Richard Jones Furniture

Services and Charges

Furniture design and construction services and charges.

I undertake a variety of furniture commissions for which I have standard charges and terms of business. The process usually  involves the client contacting me and we agree to meet, most commonly  at the client's home, office, etc. I can get an overview of the final location of the piece and a sense of the client's taste in design. At the initial meeting we discuss the range and scope of the project and establish the budget. I can also work from initial sketches and designs emailed or posted to me by the client. 

After the initial meeting I create a written brief and forward this to the client to ensure that all the needs and parameters of the project are described and itemised. This ensures that both the client and myself are working towards the same goals. If there are any discrepancies this is the ideal opportunity for corrections to take place.

After this the process of designing the piece or pieces begins. When concept sketches and presentation drawings are ready I contact the client and arrange another meeting to present the design or designs along with an indication of charges, including delivery and installation charges if these apply.

There may be further refinement of the design work required. Small changes are usually quite simple to manage on the spot, but major changes might need further design development, additional concept sketches and a new cost estimate.

When the client approves the design I move on to creating the necessary working drawings, finalise all the charges and any other fees, eg, delivery and installation. The client approves the job by signing an agreement and a deposit is paid. A delivery date is discussed and agreed at this point and the work begins.

• A deposit secures a firm date for work commencement. 
• The delivery date given in a quotation or an estimate is always a set number of days or weeks, etc, after work commencement, eg, completion and delivery of the item will be six weeks after commencement of work.

Charging schedule

• Initial consultation: no charge
• Standard design fee: £250 payable at the first meeting.
• This fee is non-refundable if the client decides not to go ahead with the project, but it is deducted from the cost of completed projects.
• At my discretion I raise or lower the design fee, or waive it entirely.
• Deposit: usually 40%, but sometimes 30% or 35%, of the estimated or quoted charges for the project.
• Progress payments: typically a payment of 50% of the balance is required a week before delivery.
• Final payment: normally 10% payable at delivery and/or installation.

Notes

• I retain all intellectual property rights to my design work.
• Clients receive copies of concept drawing and/or presentation drawings-- see example below.
• My design fees do not include working drawings (orthographic projections.)
• I will sometimes negotiate a fee for the purchase of working drawings.
• I do not break down estimates into constituent parts, eg, I do not separate out and itemise my material costs and labour costs. I present a total figure for a complete item.

Sample concept drawing

Consultancy Work

• Initial consultation charge: £125, payable at the beginning of the consultation, when your location is within 25 miles of my home base.
• Additional travel and sundry expenses: for locations more than 25 miles from my home base, I charge £0.40 per mile for each mile over the 25 mile limit described above, plus other expenses, eg, food and overnight stay costs if applicable.
• Fees after the initial consultation: £50 per hour, plus expenses. The client receives a quotation for the work and the client agrees to the scale of charges in writing before work commences.
• What is provided? This depends upon the nature of the consultancy work. It may be that verbal advice at the initial meeting is all that is required, but quite commonly the client needs an illustrated written report to present to third parties.