don’t base your pricing on work being completed by parties not under your control.
Guide your clients through each phase of your process so they always know what to expect. You’re the expert; not them!
Be sure to check out other posts from the Dear Dakota series here. And if you have a question you’d like answered, feel free to email me!
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