New Construction Specification
Appointment Details
- Appointments are in 2-3 hour increments and are available Monday-Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Your total appointment hours will vary depending on the agreed upon amount provided by your builder, contractor or designer.
- Please begin thinking of several ideal appointment times that you are available.
Also, please be sure to have child care during your available appointment times. Your time is limited with the designer so providing your full attention will result in you receiving all the information on making the best decisions for your home.
How to Prepare for Your Appointment
Make a Wish List – To prepare for your appointment, make a wish list of the items that you know are “must haves” for your new home. Examples: Tankless Water Heater, Whole House Water Filtration System, Tile Wood Floors, etc. This will help the designer from the beginning to understand what is important to you, so you can focus on making decisions.
Create an Online File or Bring Pictures – We also encourage creating a file online or bring pictures of styles you have seen and would like for your home. Though we may not have the exact items, we will work together to replicate the look.
Pricing, Payment & Upgrade Builder Policy
Builders provide a wide variety of options for your home. Sometimes it is difficult for us to have exact pricing at the time of inquiry. Your designer may need to submit a price request to your builder. All price requests should be back by your next appointment if not emailed to you beforehand. This is the common rule of thumb but please know there are always exceptions.
Please know your builders deposit policy on upgrades. Depending on your builder this may be due upon your final appointment. We accept check or money order.
Additional Consultations
Your builder has provided you with a substantial amount of time at Atelier Haus Interiors with your designer. If you require more time with the designer to finalize your selections to start your home, Atelier Haus Interiors will charge an hourly fee for the extra time.
*This is separate from our interior design service fees. Please inquire if interested.
FAQ’s
Why Should I Hire an Interior Designer
An educated interior designer has the skills to not only provide stylish decor, but to create strategic plans for a specific space. This can include consultation in reconfiguring an existing interior, adding square footage to a home, and the development of lighting and electrical plans.
How Do We Get Started
Typically, our introductory communication is a brief phone conversation to determine if collaboration is in the best interest of both parties. After filling out a style questionnaire, we’ll schedule an initial in-home consultation to gauge the scope of the project, as well as finalize the details of the design agreement.
Am I expected to Find My Own Contractors
We maintain excellent relationships with some of the industry’s most talented professionals and are able to offer services for any interior design project. If you prefer to work with your own contractors, we are also open to collaborating with new friends as well!
Can I Come Browse Before My Appointment
We are By Appointment Only. You are welcome to book an appointment anytime at our regular hourly rate. Please understand that we always want to give our clients the time and attention they deserve so appointments are necessary. We also run tight schedules and ask that if you should arrive early to please be seated in our “Relaxation Area” and enjoy a beverage and our beautiful aquarium!
Can I Bring My Own Decorator, Friend or Family Member
We do not recommend this. Your builder or yourself has hired Atelier Haus Interior Designers to assist you with all your design needs. We are highly trained designers and know your builder’s processes. There is also a time frame in which you are allotted to make your selections and any additional time used will be billed directly to you. We recommend that if you feel it is necessary to bring your Friend or Family member we ask that they not be brought in on the first initial meeting. This meeting is crucial in getting your home started and for our relationship to begin with the client. The less distractions, the better for your time and wallet.
Hidden Costs of Interior Design
In our business, we send a proposal for an item, the client pays and then we place the order with the vendor. We do our best to give our clients a full cost outlook for each item, but additional costs such as storage, shipping, insurance, and unexpected labor do occasionally happen. Here are some costs that you should expect to run into.
Shipping: Shipping is largely calculated by weight & distance. If the vendor is unsure of how much the package will weigh until its packed up and ready to ship to you, shipping will usually be billed later.
Storage: To get that "blown-away-I-can't-believe-how-awesome-my-house-looks-and-you've-even-lit-candles" moment, the install should happen all at once, preferably while you're away so clients can enjoy the impact of what the space looks like finished. To get the "oh-my-god-I-never-expected-my-home-to-look-this-good-ever" moment, your stuff has to spend some time in storage. Tucked away until everything is in and ready to be installed for the big "ta-da". Trust me, it's so worth it.
Insurance: It's important to have insurance and to check with your insurance company and interior designer as to who is responsible at what time for that items being purchased and shipped.
Unexpected labor: Sometimes we as interior designers, can't possibly forsee everything (why is it so hard for me to admit that?). Perhaps something was hidden behind a large family portrait on the walk-thru, or covered up by wallpaper. Things come up and you've got to be flexible (anyone who has ever remodeled knows this all too well, right?).
Expected labor: Vendors don't know how much time and effort it'll take until they see what they have to do. Is that vague? Maybe restoration work does need to be done on an antique, maybe the silk fabric needs knit-backing, perhaps a lantern needs powder-coating, or rewired. Many of these things we can get estimates for, but until the work is completed it may not be possible to get an exact cost.
Minimum Fees: Sure you can order a yard of fabric, but it'll cost you extra with many vendors because of their minimum yardage requirements. It may seem unfair, but it is time-consuming and not as lucrative to cut one yard as opposed to twenty. You'll also see mimimum fees if purchasing from a wholesaler and not reaching their minimum order requirements. And unfortunately, I often see vendors providing quotes without this minimum fee, only to have it show up on the invoice when you are ready to purchase.
Rush fees: If you want to be at the front of the line, you'll have to pony up.
-Capella Kincheloe