Design pricing — what's free, what's paid
The initial design call is free. Follow-on design work is charged at £150 per hour. You'll always see a time estimate and approve before any paid work begins.
The initial design call is free. Follow-on design work — the design pack, revisions, materials selection — is charged at £150 per hour. You'll always see a time estimate and approve before any paid work begins.
The free initial call
The first call with one of our designers is free. It's typically 30 to 45 minutes. You'll talk through your goals, your priorities, what you're trying to achieve in the space, and any practical constraints. You'll come away with a clearer view of what's possible and what a Beams design service for your project would look like.
There's no obligation to proceed beyond the call. You can take what you've learned and go your own way if that's the right call for you.
Paid design work
If you'd like our designers to work on the project — drafting the design pack, working through layout and finishes, putting together your materials list — that work is charged at £150 per hour.
Before any paid work starts, your designer will give you a time estimate for the outputs you've asked for. You approve the estimate, and only then does paid work begin. You're never charged without approval.
If a piece of work runs longer than the estimate, your designer will tell you before going past it — and you can decide whether to extend the engagement or land where you are. The principle is that you're always in control of what's being charged.
Why we charge by the hour
The amount of design work each customer wants varies hugely. Some customers want a single set of 2D drawings to brief their builder. Others want 2D plans, 3D renders, and several iterations to land on the right layout. Charging by the hour lets you choose how much design you want — rather than pay a one-size-fits-all per-room or per-project price that's set for someone else's project. The article Typical costs for a kitchen, bathroom, or full home gives a sense of how design fees vary in practice.
What this means for you
Use the free initial call to decide whether our designers are a good fit for your project. If you'd like them to keep going, ask for a time estimate, decide whether to approve it, and the work proceeds from there. You always know what you're paying for and you always approve in advance.
Related articles
- What's in your design pack
- How design revisions work
- How Beams is paid