Design Deposit Policy

A very few times in the past, I have had potential clients not understand what can be involved in designing a custom project .. In every case so far, I am the one who has had to eat the time and effort spent on unresolvable projects.  So, here, I'm going to add this policy with it's own heading, and should I need to request a design deposit in the future, we will all know where we stand  ... Sometimes, I can be a slow learner, but eventually, I catch on.

My Current Design Fee Policy .. 2/15/2015

Here’s what I’ll do for free :

Have a meeting or two of reasonable length, say an hour or so, at my shop or at their house close by …. No Charge …. More than ½ hour travel time from my shop, meetings MAY involve travel time reimbursement. The client will be informed in advance and the charge will be assessed at my discretion, probably depending on how the meeting seems to go.

Provide concept sketches and one CAD scale drawing … No Charge

If design is ‘close’ but not finalized, I’ll provided a non binding ESTIMATE of the project’s cost including shipping and installation. No Charge

If we move on from there without, at that time, a formal agreement to proceed, I will request a non-refundable, design fee that seems appropriate to the project at hand.  Our current hourly shop rate is $85.00. hour.  Design time estimates are approximate and charges will be updated as the total design time is applied to the deposit.  Additional charges may be advised of and applied, should the process involve time beyond the original design estimate.

Blog posts regarding this policy are here:
May 31st, 2009
and here
February 15th, 2015

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