"Can I Just Get a Concept"

DIY is getting more and more popular and homeowners are interested in taking on their own design and construction work. We applaud this energy and support you completely in your endeavors! Many times, homeowners have come to us and asked if they could get just a concept. After happily obliging for many, many years for so many clients, we have discontinued offering this service. Reason being, a concept design ends up being a frustration for the homeowner as well as for us (and general contractors we worked with in the past) and here is why:

"I expected more"

Designing takes time. Oftentimes, a homeowner that wants just a concept is on a tight budget and is looking for a quick, inexpensive service. A design concept is an idea and not a fully formulated idea. In fact, technically a design concept for interior architectural design is a verbal or written statement that may be accompanied by abstract diagrams. It most certainly is not what we find when searching Pinterest. Additionally, quick and “inexpensive” will not get anyone very far.

It is not possible to put dimensions on an idea. 

It is not possible to order products based on an idea.

So, what you are paying for with a concept from a designer is a partially formed idea that needs a lot of refinement. Developing that idea means research, interviews, sketching, analysis of the existing space, and a review of the basic design principles and elements. Depending on the complexity of the space, it may mean conceptual details, conceptual plans and more. This type of work takes a significant amount of time, and while we can order a concept online these days for $99, this isn't a quality, holistic concept that has fully considered all the angles.

“This is incorrect”

I cannot emphasize this enough. There will be errors. I often liken the design phases to writing a paper, a book, or a speech.

• Programming = information gathering/research.

• Schematic Design (AKA, the conceptual phase) = Building your outline, some paragraphs may be scribbled in, though out of order and not fully thought out.

• Design Development = The rough draft. The ideas are there, but there may be grammatical errors and incomplete thoughts.

• Construction Documents = Editing has taken place and probably several times. Check, correct, check, correct.

• Construction Administration = This might be the publishing point, or the speech taking place.

A concept is a schematic design. It is rough, messy, not thoroughly thought through. Incomplete in every form.

"I can't build from this"

Next, let's look at the contractor's perspective. A contractor's job is to build something from a set of instructions, a full set of drawings. The first question any contractor should ask when a homeowner contacts them about a project is, "do you have drawings?" or "who is doing the drawings". Many contractors will say that they can draw it up, and for projects less than $10,000 I generally suggest going that route. Most designers are not trained to assemble DIY or salvage-type projects. Keep in mind, however, that there is no training or testing in Washington State to become a contractor. So, if you're hiring someone to do drawings, it is worth it to review their capability to do this.

Okay, back to the concept. The drawings that come out of a "quick and inexpensive" concept are sadly not often enough for an accurate estimate. The contractor has the look, but no instructions to build for quality, for your functional needs, etc. In essence, a photograph from a magazine would be just as good for the contractor.

"I'm sorry, this is just a concept"

This falls back to the "I expected more" category. We love our jobs because we please people! We are people pleasers and provide ideas and directions for spaces that clients never dreamed they could have! We can't tell you how many times we have repeated to clients and contractors that the design simply isn't fully developed when questions arise. You see, every time further information is needed, it means more work on our end, which means more time billed on the homeowner's end, and delay for the contractor.

So, can you just have a concept? After years and years of disappointment as a result, and expectations of more, we have finally made the decision to no longer offer concept only design. Our company policy is that all projects must be designed in-full to receive a construction estimate and to move forward with construction. If we have availability, we are happy to provide consultations, and our clients are always welcome to book as many consultations as they would like. We may sketch during these consultations, giving you a partial “concept” drawing. However, this work comes at a higher cost and is always noted as “not for construction”.